Director Josh Boone had his work cut out for him with having
to bring The Fault on Our Stars to the big screen. Not only did he have a rabid fan base to
answer to, but had to navigate the many pitfalls inherent to the tragic love
story genre. Having not read the
best-selling novel by John Green, I cannot speak to whether the director remained
faithful to the text but not detecting a massive hew and cry on the internet
regarding this issue tells me he toed the line.Â
As far as rendering the many potentially melodramatic moments in an
overly-dramatic fashion, for the most part Boone is successful though it must
be said he’s helped immensely by Shailene Woodley who’s able to convey a sense
of truth in the most ridiculous of circumstances.
Dealing with cancer as a teenager Hazel Grace (Woodley) has
developed a realistic and only slightly cynical attitude towards her
condition. She’s as positive as she
possibly can be and is weary of making any emotional connections what with the
tragic nature of her condition. However,
she’s unable to resist the charm of Augustus Waters (Ansel Elgort), another
cancer victim she meets at a support group she reluctantly attends. Despite her apprehension, Hazel allows
herself to enter into a relationship and fall in love with this young man who
eagerly embraces life despite having lost a leg to his disease.
The story that develops is predictable in structure as the
couple go through highs and lows, dealing primarily with issues of trust and
testing their relationship by taking a trip, an improbable journey to Amsterdam
which leads to the most effective scene in the film. Though covering familiar
territory, Boone adopts a slow pace in telling his tale, which nearly undercuts
the entire enterprise. However, a nice
twist involving a reclusive author (Willem Defoe) Hazel and Gus admire and meet
adds a much-needed spark before the movie heads to its predictable, tragic
conclusion.
If anything, the film is saved by Woodley who, like her peer
Jennifer Lawrence, seems incapable of delivering a false moment on screen. She is fully present throughout, underplaying
the movie’s most emotional scenes, thus bringing maturity to the role that
makes Hazel’s tragic circumstances all the more moving. Woodley is our focal point throughout and
that we’re forever looking past Elgort to focus on her speaks to how much
better the actress is than the other young performers who share the screen with
her.
Fault likely will not
take its place alongside cinema’s classic love stories though for the
Tweeting-generation, it will speak to their notion of what devotion and romance
should be.Â
This article appears in Jun 5-11, 2014.
