Above: Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort are Hazel and Gus
Crying is therapeutic. There is no arguing that; it is a
scientific fact that sometimes, you just need to sit down and sob. So, when we all began to plan our reviews for
this month, I gladly volunteered to cover the film adaptation of John Green’s
novel “The Fault In Our Stars.”
I have never read the book, but I was already prepping the tissues
before entering the theater. “Fault”
stars Shailene Woodley as teen cancer patient Hazel Grace who, thanks to a
miracle drug still in the testing stage, has managed to buy herself a few more
years (she is a self-described “time bomb”). But while doing the hum-drum of her life, she
meets Ansel Elgort's Gus, a cancer survivor who is in remission after giving up
his leg. They strike up a relationship
(initially against Hazel's wishes) and then, they fall in love.
Despite the beauty of this romance, tragedy looms over the story. Yet the most surprising feature of this film
is not be the buckets of tears it made me cry, but the joy it offered as well. In fact, I spent at least 85% of the movie
smiling, laughing, and relishing Ms. Woodley and Mr. Elgort's off-the-charts
chemistry. All the film really asks is
for you to root for these kids and even at its darkest moments, you start to
feel less scared for them.
Beyond that, director Josh Boone doesn’t bring anything visually
fresh to the table. But he doesn't
really need to. The story and the
characters really make this movie so there’s no need for Mr. Boone to try
anything crazy or experimental. “The
Fault in Our Stars” is primarily a window into Hazel’s world and its people,
which is fine, since Ms. Woodley turns in yet another wonderful performance
(which, at this point, I should stop being so surprised about). Her tongue is biting without being too
off-putting and similarly, you can’t help rooting for Mr. Elgort’s Gus. Thanks to his indomitable spirit and his zest
for life, you fall for the guy a little, just as Hazel does.
Of course, this story can't have a happy ending. But I will say this—“The Fault in Our Stars”
offers the incredibly satisfying experience of crying in public with a bunch of
other people. And that matters because
when everyone is crying, (a) it's less awkward, and (b) it creates a bonding
moment. You all experience sorrow at the
same time and somehow, it feels deeper than the sensation of laughing with
others during a comedy.
And so, thanks to a great script, a good director, and a fantastic
ensemble, "The Fault in Our Stars" is worth your time, money and
tears. I would say that if you are
looking for a movie to take your significant other to, I would recommend this
one. And no, this is not a
must-see-in-theaters movie, but I feel that when the year comes to an end, I
will still be thinking about it.
“The Fault in Our Stars” get's an A-.
No comments:
Post a Comment