2014 - 125 minutes - Drama/Romance
Director: Josh Boone
Country: United States
IMDB: 8.5Metacritic: 69
RT: 82%
EpicEnthuisiast's Rating: A-
Watch this movie if you enjoy:
- John Green's novel
- teen dramas
- romance films
- Shailene Woodley
Avoid this movie if you dislike:
Sometimes, you go into a movie knowing you're going to love it. You approve of the cast, get excited by the trailer, and in this case, race to finish the book before the film comes out. You think it'd be almost impossible to be disappointed, and start counting down the days until release.
- sad stories
- book adaptations
- young adult stories
- sad stories (can't emphasize this enough)
Sometimes, you go into a movie knowing you're going to love it. You approve of the cast, get excited by the trailer, and in this case, race to finish the book before the film comes out. You think it'd be almost impossible to be disappointed, and start counting down the days until release.
For a number of reasons, this is how I felt going into The Fault in Our Stars.
The Novel: When I saw the movie was coming out this summer, I had to get my hands on John Green's novel. I had heard great things about it, and really enjoyed Looking For Alaska, another one of his books. I cut it close and finished The Fault in Our Stars the night before it came out, but it ended up making the film that much better. I was already attached to the characters and engrossed in the story, and was ready for them to come to life. My only thought was: Just don't mess this up.
John Green: While he wasn't credited with composing the screenplay, Green was on set with the actors for the duration of filming, giving tips and collaborating with director Josh Boone and others. This happened when two of my other favorite coming-of-age stories were adapted into films. In both The Perks of Being a Wallflower and The Spectacular Now, authors Stephen Chbosky and Tim Tharp were on the set of the movie contributing in some way, and in Chbosky's case, directing the film himself. Both films turned out to be great, and they each stayed true to their respective novels. I didn't know what Green would be doing on the set of The Fault in Our Stars, but I knew that his presence would have a positive impact on the final result. It surely did.
The writers: Most moviegoers wouldn't care to look at who is putting together the screenplay of a film, but the writing is what stands out the most to me when I'm watching. So, when I saw that Scott Neustadtler and Michael H. Weber, who previously wrote 500 Days of Summer and The Spectacular Now together, were teaming up for a third time, I was instantly drawn. They were experienced in the genre of young romance, and knew each other well. Thankfully, my prediction of them doing Green's novel justice turned out to be true.
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| Novelist John Green with actors Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort on set |
Shailene Woodley: Perhaps what got me most excited for The Fault in Our Stars was actress Shailene Woodley, who plays Hazel. She was already one of my favorite actresses after The Descendants and the above-mentioned The Spectacular Now, and I was hoping that her role in The Fault in Our Stars would solidify her as one of my absolute favorites. She single-handedly raised my expectations, but definitely didn't disappoint.
I'll start by continuing on about Woodley, because I simply can't say enough about her. In The Fault in Our Stars, she plays Hazel Grace Lancaster, who at 17, has cancer and must have an oxygen tank by her side at all times. Hazel is unique not just because of her condition, but because of her charismatic personality, her intriguing intelligence, and her complex view of the world. When she meets an equally interesting Augustus Waters at a cancer support group, she falls in love, and receives "a forever within the numbered days." Woodley captures her perfectly, and has everything from her mannerisms to her narration down to a science.
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| Shailene Woodley as Hazel |
I had a particular perspective of Hazel going into the movie, because I knew Woodley was going to play her when I started reading the novel. As I read, I pictured Woodley as Hazel throughout, and felt more connected to her character because of it. In the film, she dominates the screen, and gracefully tells us Hazel's heartbreaking story. Not only is she immensely talented, but she's absolutely stunning. (even with oxygen tubes in her nose and a short haircut) She was everything I could have hoped for as Hazel.
That's really the biggest question when it comes to book adaptations: How similar is it going to be? What are the characters going to be like? What will they put in the film, and what will they omit? Josh Boone and company were faced with the daunting task of choosing what elements of Green's novel to put on screen, and while I'm sure he helped make some of those decisions, it was inevitable that memorable parts of his story wouldn't make the cut.
Fans of the book might be slightly disappointed to know that minor characters like Kaitlyn and Caroline didn't make it into the movie, along with some other memorable moments like the little girl in the mall, or Gus's dad telling Hazel that he thanks God for her every day, but again, it would have taken at least a three-hour runtime to cover every last bit, and films of that length rarely make it into theaters.
