Indian Paintbrush,
Thomas Mann, RJ Cyler, Olivia Cooke, Nick Offerman, Molly Shannon, Connie Britton, Jon Bernthal, Katherine Hughes
Greg (Thomas Mann) is an awkward high school student who does his best to stay invisible so as not to stand out. But when one of his classmates, Rachel (Olivia Cooke) is diagnosed with Leukemia, Greg’s Mother (Connie Britton) insists that he suck it up and spend time with her. So Greg with his friend Earl (RJ Cyler) in tow sets out to befriend Rachel much to her chagrin. But as time passes, Greg becomes less invisible, finds out a lot about himself, and finds he has helped Rachel while growing up a little himself.
This film is reminiscent of “The Fault in our Stars” in a way as it’s a story of growing up and facing loss and tragedy without losing yourself, but it is a very well done story. I think this will appeal to teens and is probably not a bad movie for that age group. It’s rated PG-13 and has some adult situations, but I truly don’t think it’s something that today’s teen aren’t already very familiar with. Only those with a strong dislike of adult themes like those who require their teens only attend G films (I know you’re out there) will think it’s too raunchy for the kids. The story is very touching and quite moving. The acting is good. Olivia Cooke I came to know as the sick girl from Bates Motel, and it seems like she gets the sick girl roles, but she’s a very good actress and quite good at extracting the emotion out of the scenes. She is excellent as the dying girl. Thomas Mann is pretty good as the geeky “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” type character and throws his heart into the role. RY Cyler is also good at his role as the voice of reason when Greg is going off the tracks. There are several back stories going on and many, many interesting characters played by such as Nick Offerman, Molly Shannon, Connie Britton, etc, who add a lot to the film beside the three leads. All in all it’s a nice little film and well worth watching. It’s one of those surprises that don’t come around all that often. Check it out.
EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog
