Movie review 'The Fault In Our Stars': A fascinating human story of unconventional romance

Director: Josh Boone

Cast: Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort and Nat Wolff

Rating: 3.5

The Fault In Our Stars is not for those who hesitate to shed a tear. Yet for all that tugging at the heartstrings, the director delivers a film of stuttered brilliance. Of course it is another case of a well-written book attempting to translate into a magical, fascinating human story of an unconventional romance. The film has everything going for it to be the tearjerker of the year.

The protagonist Hazel Lancaster who suffers from cancer that has her lungs compromised, travels everywhere with a portable oxygen cylinder. Persuaded by her parents to attend a support group at the local church, Hazel encounters Augustus “Gus” Waters, a former basketball player and amputee, who is in remission. They take to each other instantly and their chemistry is the highest point of the film. The repartee, the dry humour, the acerbic views on life and suffering — Hazel and Gus rely on a strongly written book to help them deliver lines that stay with you.

Through the course of their interactions they exchange books by their favourite authors. Hazel is a fan of The Imperial Affliction by Peter Van Houten, a book about a girl with cancer. Knowing that Hazel is fascinated by Van Houten’s choice of ending the story mid-sentence thus denying readers of any kind of closure, Gus by some stroke of luck manages to establish contact the writer’s secretary in Amsterdam. The rest of the film follows Hazel and Gus’ trip to the Dutch city and how it serves as a turning point in their lives.

Shailene Woodley is a truly gifted actress and her portrayal of Hazel is honest — she’s neither only a depressed patient of terminal cancer nor is her occasional joie de vivre saccharine bordering on the superficial. Gus is one hell of a hunk but given the kind of well-etched out role John Greene created for him in the book, Ansel Elgort’s rendition of the towering survivor holds the film back at key moments. However, it is more Boone’s failing as a director than Elgort’s limitations as an actor. Some lines work brilliantly in books because of their sheer subtlety. Translating that to the big screen requires an eye for mega projection. Which is why some of Gus’ lines seem so forced, almost sounding like they were being delivered on a secondary school stage. The powerhouse performer has actually been Hazel’s mum Frannie Lancaster, played by the inimitable Laura Dern. Taking a strong, unfazed approach to her daughter’s illness and her handling of it, Frannie brings in a much needed sense of reality in a story that otherwise seemed like it was constantly flirting with the fantasy genre.

Overall it is a beautifully written film even if some of the characters and the lines seem to betray an eager viewer. There are purely superb cinematic moments in The Fault In Our Stars and one only wishes that Boone had spent a little more time fine-tuning what was essentially a creative masterpiece from Greene. Even the visuals of the film, given that a good chunk was shot in the Netherlands, seem banal. It’s hard to criticise a film that is essentially about the romance between two cancer-afflicted teens without sounding heartless. The Fault In Our Stars is a charming little film but the flaws are hard to ignore. Perhaps if Cassius were to speak to the director today, he would say:

“The fault, dear Josh, is not in our stars,

But in ourselves, that we are underlings.”

It’s sad that Boone emerges the weakest part of an otherwise marvellous film.