"Okay?" - Yeah, Okay!

Rating: 7/10 (22 September 2014)

The Fault In Our Stars stuck in my sights since the huge success of book. I could see it everywhere I go and I love bookshops. Frankly, book cover is truly original and catchy. But I'm not really into these teenage dramas and never read it. However, I did consider watching film because of two leads: talented and beautiful Shailene Woodley and newcomer Ansel Elgort.
Golden Globe nominee Woodley (The Descendants) plays a girl, Hazel Grace Lancaster, with thyroid cancer, who's been diagnosed of disease in early age and since then her life mostly happens in between home, hospital and support groups. While Elgort's character, Gus, is an ex basketball player, cancer survivor with an amputee leg. As they meet at the most boring support group meeting, their friendship gets a weird and interesting start that turns into unconditional love (whatever it is). Even from the very beginning we all know that this is not going to work, because any of them can just die and leave another behind. Gus and Hazel knowing this are truly having the moments of their lives, making all their dreams come true, which includes trip to Amsterdam - a place where the author of Hazel's favorite book lives.
The Fault In Our Stars is a pleasant movie to watch and mostly because of main characters and actors. Hazel Grace and Gus are the most real people among other hundreds of teenage dramas. They are real with their problems, personalities, aspirations, the way they love, etc. Shailene and Ansel manage to just fit the bones of this couple and turn their personalities inside out - making them easy to read, understand. However, good parts of writing does not go further, since the rest of story is just another A Walk to Remember. Hence, it does not bring much new to the table. The end is predictable, it says nothing new.
I'd say Shailene Woodley's performance is surprisingly good. Surprisingly because The Fault In Our Stars does not seem one of those movies with brilliant acting. But she makes her character so nice, so good to know, so perfect to watch, that I can not resist thinking that Shailene actually was great here. Hazel Grace has some emotional breaks, a lot cries, drama, fun, laughs and Woodley deals with this huge palette of emotions quite impressively.
Ansel Elgort's portrayal of her sweet, gentlemen boyfriend is no less good. He, to the contrary, is more fun, not dramatic, easy going.
Since, The Fault In Our Stars fails to deliver something new, extraordinary or refreshing, it's a nice one time watch film, with impressive performances that is not going to be remembered too long.