Director: Josh Boone
Starring: Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, Nat Wolff, Laura Dern, Sam Trammell, Willem Dafoe, Lotte Verbeek.
Certificate: 12A
Synopsis: 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.
Sadly, there is a not a word that has been created to describe “favourite book being made into a movie” dread yet. But it’s real. If the upcoming adaptation of THE FAULT IN OUR STARS fills you with that dread you have absolutely nothing to worry about.
For the non-Green readers out there, let us give you the gist of the story. 16 year old Hazel Grace Lancaster (Shailene Woodley) has thyroid cancer with metastasis forming on her lungs, which is why she needs a constant stream of oxygen. She meets Augustus Waters (Ansel Elgort), who is in remission but lost his leg to osteosarcoma at a local support group with his friend Isaac (Nat Wolff) who is losing his eyesight to cancer. Sound depressing? Don’t worry, it could not be far from it.
Josh Boone’s second offering is not too far from the tree where his directorial debut STUCK IN LOVE is concerned, but he has found his footing with coming-of-age dramedy now. As the film plays out it lets the story what it needs to do, and in the end becomes a comfortable yet confident piece, we are never taken from the heart of it – and you don’t really want it any other way.
THE FAULT IN OUR STARS is all about Hazel and Gus, and if that chemistry was not right then the film would have fallen flat on its face. Lucky for everybody involved, Woodley and Elgort take this love story on a different kind of level. Elgort’s performance as Augustus Waters really highlights this the most. In the book, Gus comes across as smart and bold to a point of a cool “Hollywood teenager” type character, but on screen Elgort adds that aura of a wonderfully geeky teenage boy who turns to goo every time he sees Hazel, which makes Hazel and Grace even more perfect for each other. Woodley also shines as Hazel Grace, and has become one of my favourite protagonists to come out of cinema in a long while. The supporting cast Nat Wolff, Willem Dafoe, Laura Dern and Sam Trammell also deserve a special mention.
But it does come down to the big question – how faithful is it to John Green’s novel? The answer…very well, maybe scarily well. Maybe this could be down to the fact that Michael H. Weber and Scott Neustader did not want a flock of angry nerdfighters after them, but whatever their reasons it plays out very beautifully. They try and keep much of the heart and soul of the story, and most of the book fans will be incredibly happy for it. The only problem that you will have to face now is dealing with future adaptations of books, because it will never come close.
But we’re not going to lie to you – it’s a tearjerker. But not in a horrible way, it makes you want to grab your fear of oblivion by the balls and appreciate everything and everyone around you. It takes a lot for a movie to take you on such a wide range of emotion, but you’re just gonna have to face the fact you gonna feel those feels, so embrace them. Then go embrace everybody you know shortly after.
[usr=5] THE FAULT IN OUR STARS is released in UK cinemas June 19th 2014
