No Fault in These Stars: Summer's Most Anticipated Movie

Here's a mother/daughter movie review of a summer film both you and your teen will want to see.
Mom Deborah Skolnik: Sixteen-year-old Hazel spends her days at the doctor's office or on the couch, her delicate features washed out by fluorescent bulbs or a television's glow. It's a match for the harsh light in which she views her plight: She has terminal cancer, and though a miracle drug has prolonged her life, she's ceased to appreciate the miracle of life itself. Thus begins The Fault in Our Stars, a movie that starts with a whimper and ends with a bang, after many tears and unexpected laughs. Based on the wildly popular young adult novel of the same name, it's the flick your adolescents will beg to see this week. Take them, and stay to enjoy this profoundly moving film yourself.

Things start looking up when Hazel meets charismatic Augustus Waters, 18, via a hilariously cheesy support group. Augustus has lost a leg to bone cancer, but still stands up to fate, armed with wit and a Rat Pack's worth of charm. Soon, Hazel is pinching her cheeks, checking her tests, and strolling with this handsome young man in the sunshine. In one brilliant scene, the pair flirts while a mutual pal, who's just been dumped by his girlfriend, throws a tantrum in the background—a perfect metaphor for joy in the midst of sorrow.

Augustus opens new worlds for Hazel. Together, they travel to Amsterdam to meet the author of Hazel's favorite novel, who's promised to reveal what happens even after the book's conclusion. Will Hazel get answers? More importantly, has she asked herself the right questions?

While the movie is often delightful, it's heavy, too; I heard adults sniffling along with the teenyboppers during the tough scenes. And parents be warned, there's a bit of non-graphic sex as well. Personally, I don't begrudge gravely ill older teens a taste of life, and any middle-schooler who's watched Romeo & Juliet has seen more skin than is shown here. What does trouble me is the movie's implication that this intimacy is long overdue; that healthy teens have sex much earlier, as a matter of course. You'll want to talk that one over with any tween or teen you take along to the theater (and I wouldn't take anyone younger than 12).

But you'll have plenty more to talk about besides, from the wonderful acting (Divergent's Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort play the leads; Laura Dern is Hazel's warm and worried mother) to the numerous quips and thought-provoking scenes. This may just be next generation's Love Story. So go see this cultural touchstone in the making—if you don't, the fault's not in this reviewer.

Eighth Grader Clara Enders: "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves." To many generations, this quote brings to mind grueling hours of Shakespeare and crazy English teachers. However, to this generation, it means a lot more. It represents John Green's best selling novel, The Fault In Our Stars, which is about Hazel Grace Lancaster, a 16-year-old cancer patient who falls in love with Augustus Waters, a cancer survivor and amputee. The highly anticipated movie adaptation comes out June 6th 2014, with a special screening June 5th. I had the privilege of attending an advance screening, and I found that the movie more than lives up to the hype (but I may have been slightly biased considering the fact that I have read the book eleven times back to front). Hazel, played by Shailene Woodley, is depressed because of her cancer, so she goes to a support group recommended by her doctor. There, she meets Augustus (Ansel Elgort) who is philosophical and charming (and not to mention insanely handsome). As they become friends, they go through the ups and downs of life, and embark on an adventure to Amsterdam to meet their favorite author. As their situation takes a turn for the worse, they realize that it doesn't matter if you leave a mark on the world for something extraordinary; it matters if people remember you for being you.

I thought that the acting in TFIOS was very good. Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort were both able to convey believable emotions without over doing it. Nat Wolff, who played Isaac, Hazel and Augustus' friend with Oster coma (Isaac= eye-sick), had some of the funniest lines said by him and directed towards him. The music in the movie went very well with what was happening: sad music in sadder parts and lighter music in happier parts. The scenes in Amsterdam were my favorite, because of the way they were filmed and because it is the best part of the story. As I said before, the emotions were very real. VERY REAL. I don't think I have ever been at a theater with so many people in the audience simultaneously crying. If you're thinking of seeing this movie, bring tissues. MANY TISSUES. You were warned.

Fans of the book have been wondering how the movie would stack up to the book. In my opinion, the movie was able to capture the spirit of the book and what it's all about. The point of the story isn't the cancer; it's the relationship between Hazel and Augustus. Sure, some scenes were omitted, but the ones that were included were done beautifully and mirrored the book, and the new scenes exclusive to the movie went with the story and made sense.

In conclusion, I think this is the best book-to-movie adaptation I have seen so far. So many young adult books are being converted to movies (Shailene Woodley just starred in Divergent), but this one stands out because of the unique story and the emotional connection people have with the book. I highly recommend this movie to fans of the book or any of John Green's other books, or anyone who enjoys love stories.

Deborah Skolnik is a Greenacres mother of two—including her favorite movie critic Clara Enders.