Last night my husband and I were searching for a movie to watch and I found this title on iTunes. I had never heard of it, but it seemed to have great reviews, and given my weird interest in topics around death and dying, I thought it would be an interesting movie. It ended up being a really lovely and surprisingly funny film, one of the best we had seen in a while.

The story follows Greg, a high school boy living in Pittsburgh who is forced by his mother to spend time with a classmate who was recently diagnosed with leukemia. His only other friend Earl and his eccentric father (played by the hilarious Nick Offerman) provide a lot of humor and a sort of Sundance essence to the film. There are also numerous mini films within the film which Greg and Earl had produced throughout their years of friendship. None of films make much sense to me, but I think their importance lies in the joy they elicit in their one and only viewer.

One aspect I appreciated was that this film was not about romance and teenage love. It was about the beautiful potential of friendship. It’s about navigating some pretty heavy life burdens in the confusing state of youth while everyone else’s worries extend to prom and popularity. It’s about self love and acceptance, and learning to be ok with being different.

If you watch the film, I’d love to hear your thoughts!