Movie #923 "The Fault in our Stars" was a very good book --- I am happy to say that the movie does it justice. This is my kind of film. I came across a comment on this film that I would like to share: "Big movies have their embedded lessons in heroism, but it's nice to have tales of human-scale fortitude." And that is what I felt as I left the movie theatre. This movie isn't about a superhero, a sci fi hero, a good or bad witch, a soldier, or whatever.....it is about common people dealing with a common fear/tragedy, that of their own death, and they do it with such dignity and humor that they become heroes to the viewer. I felt that way when I read the book, and I felt the same in the film. The actors were able to embody these characters, and that took some doing to walk that thin line between weepy maudlin manipulation and honest/truth. This film is actually worthy to recommend to 12 year olds (short love scene that just shows so much and stops, which was a nice decision on the filmmakers' part) and up because it has a lot that goes into young love (yep, it shows it, warts & all) , and it has thought behind it all. These kids are thinkers. Example from Gus' piece of dialogue toward the opening of the film, explaining why he has a cigarette in his mouth: "They don't kill you unless you light them. And I've never lit one. It's a metaphor, see: You put the killing thing right between your teeth, but you don't give it the power to do its killing. A metaphor." It's so refreshing to see that in a modern day film about teenagers. It isn't flawless; I 'm not a big fan of inserting the author character from Amsterdam to get them there and tie in a shared book title --- I think he plays a too prominent role in the book and the movie, but that's just me, I think. The change (though slight) they make with him toward the end of the film, I guess they thought would help, but I remember the reveal scene at the end to be better in the book. But all in all, there are slight changes between book and movie, but one I esp. like is the way Ann Frank's words are juxtaposed to what's going on with the two teens visiting in her museum. Good, brave moment there. In fact, doing the whole movie is a sign of bravery, because there will always be naysayers with a film that can so readily induce tears in its audience (the first time I cried was out of happiness! go figure!) --- "weepy" films are notoriously called maudlin, cringe worthy, manipulative ----- I've said this before in this blog --- I don't have a good measurer for manipulation by a film, because if the film is embedded in honesty to me, the characters just take me with them. As they did in this film, and I so enjoyed the ride, even through the tears!
The Fault in Our Stars2014NR I give it 4.8 stars out of 5.
Teenager Hazel, who has pushed people away since her cancer diagnosis, reluctantly joins a support group, where she bonds with a boy named Gus. Together, they face the challenge of building a relationship under the shadow of terminal illness.
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