That being said, the moments that needed to be there were, and they were very well done. Everything from Isaac smashing basketball trophies in Gus's basement, to the raveshing dinner at Oranjee, to the gut-wrenching moment in the gas station parking lot seemed to come straight from the novel, and were every bit as moving as Green's words. Some lines were changed, some interactions were meshed together, and some scenes were altered, but everything worked. Everything was fitting.
In fact, because the book was so fresh in my mind, I even found myself mouthing lines before the characters on screen said them. Despite the necessary changes, the movie stays very true to the book, and fans won't have many complaints.
Fans will also approve of the entire cast of The Fault in Our Stars, but more specifically Ansel Elgort, who plays Gus. As readers of the novel know, the story is driven by the connection between Hazel and Gus, which meant a suitable actor was needed to play the illustrious Augustus Waters. With the opening stare down in the Literal Heart of Jesus, Elgort proved he fit the mold. Like Green's Gus, he's tall, handsome, confident and rocks an unlit cigarette quite well. His eyes aren't blue, but his connection with Woddley makes up for it. The two are actually friends in real life, and it seemingly had an impact on their interactions. Their scenes together are undoubtably the highlights of the film.
Perhaps fittingly so, though, the real strength of the film comes from John Green's written foundation. Neustadter and Weber put forth another fantastic screenplay, using Green's novel selectively, and getting the most out of the actors. Their script is featured in a number of different ways, varying from standard dialogue and voice overs, to text message bubbles popping up on screen. Visually seeing all the facets of Green's novel took the already powerful story to new heights, but in the end, it's still the words that make The Fault in Our Stars such a beautiful film.
Josh Boone's adaptation isn't a perfect one. It's not going to light up the Oscars, and it's not going to go down in history. The production value isn't off the charts, and truthfully, they probably tried a bit too hard to implement lines from the book at certain points. But the final product is honest. It's well-made, and it's captivating. It'll make you laugh, it'll make you cry (I'm not ashamed to say I even teared up a bit), and it might even change your view on everything that is love. It takes a special movie to do that.
Read the book, then go see the movie. Or see the movie, then go read the book. Just make sure you don't miss A Fault in Our Stars.
- EE
As of June 14, 2014, The Fault in Our Stars is in theaters everywhere. Here's the trailer:
Fans of the book might be slightly disappointed to know that minor characters like Kaitlyn and Caroline didn't make it into the movie, along with some other memorable moments like the little girl in the mall, or Gus's dad telling Hazel that he thanks God for her every day, but again, it would have taken at least a three-hour runtime to cover every last bit, and films of that length rarely make it into theaters.
That being said, the moments that needed to be there were, and they were very well done. Everything from Isaac smashing basketball trophies in Gus's basement, to the raveshing dinner at Oranjee, to the gut-wrenching moment in the gas station parking lot seemed to come straight from the novel, and were every bit as moving as Green's words. Some lines were changed, some interactions were meshed together, and some scenes were altered, but everything worked. Everything was fitting.
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| A memorable moment from the novel |
Fans will also approve of the entire cast of The Fault in Our Stars, but more specifically Ansel Elgort, who plays Gus. As readers of the novel know, the story is driven by the connection between Hazel and Gus, which meant a suitable actor was needed to play the illustrious Augustus Waters. With the opening stare down in the Literal Heart of Jesus, Elgort proved he fit the mold. Like Green's Gus, he's tall, handsome, confident and rocks an unlit cigarette quite well. His eyes aren't blue, but his connection with Woddley makes up for it. The two are actually friends in real life, and it seemingly had an impact on their interactions. Their scenes together are undoubtably the highlights of the film.
Perhaps fittingly so, though, the real strength of the film comes from John Green's written foundation. Neustadter and Weber put forth another fantastic screenplay, using Green's novel selectively, and getting the most out of the actors. Their script is featured in a number of different ways, varying from standard dialogue and voice overs, to text message bubbles popping up on screen. Visually seeing all the facets of Green's novel took the already powerful story to new heights, but in the end, it's still the words that make The Fault in Our Stars such a beautiful film.
Josh Boone's adaptation isn't a perfect one. It's not going to light up the Oscars, and it's not going to go down in history. The production value isn't off the charts, and truthfully, they probably tried a bit too hard to implement lines from the book at certain points. But the final product is honest. It's well-made, and it's captivating. It'll make you laugh, it'll make you cry (I'm not ashamed to say I even teared up a bit), and it might even change your view on everything that is love. It takes a special movie to do that.
Read the book, then go see the movie. Or see the movie, then go read the book. Just make sure you don't miss A Fault in Our Stars.
- EE
As of June 14, 2014, The Fault in Our Stars is in theaters everywhere. Here's the trailer:
