Trite, predictable, depressing ... but not without merit

Rating: 6/10 (27 June 2014)

Given the reviews, and even the preview, I expected so much more from this movie.
The movie is about 2 teens who meet and fall in love; all the while cancer is hovering ominously in the background.
Despite its predictability there is much to appreciate in this film. I was engaged from start to finish; the film feels like it goes by quickly. Occasionally it's amusing, usually due to Gus' fantastic wit. Gus is a teenage girl's dream: he's super-confident, with a very open stance to life shown even by how he stands; he looks like a portrait of style and health in his signature leather jacket; he's incredibly, surprisingly funny at times; and most distinctively, he won't be discouraged or deterred or successfully rebuffed by any amount of stonewalling or reluctant rejection from Hazel, but is utterly determined to wear her down with his persistent affection.
Magically, (as though a Hollywood screenwriter wrote a script for him!) he knows just what to say to slither his way through the 1 narrow crack in Hazel's heart, as the trailer shows. This feature could either be a pro or con. On the 1 hand, the screenwriter knows what teens want to hear and see from a teenage boyfriend. Namely, a guy who is totally crazy about you- without you doing anything, and apparently, even though he barely knows you!
I really enjoy Shailene Woodley as an actress. She seems habitually cast in the role of a young woman who could easily be a wallflower, with a subtle/quiet personality, but who, upon examination, has an endearing way about her. Shailene as Hazel is as winsome as she could be, within the constraints of the script and plot (which is also true of Gus' character). Her mannerisms are natural and as always, she's a sympathy- garnering, enjoyable character to watch, though I didn't see the sense of humor that Gus compliments her on, nor any special or distinct qualities that would cause me to view her through Gus' ostensibly enamored eyes.
This movie was pure sap through and through. Some viewers like this, but for me it felt very heavy, enclosed, even suffocating. Basically all love stories center on 2 people, looking at each other. But when the 3rd main character is cancer, which is present from the start and eventually separates the characters, that is a surefire formula for a very heavy drama. Added to this mix is the story's apparent philosophy of nihilism, positing that there's nothing out there and nothing thereafter, only this life. (This makes one question, what if Gus had never met Hazel? What about the tons of kids who die of cancer without much love in their lives; were their lives then just a drop of water in a huge pool, leaving ripples for a few seconds then leaving no sign of ever having existed in any significant way?) I left the theatre quite depressed and somewhat annoyed by the cloying heaviness of the movie.
As other reviewers have stated, the plot line follows a familiar course, and one gets a sense of deja vu: haven't I see this before? This makes me sigh and wonder why this film couldn't have been more creative, mixed it up more.
Also, even after 2 hours, I still don't feel like I know the characters, since the plot focuses on their obsession with a book and meeting an author, but we are given no insight into the psyches of these characters in many major areas of their lives. I feel like I'm given a glimpse into the romance of 2 characters, but that major pivotal information is left out that would enable me to understand them better and care more about their story. As a result I cared very little about whether their love would endure or be terminated early by cancer or other circumstances.
If you're looking for a better teen romance, I recommend Shailene Woodley's "The Spectacular Now." That movie is much better at opening one's mind to embrace life, instead of closing our minds with a predictable plot and depressing philosophy.