Summary:
Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten

It’s been a long while since I’ve read The Fault in Our Stars (TFIOS)  so I don’t remember all the little details, but based on what I do remember, this is a pretty faithful adaptation and the movie definitely exceeded my expectations.

It’s hard to imagine what a movie is going to be like once the actors are cast.  Because the actor(s) might not look like your image of the character or they might be older than the character they are playing. So you can see why I was hesitant when both Ansel Elgort and Shailene Woodley were cast.  Some people were also nervous about Nat Wolf because they couldn’t get passed The Naked Brothers Band.  I had never heard of the band before so I thoroughly enjoyed watching him perform on screen.  His charisma definitely showed through in his acting and he really did Isaac justice.  I’d never seen Shailene in anything before Divergent.  And although that movie was good, you could tell her area of expertise is in contemporary not action.  She is significantly older than Hazel Grace however, Hazel Grace is very mature for her age so Shailene’s acting was good enough to where you could see her as 16 year old, mature, Hazel Grace.  Ansel is just beginning in his acting career so that’s always nerve racking when they cast a Newby to play a character that is loved by millions (most of those millions being teenage girls).  But Ansel did so well I think he deserves many awards for his performance.  It was some of the best acting I’ve seen in a while.  He really did a fantastic job and im still trying to get over it (it also helps that he’s very attractive and all he does is have to smile to make those millions of teenage girls swoon).

Speaking of which, every time Ansel came on screen and used his adorable charm (yeah, thats basically through the entire movie) every teenage girl in the audience (including me the first time) clapped and giggled or sobbed.  So just be prepared.

Both Shailene and Ansel’s acting was spot on and you didn’t see Tris or Caleb at all.  They really became Hazel and Gus.  They weren’t relying on world-building and action for the story but on the chemistry they have (and boy, do they have it!). And Nat’s delivery was completely on point no matter which role he was playing in any given scene.  Hazel’s parents (played by: Laura Dern, from Jurassic park, and Sam Trammell from True Blood) did a great job at playing both cautious and concerned parents who have a child with cancer, to fun-loving, understanding, and cool while trying to give Hazel freedom and independence.  We didn’t see much of Gus’s parents, but having read the book so long ago I dont remember how much exactly they were in the book.  Willem (who most people recognize as Green Goblin) performed spectacularly.  He was an evil, jerk face, creep. He got into the role and It was very easy to hate him as the character.  All six of these actors did a phenomenal job at bringing our beloved Fault characters to life.  They all worked together well and seemed to play off each others acting.  These six carry the movie just as well as any all-star and/or massive ensemble such as those for Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings.

One of the most anticipated lines of the movie was Hazel Grace’s last words: “I do, Augustus.  I do.”. The scene is in the movie, however, they switched that line out for a final “Okay.”.  I’m a little disappointed they did that.  Especially since they used direct quoting throughout the film and changed THAT specific line out of them all.  That one just happened to be a favorite.  But John Greens writing played well in both the book and movie.

I really loved the music for this movie.  If you haven’t seen the playlist here are the songs that added so much to the film:

1. All Of The Stars – Ed Sheeran
2. Simple As This – Jake Bugg
3. Let Me In – Grouplove
4. Best Shot – Birdy & Jaymes Young
5. All I Want – Kodaline
6. Long Way Down – Tom Odell
7. Boom Clap – Charli XCX
8. While I’m Alive – STRFKR
9. Oblivion – Indians
10. Strange Things Will Happen – The Radio Dept.
11. Bomfallarella – Afasi & Filthy
12. Without Words – Ray LaMontagne
13. Not About Angels – Birdy
14. No One Ever Loved – Lykke Li
15. Wait – M83
16. Bonus Track: Tee Shirt – Birdy

The music was quirky and cute as well as serious and tear jerking.  It didn’t take over the movie but didn’t hide in the background either.

For those of you who have read the book and know the gas station scene I would highly recommend you bring plenty of tissues and save them particularly for this part.  The first half of the story (pre-Amsterdam) is mostly fun and funny while post-Amsterdam just makes you bawl embarrassingly loud in the theatre.  The gas station scene, as you know, is in post-Amsterdam and is just so damn good.  I mean Ansel Elgort deserves an Oscar for his performance.  It is the saddest shit I’ve ever seen and makes me want to cry just thinking about it.  So audience be prepared.  If you know the story you already know its not a happy time.  But seeing it come to life was just the most gut wrenching thing in the world.  I didn’t cry reading the book.  But I cried throughout the entire movie.  And im not a crier.

Before I go I want to point out one more thing.  It seems critics and media say this movie will “make you feel alive.”. That’s a lie.  This movie tears out your heart, stomps on it, places it back in your chest, makes your eyes fall out from so many tears, and makes you want to pull out your hair and shave off your ears while it holds you down in your seat.  Basically after the movie your brain is foggy and you seriously don’t want to be alive. But that’s also what makes the movie great!

See this movie at your own risk 

Rating: 5 tissues + a whole roll of toilet paper + plenty of makeup wipes