The Fault in Our Stars Review

Rated PG-13 (Thematic Elements, Some Sexuality and Brief Strong Language)

Running Time: 2 Hours & 6 Minutes

Cast-

Shailene Woodley-Hazel Grace Lancaster

Ansel Elgort-Augustus 'Gus' Waters

Nat Wolff-Isaac

Laura Dern-Frannie Lancaster

Sam Trammell-Michael Lancaster

Willem Dafoe-Peter Van Houten

Lotte Verbeek-Lidewij Vliegenthart

Ana Dela Cruz-Dr. Maria

Randy Kovitz-Dr. Simmons

Milica Govich-Gus' Mother/Mrs. Waters

David Whalen-Gus' Father/Mr. Waters

Emily Peachey-Monica

Emily Bach-Monica's Mother

Mike Birbiglia-Patrick

Directed by Josh Boone

Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort deliver fantastic performances in Josh Boone's "The Fault in Our Stars," based on the New York Times best-selling novel by John Green.

Note: Screened on Tuesday, July 3, 2014 at AMC Loews 19th Street East 6.

We're all going to die 'someday' and while it's an unfortunate inevitability, we tend not to dwell on it very much because 'someday' is still a long ways off for many of us. However, people suffering from terminal cancer don't have the luxury of 'someday' as they already have one foot on death's doorstep. Cancer has often been treated as a battle, something you 'fight' and 'survive' due to how much pain and death this disease causes. We frequently call these people 'brave' and put them on a pedestal for 'fighting until the very end' but these are all just hollow, feel-good clichés, a way for society to deal with an uncomfortable subject. The reality is much more different. There's a pivotal scene in Josh Boone's cancer-themed teen drama "The Fault in Our Stars" where the main character, Hazel Grace Lancaster, rushes over to a nearby gas station after receiving a troubling phone call from her boyfriend Augustus Waters. When she arrives, she finds him sitting in his car, covered in his own mucus and vomit. His G-tube tract in his abdomen appears to have become infected, with Augustus himself reduced to a blubbering, incoherent mess. This is the harsh reality of living with terminal cancer: it turns people into frightened and helpless creatures. Where is the so-called 'bravery' in all of this? "The Fault in Our Stars" is an atypical film to release during the summer, a season usually dominated by big-budget blockbusters but it doesn't matter. A good film is a good film. However, "The Fault in Our Stars" is more than just a good film, it is a great film. Anchored by excellent performances from Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort, Josh Boone's big screen adaptation of John Green's 2012 critically-acclaimed, best-selling young adult novel will definitely make you shed a few tears but it earns this reaction not through maudlin sentimentality, but by facing its difficult subject matter head on. As written in Hazel's favorite book, 'Pain demands to be felt.'

Set in Indianapolis, Indiana, Hazel Grace Lancaster (Shailene Woodley) is a sixteen-year-old girl living with stage four thyroid cancer that has metastasized to her lungs. Because of her disease, she uses a portable oxygen tank in order to breathe adequately. At the behest of her worried mother Frannie (Laura Dern), Hazel attends a cancer support group, held in the basement of a local Episcopal church that she cheekily dubs the 'Literal Heart of Jesus.' While on her way to the group one day, Hazel bumps into eighteen-year-old Augustus Waters (Ansel Elgort), who came to lend support to his best friend Isaac (Nat Wolff) as he is about to lose his second eye to cancer. During the meeting, Augustus reveals that he is a survivor of osteosarcoma and has fortunately been in remission ever since his right leg was amputated. He now wears a prosthetic. Following the meeting, Augustus approaches Hazel, and the two immediately form a bond. However, Hazel is afraid of letting him get too close and compares herself to a grenade, explaining to him that she wants to 'minimize the casualties.' Augustus remains undeterred and slowly but surely, he wins over Hazel with his charming sense of humor and profound understanding of her feelings. After introducing him to her favorite novel An Imperial Affliction by Peter Van Houten (Willem Dafoe), Hazel learns that Augustus has begun corresponding via email with the famed Dutch-American author…and received an actual reply from him! When Van Houten extends a written invitation to his home in Amsterdam, Hazel is ecstatic. Unfortunately, her doctors reveal that she is just too ill to safely travel. Knowing that her time is already limited, Augustus—with the help of Hazel's parents—does everything he can to make this trip a reality for the girl he loves.

"Gus, my love, I cannot tell you how thankful I am for our little infinity. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. You gave me a forever within the numbered days, and I'm grateful."

Prior to the screening for "The Fault in Our Stars," a three-minute trailer was shown for FOX's upcoming teen dramedy "Red Band Society," set to debut this fall. Taking place in the pediatric ward of a Los Angeles hospital, the series (which is executive produced by Steven Spielberg and is a remake of the 2011 Catalan television show "Polseres Vermelles") follows a group of children and adolescents who are hospitalized due to their serious, often life-threatening conditions. I'm not going to bother mincing words here: this trailer was embarrassing to watch. It drowns you in cheesy, cringe-inducing sentimentality in order to provoke an emotional reaction. I know the showrunners are trying to go for earnestness and want to tug at our heartstrings but rather than tears, that trailer prompted derisive laughter from much of the audience. I feared that this was the tone that Josh Boone had taken for "The Fault in Our Stars" but I'm glad to report that he avoids the heavy-handed, manipulative tactics that plague other films dealing with similar subject matter (remember the 2002 Nicholas Sparks schlock-fest "A Walk to Remember"?). Aside from some cutesy text bubbles, there's nothing particularly remarkable about Boone's direction yet that's precisely the reason why "The Fault in Our Stars" succeeds as a coming-of-age teen romance. He stays out of the way of his cast and allows them to bring the drama to life through their performances. Hazel and Augustus' romance is still, by and large, an adolescent fantasy but their love is backed-up by achingly real emotions thanks to the people portraying them.

