The Fault In Our Stars
Between the rollercoaster of emotions and engaging self-aware characters that you will instantaneously fall in love with, John Green’s young adult book, “The Fault in Our Stars,” will make anyone tear up.
Like many film adaptations of popular novels, Josh Boone’s film version is less gripping. This might have to do with the fact that almost no one talks in the elegant straightforward way John Green writes, but there’s an ineptness with the movie and a need to leave nothing to the imagination.
Hazel Grace (Shailene Woodley) has cancer and an oxygen tank for her only constant companion. Trying to live a normal teenage life she fervently dislikes going to the weekly cancer support group, the one thing her mother is adamant upon, until she finds Augustus Waters (Ansel Elgort). He recognizes her frustration with the feel-good nonsense that they are surrounded by and with this camaraderie their lovely relationship blossoms.
Shailene Woodley is perfect. She is natural—maybe way too mature sounding to play a 16 year old—and likeable. The same cannot be said for Ansel Elgort. He is rough and a little too boyish for the eloquent dialogue that Green dictates. Do not get me wrong, girls will fall in love with him and his hurried proclamations of life and love, but his mojo deflates greatly next to Woodley.
Inevitably, Gus and Hazel’s great relationship and adventures cannot last, but instead of what it should be (complex and deliberate), the ending is rushed after the most awkward first kiss, in both the book and movie, taking place in front of an applauding crowd of tourists in the attic of Anne Frank’s house.
“Okay?”
“Okay.”
Let’s give this 7 stars out of 10.
