Woodley's great but a lot here feels unrealistic

Rating: 5/10 (29 October 2014)

At the risk of sounding like some type of Grinch or cold hearted meanie, The Fault in Our Stars left me strangely unaffected. Sure there are many moments within this cancer set tale that are quiet emotional but to say that they are overwhelming affecting would be a lie for the Fault in Our Stars is a well-made movie with some fine acting especially by Shailene Woodley but nothing here struck me as wholly original and when you look at the success of the John Green source material, it feels like there was more for this movie to give.
I can't claim to have read Green's book but from many acquaintances that have, it seemed like a witty, smart and touching tale of young love and the horrible disease that is cancer. It would be interesting to hear from those people that were touched by the book and there experience with this film for a while as mentioned Woodley is great in her role as Hazel Grace Lancaster all other players feel somewhat slight and untrue with Ansel Elgort's Augustus a fast talking and hyperactive persona who is supposed to be endearing, but comes off as an untrue like love interest. Hazel and Gus's relationship should've felt more engaging here as well and unlike the book it seems to have missed the mark in making a love story for the ages and for young teenagers everywhere. Dialogue also that may have popped off the page in the book feels a little tripe on screen and comes off as either to mawkish or grandstanding to ring true for the viewer.
Without Woodley's top notch performance the film finds some much needed intrigue in the important yet not overly used Willem Dafoe as Amsterdam based author Peter Van Houten. Dafoe's character is sadly far more interesting than Augustus ever is and it shows up the fact that this central figure is less the sum of his parts. Director Boone also gives the film a nice feel, his direction is breezy and effective (although there is an overuse of an Indie set music soundtrack) and in material that could of gone full steam ahead on all things Nicholas Sparks like, it's nice that he doesn't overplay things although at times as mentioned things feel a little too cold and you start to wonder just what you're supposed to be taking away from all of this sadness? A great movie for teenage girls and all those with similar emotional ties, Fault in our Stars is a nice movie but that's about it. Woodley is the main reason to watch this film as she is consistently showcasing an acting talent that blows most other young performers out of the water, yet the film could've been so much more than the Hallmark tale it has seemingly ended up as. Mind you perhaps I am just a Grinch or a cold hearted meanie? As when this tale ended, so did my thinking about it and this movie clearly wanted to be a life affirming journey that makes people hug there closest by loved one.
2 and a half un-lit cigarettes out of 5
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