Navigating the content of movies with teenagers can be tricky. This parent’s guide for “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” offers insight into the film’s content, focusing on violence, gore, and potentially disturbing scenes to help you make informed viewing decisions for your family.
Violence and Gore: A Detailed Breakdown
The film contains several scenes that might be disturbing or unsettling for some viewers:
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Physical Altercations: A teen drug dealer puts another teen in a headlock. A third teen intervenes, punching the attacker in the face multiple times. While no visible damage is shown, the scene involves physical aggression.
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Verbal Threats: A teen drug dealer verbally threatens another student with graphic descriptions of violence, including choking, slashing, stabbing, and eye injury. This scene contains intense and disturbing language.
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Argument and Physical Confrontation: A heated argument between two teen boys leads to one punching the other in the stomach, causing him to fall. The aggressor’s brother makes a threatening statement about further violence.
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Medical Imagery: The film depicts a teen girl undergoing chemotherapy, showing the physical effects of the treatment, including hair loss, weight loss, and gauntness. Scenes include medication being administered intravenously.
Alt text: Rachel Kushner in hospital bed during chemotherapy in “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl”.
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Discussion of Death and Dying: The film revolves around a teen girl dying from leukemia. There are mentions of her impending death, a coma, and a wake.
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Simulated Seizure: A teen boy demonstrates how to fake a seizure, and a teen girl copies him.
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Claymation Violence: A Claymation sequence depicts a moose stomping on a chipmunk multiple times, with a close-up of the chipmunk’s leg twitching, implying death. Another sequence shows a man hanging above a pit of crocodiles.
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Implied Drug Use: Two teen boys eat soup and hallucinate, later claiming the soup was drugged and that they inhaled marijuana smoke.
Additional Content Considerations
Beyond violence and gore, “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” also contains:
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Strong Language: The film includes instances of strong language and cursing.
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Arguments: There are several arguments between family members and friends, including a son arguing with his mother and a teen arguing with the dying girl about her treatment.
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Disturbing Imagery: A teen boy makes films with titles like “Pooping Tom,” “The Turdman,” and “Eyes Wide Butts.” There is also a scene involving cooked pigs’ feet that one character finds repulsive.
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Hallucinations: As mentioned above, the soup scene leads to hallucinations with giant animals appearing in the classroom.
Alt text: Greg, Earl, and Rachel sharing a lighthearted moment in “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl”.
Making an Informed Decision
“Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” tackles mature themes of death, friendship, and dealing with difficult situations. The film’s content, including violence, disturbing imagery, and language, may not be suitable for all viewers. This “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” parents guide is designed to provide a detailed overview of the film’s content, allowing parents to make informed decisions about whether it is appropriate for their children. Consider your child’s maturity level and sensitivity to these themes before allowing them to watch the film.
