I have a terrible confession to make. When I first experienced Josh Boone’s cinematic version of the teen fiction sensation, ‘The Fault in Our Stars’, I wanted to hate it. I spent months thinking back to that first screening with a sense of loathing, remembering tacky tidbits of dialogue and romanticism that irked me. Until, that is, I felt the need to revisit the book and film’s now famed and admired protagonists. A few months down the line, I revisited The Fault in Our Stars and, instead, found myself in the company of a film so likeable, sweet and at times, brutally honest. This is a depiction of a first and last love that I fell head over heels for.
At a counseling meeting for cancer sufferers, a teenage girl meets a boy with a deft charm and wit she instantly falls for.
John Green’s original novel has a place in the hearts of teenage girls the world over. Such an audience usually makes for sloppy big screen adaptations, but director Josh Boone has translated the story on to screen with senses of nobility and fragility; two vital requirements in this touching story. Scenes of struggle and sensuousness are equally well choreographed; both tender and effective. A script that juggles between Green’s source work and the films screenwriters may jump slightly between wincing moments and true emotional gravitas, but it thankfully focusing more on the latter.
Golden Globe nominated Shailene Woodley delivers some of her best work here as the brilliantly sardonic Hazel Grace Lancaster. Her dialogue is imbued with true emotion and her scenes with co-star Ansel Elgort are wonderfully memorable. Their collaborative work with Josh Boone makes The Fault in Our Stars much more than a teen-fiction adaptation; but a fluttering romantic picture in its own right. It may dabble a little too deeply in the good old teen romance cliches to be taken entirely seriously, but by the time the coup de grâce hits all of this is a distant memory.
Intelligent performances from Woodley and Elgort and a reactive chemistry at its core makes The Fault in Our Stars a sensitive film with surprising integrity. A film that, if nothing else is to your taste, can still successfully reduce you to tears.
The Extras:
For a film aimed primarily at the teen generation, The Fault in Our Stars doesn’t try too hard to bowl you over with loads of extras. An audio commentary with director Josh Boone and author John Green offers the most thorough look at the film’s production. Outwith this, the basic gallery and trailer collection is padded out by short features on cast chemistry and production. A look at the soundtrack’s compilation is interesting, with appearacnes from Charli XCX, Ed Sheeran and Birdy. It’s okay, but an in depth look at the production as a whole would be good to see. It should be noted that more features are available on the Little Infinities Edition, available exclusively on Blu-Ray.
The Fault in Our Stars is released by DVD/Blu-Ray on November 3rd
Editor of Frowning.us (SSJA 2014 Student Publication of the Year) & Film Writer for The Edinburgh Reporter
