Review of The Fault in Our Stars (2014) by Joel M — 11 Mar 2015

There are not too many faults in the emotional "The Fault in Our Stars". The movie is centered around Hazel and Augustus, two teenagers with cancer who form an exceptional friendship and romance. It is based on John Green's best-selling book which made plenty of green in the literary world. The ascending Shailene Woodley marvels again with another solid performance, here as Hazel; Shailene fortunately has not yet diverted herself from the poisons of Hollywood demise. Newcomer Anton Elgort is an unfaulty star-in-the-making with his work here as Augustus. And I also thought Willem Dafoe was stellar as novelist Van Houten; but a Dafoe performance is usually outstanding just at default. Josh Boone's direction of the film was authentic as he did not convert "The Fault in Our Stars" into a weepy Lifetime movie by incorporating a myriad of themes in the picture. I loved how love for a novel became a potent point in the movie; yes, I even read into that. Sure, this type of film will bring the handkerchiefs and kleenexes out, but I refuse to call "The Fault in Our Stars" a tearjerker. I rather describe it as a strong movie about the power of love; and maybe I am reaching for the stars, but last I checked, there is no fault in that.

***** Excellent.