The anticipation and reputation may have spoiled its significance

Rating: 7/10 (18 September 2014)

The Fault In Our Stars was good. It was well acted, good story, very sad and moving at times. I fully expected (and maybe looked forward to) blubbering my way through it watching star-crossed terminally ill teenagers falling in love. I expected it to really impress me after If I Stay barely failed to impress me. The problem with The Fault In Our Stars is that I waited so long to see it and people talked endlessly about it. I knew every detail and people emphasized how sad it was and the characters and the book and you just heard about it constantly since the day it released in theatres. So by the time I finally sat down to watch it, it felt like I had almost been there and seen it. It was sad but maybe because the expectations is that it was desperately, soul wrenching sad that it underwhelmed me. In fact, for a story that seems to be very, very popular we have seen all of this before haven't we? This is not a new concept. Love Story? A Walk To Remember?...even The Notebook in some respects. Two young people inadvertently meet, he is the pinnacle of manhood and she is this adorable young, naive but sexy young girl and death will tear them apart. It is intense and the film is indubitably sad. Right from the opening monologue you know this isn't going to be a happy story.
It appears as though Shailene Woodley is becoming an "It" girl in Hollywood and I can understand why. I don't necessarily think shes an amazing actress but she has a very down to earth quality and her performances are solid and you relate to her. She's very "girl next door" in all the right ways and for this role that is nearly perfect. She draws you into her world and you feel everything she does. Ansel Elgort is very similar. I don't necessarily think he'll ever win any Oscars but he is insatiably fun in the movie. You instantly understand her attraction to him and he's genuine and free spirited and teaches her about life. The two of them together are excellent. The key to a film like this is passion and chemistry and they've got it pretty good. It isn't amazing but its solid. Laura Dern and Sam Trammell are good but underused as Woodley's parents. I think I would have liked to have seen more interaction between Woodley and them in regards to her own illness. Both are good actors. A surprise cameo and a great addition is that of Willem Dafoe as an angry writer who Woodley idolizes until discovering how full of hate he is. Dafoe really stands out being such a near-legend in his own right.
I hate to be so pessimistic but I can't help but feel The Fault In Our Stars is one of those movies that everybody loves because everybody loves it. It happens to be the latest "fad." I feel that its actually not really age appropriate for its intended audience but I get that Teens now are a lot more intense than they once were. For this to have such a high score on IMDb doesn't make sense to me. It is a GOOD movie but it is far from a GREAT movie. Its tried and true material done again in a decent way with a decent cast and no more or less. Josh Boone who directs has very little big screen experience but that being said he does a very good job and I'm certain his career will skyrocket after this. So look at it this way...teens are in love with this right now because everyone is talking about it. If you have seen your fair share of romances you will enjoy it and much like me you'll think...oh that was sad and cute...but memorable? Hardly. Just a good movie to entertain. 7.5/10