Josh Boone | Cinema Parrot Disco

The Fault In Our Stars (2014)

Directed by Josh Boone

Based on The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Starring:
Shailene Woodley
Ansel Elgort
Nat Wolff
Laura Dern
Sam Trammell
Willem Dafoe

Running time: 125 minutes

Plot Synopsis:
Shailene Woodley plays Hazel Grace Lancaster, a sixteen-years-old cancer patient who is forced by her parents to attend a support group, where she subsequently meets and falls in love with Augustus Waters, portrayed by Ansel Elgort.

My Opinion:

I read this book last year (you can see my review HERE) and I liked it a lot. It was my first John Green book and I thought he did an excellent job bringing these characters to life and making us care about them (I’ve just finished my second John Green book, Paper Towns. Hmm… Not as much of a fan of that one. He’s a very talented writer, though – I’ll certainly read more from him).

It’s annoying when they don’t do a good job adapting books into films but, at least as far as YA books go, they’ve been doing a damn good job with some of them lately. I think The Hunger Games films have been great so far (especially Catching Fire) and The Perks Of Being A Wallflower is still one of my favorite films of the past few years and was an extremely faithful adaption (helps that the author made the film himself – I also reviewed the book HERE). Well, I’m very happy to say they did an amazing job with the adaptation of The Fault In Our Stars and I really have no complaints. Some things were left out as usual due to length, such as a bit about Augustus’ life prior to meeting Hazel, but I don’t think it was necessary for the film anyway.

Shailene Woodley was good as Hazel (when I reviewed Divergent I wondered if maybe this movie would suit her better. I was right – The Fault In Our Stars feels more like the right kind of role for her). However, the true star here is Augustus Waters (played by Ansel Elgort). I’m an old lady reading YA fiction but can TOTALLY understand young readers falling completely in love with the character of Augustus. He’s charming, funny, cheeky, confident, handsome… the kind of boy teenage girls dream of, in other words. Luckily, I think Ansel Elgort captures this character and I’m sure he has loads of young female fans now. And there’s a great chemistry with Woodley so it’s very easy to get sucked into the story and believe that they’re a couple. I really can’t find fault with anyone cast in this film – they all played their roles well. The best friend of Augustus was made maybe a little too “funny” for the movie but that’s a very minor complaint – he was kind of the “comic relief” in the book as well.

Summary:

If you loved the book, you’ll love the film. It’s an extremely faithful adaptation and, having enjoyed the book, I’m very happy with what they’ve done with the film. I don’t think anyone was miscast and I’d find it very surprising if you’re a YA-aged female who doesn’t fall in love with the character of Augustus Waters after watching this movie (and/or reading the book). However, although I love reading Young Adult fiction, “teenage melodrama” isn’t normally my genre of choice for the most part (The Perks Of Being A Wallflower being an exception). So the film probably deserves a slightly higher rating than what I’m going to give it but I rate based on a combination of personal opinion as well as “worthiness” (I feel I have to explain myself after you all picked on me for my Godzilla rating). 😉 It’s not a movie I’ll necessarily ever watch again but if I was a teenager right now I’d probably watch it over & over & over and declare it the best movie ever. It’s a very good YA film.

My Rating: 7.5/10

**I’ve become a member of The Stone Cold Bitch Club as I shed no tears while watching The Fault In Our Stars (I do find some movies to be tearjerkers, though – you can see my list HERE).

Here are some reviews of The Fault In Our Stars from other WordPress bloggers:

Stone Cold Bitch Club:

Me!
Zoe
Cara
Abbi
Rob

Crybaby Club:

Melissa
Tom
Box Office Buzz
Natalie
Natasha
Anna

In Between Club:

Mike

Which club do YOU belong to? Let me know! If you’ve reviewed this, I’ll add a link to your review above under the correct category. 🙂

Stuck In Love (2012), aka Writers (Canada), aka A Place For Me (Australia)

Directed by Josh Boone

Starring:
Jennifer Connelly
Greg Kinnear
Lily Collins & her eyebrows
Logan Lerman
Kristen Bell
Liana Liberato
Nat Wolff

Plot Synopsis:
A family of mostly writers (author Greg Kinnear, ex-wife Jennifer Connelly, and their children Lily Collins & Nat Wolff) are affected by the highs & lows of life and love in various ways.

My Opinion:

I’d never heard of this film when I went to it early one day recently (Didn’t know it was a senior citizen showing. That was awesome. It was so quiet and I haven’t felt so young in a long time!). Apparently it came out in Canada in 2012 under the title Writers? Then the US in July and finally the UK now on what appeared to be a very limited release.

Anyway – I quite liked this film. Not sure why it got no attention. I always find “authors” interesting as I’d love to be one (but would have to actually have any sort of writing ability in the first place).

Greg Kinnear is the father and the author of a well respected book. His marriage to Jennifer Connelly fell apart a few years ago but he wants her back & still sets a place for her at the Thanksgiving table every year despite the fact that she has re-married. He pushes his children (maybe a little too hard) to be writers as well. The daughter (Lily Collins) is just about to have her first book published. She’s very bitter & has no interest in anything other than casual relationships after watching her parents’ marriage fall apart (which she blames entirely on her mother & is punishing her by no longer talking to her). The son (Nat Wolff) is a sensitive teenager obsessed with Stephen King and desperate for a girlfriend. I loved the Stephen King thing here as I love his stuff – it’s an added little treat for King fans.

To be honest, this story is pretty predictable every step of the way. There’s nothing exactly new or original here. But it works. Sometimes films like these work as long as you buy into the characters and care about what happens to them. I’d definitely recommend it as a nice weekend afternoon film. Logan Lerman is in this as a boy trying to win the affection of icy Lily Collins. I’ve loved him ever since The Perks Of Being A Wallflower and he’s totally loveable here too. Lily Collins is fine and the movie is good enough that I wasn’t at all distracted by her eyebrows. I loved the sad story of Kinnear’s & Connelly’s marriage, where all isn’t as it seems. And the son’s story is very predictable but he’s so likeable that you really want the best for him. The only annoying character in the film is Kristen Bell (but I always find her annoying). Her character does have a purpose, though.

So…. I liked this. No complaints. I recommend it to anyone who thinks it sounds like their type of thing. Good human stories about characters that feel very real.