Review of The Fault in Our Stars (2014) by Charles M — 29 Aug 2016

It took me a long time to finally read John Green's bestselling novel, The Fault in Our Stars. My life was intimately touched by cancer a couple years ago, so I needed time to become emotionally ready to read the tragic tale. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the book was not the tear-jerking cancer story I feared it would be. Yes, it is about kid's with cancer, but the book is more a bittersweet once in a lifetime kind of love story. The genuine characters, sharp writing, and deeper questions of mortality and legacy made for a very strong novel.

Fortunately the film adaptation of the novel remains true to the book and manages to capture much of the magic from the text. The film follows Hazel (Shailene Woodley), a teenager who is fighting a terminal case of cancer. She is on an experimental medication that keeps her disease at bay, but she will eventually succumb to her illness. An only child, Hazel spends her days reading, attending college classes, or watching T.V. with her parents. At the insistence of her mother, Hazel finds herself at a weekly support group for critically ill teens.

It is at these meetings that Hazel meets Augustus Waters (Ansel Elgort), a lanky, attractive, former high school basketball star who lost a leg to cancer. The two form an immediate connection, and we watch as their young love blossoms. They bond over Hazel's favorite book, An Imperial Affliction, and obsess about the book's ending, or lack thereof. Their curiosity leads them to contact the book's author, Peter Van Houten (Willem Defoe), and even travel to Amsterdam to visit with him. A plot twist near the end brings their entire relationship into question and forces the two to face realities neither of them are prepared for.

The two leading actors expertly portray the humor, angst, and wonder of two young people falling in love. The stellar performances by each member of the cast helps to elevate what could easily be a cheesy Lifetime Channel romance story into something more. Laura Dern as Hazel's overprotective mother, does a particularly fantastic job as a woman facing the possibility of losing her only daughter. Cancer is a difficult subject to talk about and can easily become morbid and cliche. This film approaches the subject with a respectful lightness and humor, making the tragic elements easier to stomach. There are a couple minor changes from the book, but none of them have a negative effect on the story. Fans of the novel will be pleased that this adaptation maintains the romance, hope, sadness and wit of Green's story.