New Escapist Column! On Matt Smith’s Complicated Men….It’s a moment that rings false and cliché, while the rest of the movie strikes the right notes. The fact that the Amsterdam sequences feel so awkward and trite makes it more apparent how carefully the rest of the film has been crafted.
It demonstrates how easy it is to tip over from genuine emotional engagement into patronising cynicism. It’s a moment that weakens The Fault in Our Stars, but it also underscores the tightrope that the rest of the film walks so well. It’s easily the most absurdly patronisingly on-the-nose moment in the script, the perfect demonstration of all the awkward metaphors that films about child mortality that The Fault in Our Stars had skilfully avoided up until that point. So the audience is treated to an extended sequence of Hazel struggling to catch her breath as she pulls her oxygen cannister up to the top of the Anne Frank House. Despite living in Amsterdam, Vliegenthart is somehow unaware that that the Anne Frank House doesn’t have an elevator. Just in case the heavy-handed symbolism wasn’t enough, the movie goes all-in.
Realising that these bigger moments will draw the expected response, the movie is surprisingly matter-of-fact about a lot of things. The Fault in Our Stars contains a couple of big melodramatic moments, but it paces itself. Movies about kids suffering from terminal illnesses are always going to struggle with these sorts of heavy-handed touches and twists – it’s very easy to make the audience cynical by overplaying a hand. Woodley is assisted by a script that is wise enough to be selective in its melodrama. However, the film consciously and repeatedly reminds the audience that there are always people left behind. The focus of The Fault in Our Stars is very much on Hazel, as it should be. It’s an understated and effective performance, one that enhances the film around it without ever taking the centre stage. Laura Dern is fantastic as Hazel’s mother, a woman trying to put on a brave front in the face of a parental nightmare. Well, now I’m going to go cry a thousand tears.Of course, Woodley is surrounded by a wonderful cast. That sounds incredibly cheesy but I don’t care. Some people scoff at young love which I admit that I am normally that person but when I watched Shailene and Ansel I really believed in the power of young love. I thought that the movie could not possibly deliver the emotion that I felt while I read the book but I was wrong. The book and the movie are more then just a cliche story about cancer kids, it explored themes of being in love and the reality of life and death. This movie could have easily gone a very cheesy route and cheapened the real story but it didn’t and as a fan I am extremely grateful for that. So brilliant that it made my face leak all over the floor of the movie theater. All major plot points were included and the actors played their parts brilliantly.
The important thing is that the heart of the movie was true to the message of the book. Books can reveal things that a movie just cannot accomplish and that is okay. Of course when a book is turned into a movie it is impossible to include every single detail. It was clear that each cast member took their role seriously and their commitment to the story and message of the book is why the cast turned out to be so awesome! 2. I was equally satisfied with the choice of characters such as Issac and Hazel’s parents. These were not the only casting choices that I was happy with. They perfectly showed off the personalities of the characters and make the audience feel all the feels with each heartbreaking moment. There is no one more perfect for the role of Hazel and Gus then Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort. The cast did an unbelievable job with this movie. Here are the reasons why I loved the movie as much as the book: 1. I’m sure all of us were nervous for The Fault In Our Stars but I think many of you will agree with me in saying that it was actually perfect. The first reaction is that I am crazy excited and the second reaction that immediately follows is a crippling fear that they are going to do it all wrong. Well, I actually don’t know if I will ever be stable enough to discuss the book or the movie but I am going to give it my best shot.Īs an avid book reader I always have two reactions when I hear one of my favorite books is being made into a movie. By now I’m sure many of you have gone to see the beautiful, ugly cry-inducing film and I think that enough time has passed where I finally feel comfortable enough to discuss it without causing a huge scene in public. I just felt the need to put that warning out there now before you blame me for ruining the movie. *SPOILER ALERT* THIS POST IS ABOUT THE FAULT IN OUR STARS MOVIE.