Surprisingly Really Good And Touching

Rating: 8/10 (17 June 2014)

I know that since this movie is based on a book that is read by many teenage girls, the movie is bound to get people scoffing at it and writing it off, and I understand that. I myself expected to see some cheesy stuff that made me cringe at how hard it tries to be deep or sad. But I go into films wanting to enjoy them, and i'm not going to be an idiot and pretend like I didn't like this movie. I think a lot of people say it's bad just because lots of teenage girls like it and that means they need to bash it and shouldn't like it. It turned out to be really good, touching, and a lot less cheesy then I was expecting.
Let me say that I think Shailene Woodley does a great job. She sells the role completely and seems so sweet and likable. She takes lines from the book that might, when said out loud, seem cheesy or pretentious, but she makes them sound natural. I would say that I liked Ansel Elgort in his role 93% of the time. He doesn't always sell the lines, and sometimes it makes it seem cheesy or done just to make young teen girls swoon over him. He can occasionally fall into the "dream guy" cliché that romance films have, but I would say overall he works. You do care for him. They have great chemistry and it's so great seeing them on screen. I think they work quite well.
The sad parts are handled in a good manner. I won't spoil anything, but it doesn't feel like they're doing stuff to force us to cry at the movie. The movie just falls together well and you feel like crying because it works. It makes it all feel real. Their conversations feel fairly real (aside from a few remarks from Elgorts character such as the whole "metaphor" thing and the fear of "oblivion). It really gets you right in the heart.
While it's not a perfect movie, it's extremely enjoyable and has a lot of heart. It will make you laugh, cry, and get you thinking about love. I will say that if you're and extremely negative single person, you might not like this movie. I think having an understanding of love or a relationship helps with connecting to the film. I saw it with my girlfriend and it really kind of made me think about our relationship, in a good way. If you're gonna hate on this for being marketed to teen girls, there's no point in watching it because you've already made up your mind about it. Otherwise, go and see this film. It's really something.