The Fault in Our Stars (2014): Review

This weekend I went and saw The Fault in Our Stars which is the newest teen book adaptation, but don't let that prevent you from seeing this fantastic movie.  The Fault in Our Stars is the 2012 book of the same name written by John Green and is told from the view point of a seventeen year old girl who suffers from thyroid cancer that has effected her lungs.  This movie was absolutely fantastic and is a mush see for anyone who likes dramas, period. At the heart this is a coming of age story and experiencing your first love but that is not all that it is, there is something to connect with in this movie for everyone and all of the characters shine in their own right and have something interesting about them.  The characterization in the movie is just real and it is a testament to John Green's story and the decisions made by the filmmakers throughout the making of this movie.

The Fault in Our Stars is told through the perspective of Hazel Grace, played by Shailene Woodley, a seventeen year old girl who has been battling cancer her whole young life and is currently having problems with her lungs because of this.  While she is attending a cancer support group, which she only attends because her parents, played by Laura Dern and Sam Trammell, want her to she meets Augustus (Gus), played by Ansel Elgort, and they develop a friendship and deep connection.  They go through a journey of developing feelings for each other while discussion over Hazel's favorite book An Imperial Affliction. Through the struggles of her family having to deal with Hazels health problems, Hazel and Gus travel to meet the author of An Imperial Affliction Von Houten, played by William Dafoe, in Amsterdam. This movie is a drama and therefor is a snapshot of the lives of the people involved and the struggles that they are going through either because of their own experiences with cancer or that of those around them.

This movie really connected with me and I was swept into the story from the very begining.  I have not read the book so do not know how faithfully accurate the movie is but I felt like the movie flowed well and there were not any holes in the story line. I was able to buy into the emotional journey Hazel went through and cared about the people she interacted with.  There wasn't a character in this movie that wasn't interesting in some way but no one stole the show. It seemed like they were all working together to be pieces of the puzzle that made this magnificent whole.  This also includes Nat Wolff who played Isaac, a friend of Gus and fellow support group member of Hazel; Lotte Verbeek, who played Von Housen's assistant Ledewij; and Mike Birbiglia, who played the leader of the support group.

This movie had a great balance, of emotional connection, caring for the characters, seeing their genuine affection for each other and moments of humor in all that was going on.  It was a great perspective to watch and a fantastic film. I recommend this for anyone who likes dramas and is something that is probably good for everyone to watch at some point. It is not necessary to see this movie on the big screen because the focus is the characters and what they are going through not any special effects or high def action.
I hope that this movie will get some sort of award recognition but as it is a teen focused drama and released in June we will have to see.

Basically I recommend that you see this movie but be prepared for the tear inducing moments.

My Rating: 4