[Movie Review] The Fault In Our Stars (2014)
Plot Summary: Hazel and Gus are two teenagers who share an acerbic wit, a disdain for the conventional, and a love that sweeps them on a journey. Their relationship is all the more miraculous given that Hazel's other constant companion is an oxygen tank, Gus jokes about his prosthetic leg, and they met and fell in love at a cancer support group.
Director: Josh Boone
Writers: Scott Neustadter (screenplay), Michael H. Weber (screenplay), John Green (book)
Runtime: 125 min
Main Cast:
- Shailene Woodley as Hazel Grace Lancaster
- Ansel Elgort as Augustus Waters
- Nat Wolff as Isaac
- Laura Dern as Frannie Lancaster
- Sam Trammell as Michael Lancaster
- Willem Dafoe as Peter Van Houten
Review: by Anthony and Lee
Since I (Lee) had already read the book of The Fault in Our Stars, I knew that I had to see the movie as well. I was apprehensive, however that it would not live up to my expectations. Either way, I grabbed a handful of tissue and dragged Anthony along.
What We Liked:
One of our top concerns was that Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort would not do well. We based this off of their performances in Divergent and were wrong.
Shailene Woodley did a fantastic job, exuding exactly the right emotion for each scene and leaving the audience laughter and tears in all the right moments.
Ansel Elgort was also great as Augustus Waters. I (Lee) was concerned because he wasn’t “hot” enough to fit the description of the character, but his acting made me forget all about that almost immediately. He was very charismatic, and he absolutely captured the “smitten” look he was giving Woodley during their first encounter. Something else we enjoyed was his dedication to his character, who had an amputated leg. He walked with a particular gait that gave the hint of a limp, favoring the prosthetic leg. He took stairs differently from others, and he rose and sat oddly. Also, when he sat in a chair, he would manually set his leg out in a comfortable position. That kind of attention to detail is what separates the good from the great.
True to the book, the relationships were very well-developed. Hazel’s relationship with her parents was done very well, especially the apparent burden that she was on their lifestyles and how they didn’t see it the same as she did. The scenes where her mother came frantically running at any call where particularly great. Also, Gus’s relationship with Isaac was great. We enjoyed the scenes where he helped Isaac cope with his problems.
I was familiar with the plot already, but Anthony really enjoyed it. This kind of tragic love story would be a hard sell if someone were just told the broad strokes for the film, two teenagers with varying forms of terminal cancer fall in love. It was a set up for heartbreak from the beginning, but, as the film said, “pain demands to be felt.”
In terms of the book, the screenwriters did a wonderful job. Of course they left out several things, like Gus’s ex-girlfriend and the pain he experienced on their trip to Amsterdam, but they trimmed it in a way that made sense. Everything that was integral to the plot was there and done well. The best part about it, however, was that they did not add anything unnecessary. Most of the lines were directly from the book, and anything apart from that was written as closely to the character’s personalities as could be imagined.
What We Didn’t Like:
There really wasn’t much to dislike about the movie, and the only thing I have is a gripe about a movie/book difference. I thought that they desensitized Hazel’s father a bit too much. In the book, he cried, several times, most memorably when Hazel was going to leave for the trip. He was afraid she might not make it back, and he would have missed her last moments. It was a bit of important character development for him.
Summary
The Fault in Our Stars was a great movie, regardless of the fact that it was an equally good adaptation of the book. The acting and story worked hand in hand to create something truly beautiful.
Images courtesy of IMDB
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