Why the Friend Zone Is Not So Bad—In Fact, It's Pretty Cool

One lunch break at the Candy HQ while we were talking about The Fault in Our Stars and If I Stay, then EIC Marla—if I'm not mistaken—came up with the term "sicktopia" to describe all these movies set in the real world—as opposed to the increasingly popular dystopian realms—about teenagers dying and falling in love. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl ticks the "dying" box, but what makes it so special is that it celebrates platonic love instead of the usual romantic kind. The "Me" is Greg, a cripplingly self-conscious boy who refuses to call anyone his friend and is forced by his mom to hang out with Rachel, a schoolmate recently diagnosed with leukemia. Completing the trifecta is Earl, Greg’s best friend, though Greg would much rather call him a co-worker he makes home movies with.

...