Shailene Woodley is fast becoming one of my favorite actresses and she's predictably wonderful as Hazel Grace Lancaster. Even though she's playing a teenager, Woodley's infectious performance will resonate with all viewers, regardless of their age. Her character has an appealingly acerbic wit and doesn't mince words but what's refreshing about Hazel is that she's not a pitiable person, nor would she want to be either. Having terminal cancer has given her a somewhat cynical outlook on life yet Hazel doesn't let her disease define her. She is not 'the girl with cancer,' she is a teenager and Woodley is absolutely convincing in the role as she brings her character's desires and insecurities to life but without overselling it for cheap, easy pathos. The biggest surprise is Ansel Elgort. The twenty-year-old actor previously had supporting roles in 2013's "Carrie" and this past March's "Divergent" yet his performances were largely forgettable. Elgort is a revelation here and while his character Augustus can come across as a bit cocky at times, it's nicely balanced with his charming, 'Aw, shucks!' attitude. Ironically, Woodley and Elgort played brother-and-sister in "Divergent" but that memory instantly vanishes once you see them embody their characters. It's a joy to see Hazel and Augustus' love blossom, culminating in a moving eulogy (or more accurately, a 'pre-eulogy') that is both devastating and uplifting. I'll come right out and admit it: I was teary-eyed.

Although I haven't personally read John Green's book, I can say with confidence that the script from Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber—whose previous credits include 2009's "(500) Days of Summer" and last year's "The Spectacular Now"—is pretty faithful to the source material, judging from the audience's reaction. The story serves as a reminder to cherish our time on Earth and make every moment count but what sets "The Fault in Our Stars" apart from similar films is its view on suffering, specifically its inevitability. Life comes with a fair bit of suffering and a majority of Boone's film involves the characters making peace with that fact. However, that doesn't mean your life is any less worth living. Pain is unavoidable and that's doubly true for Hazel and Augustus yet they still took a chance with each other despite the knowledge that tomorrow, in a very real sense, may not come. HitFix's Drew McWeeny said it best in his review: 'love never arrives on our perfect timetable, and it is an act of courage to reach out and embrace it when it is offered, and this film understands just how big and scary and amazing that can be.' Yes, it'll hurt when one of them passes away but that 'scar' you leave behind means you mattered to the ones you love. Without pain, there would be no joy.

Despite its bleak subject matter, there's still a lot of humor to be found in Boone's film.

I've already mentioned how excellent Woodley and Elgort's performances are but I would be remiss if I didn't mention the fantastic supporting cast. Laura Dern exhibits genuine warmth as Hazel's mother Frannie and it's nice to see a mother and daughter so in-sync with each other. Nat Wolff brings quite a lot of laughs as Augustus' best friend Isaac. At one point, Isaac tells his friend that if 'scientists of the future show up at my house with robot eyes and they tell me to try them on, I will tell the scientists to screw off, because I do not want to see a world without [Augustus].' That is both hilarious and touching at the same time and it's refreshing to witness two male friends so openly honest about their feelings for each other. Finally, there's Willem Dafoe as Dutch-American novelist Peter Van Houten, whose uncompromisingly 'tough love' demeanor serves as a reminder that reality rarely lives up to your personal expectations.

"The Fault in Our Stars" was released on June 6, 2014 to positive reviews with 80% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics hailed it for being 'wise, funny, and heartbreaking without resorting to exploitation.' Made for a cheap $12 million, the film is already a box office success with its $132.2 million worldwide gross. The audience heavily skewed towards female at the advance screening and…well, let's just say that Kleenex will be experiencing quite a large sales spike for the rest of the month. Unless you have a heart made of literal stone, you're almost guaranteed to shed a tear while watching "The Fault in Our Stars." Josh Boone rightfully allows his talented cast to do the heavy-lifting, letting them sell the drama without resorting to mawkish, emotional manipulation. If there's one thing that you should take away from the film, it's that love—real love—arrives when you least expect it. There will be pain and there will be joy but one thing's for sure, you'll be glad to have taken that leap of faith.

Final Rating: 4.5 out of 5

"I can't talk about our love story, so I will talk about math. I am not a mathematician, but I know this: there are infinite numbers between 0 and 1. There's .1 and .12 and .112 and an infinite collection of others. Of course, there is a bigger infinite set of numbers between 0 and 2, or between 0 and a million. Some infinities are bigger than other infinities. A writer we used to like taught us that. There are days, many of them, when I resent the size of my unbounded set. I want more numbers than I'm likely to get, and God, I want more numbers for Augustus Waters than he got. But, Gus, my love, I cannot tell you how thankful I am for our little infinity. I wouldn't trade it for the world. You gave me a forever within the numbered days, and I'm grateful."