Hazel and Gus are two teenagers with cancer who try to pursue their dreams and wishes together, even when their bodies don't seem strong enough.

Rating: 10/10 (22 February 2015)

The Fault in Our Stars was released one June 6, 2014 and is based on John Green's bestselling novel that was published in January 2012. Shailene Woodley plays Hazel Grace Lancaster and is paired on screen with Ansel Elgort, who plays Augustus "Gus" Waters, to form a couple of star- crossed lovers. The choice in actors to play the roles in this movie is what brings the love story alive. Woodley portrays Hazel with what seems like an effortless grace. Hazel is a teenager who is facing death, therefore she is reserved and does not possess an over the top attitude. Woodley depicts this to her viewers with ease. She appears on screen with minimal makeup, close-cut hair, and a low key wardrobe. Woodley stays away from overly dramatic tactics and "rarely oversells her character's goodness and witand manages to convincingly convey terminal illness without invoking easy pathos" (Barker). Being able to not overly sell the cancer side of the story is vital to the success of her role. It would have been easy for Woodley to rely solely on the sympathy from the viewer for the cancer but she strives to make the viewer feel for Hazel as a person and the relationships that she has, not for the battle she faces. Woodley never gives the impression that she is striving for the audience's approval, just as Hazel never strives for anyone's approval, which causes the audience to feel for her character even more. Though Elgort and Woodley form a seamless bond on screen, he does not quit match Woodley's naturalism with her character. At first glance Elgort's " cocky, smirking self-confidence" (Barker) never quite meshes with Gus but Elgort is charming enough to cause the viewer to look past this. Gus is described in the New York Times as a "perfect romantic hero" (Scott). Gus is a boy who wears his heart on his sleeve and keeps an upbeat attitude, despite his situation. Elgort constantly has a goofy smile, is full of chivalry, and has a mischievous modesty about himself. All of these characteristics are what make the viewer fall for him fall far him, even before Hazel does. Elgort shows Gus's quirkiness to his viewers and that makes him adorable in their eyes. This bond between Elgort and the viewer is what sells Gus on screen. Elgort uses his own light hearted attitude and sense of humor to bring these attributes of his character to life on the screen. The two actors not only star in this movie together but are costars in the movie Divergent. The two became very comfortable with each other on the set of Divergent. Elgort reported that "Hazel and Gus are best friends and that's their relationshipit's a really really close friendship and me and Shailene have that, and to have that to build on is so helpful" (Kirby). The two having already become so close on an emotional level is evident on the big screen. This relationship is what allows the two to bring the relationship between Hazel and Gus alive. Director Josh Boone states that he "trusts his actors to carry their own dramatic weight" (Barker). Woodley and Elgort did just that. Being emotionally attached to the other person off camera allows their emotions that are presented on screen to be raw and moving. Though the story of Hazel and Gus is a heartbreaking love story, it is one that is simply irresistible. The Fault in Our Stars is rumored to be seen as this generations love story. It compared to the film Love Story, which also tells the tale of a tragic romance that is tainted with cancer. Hazel appears "to become more beautiful as death ostensibly approaches" (Slotek) just as the main character did in Love Story. Her beauty growing as tragedy approaches is due to her interaction with the other characters. Woodley portrays Hazel with elegance even when she is watching the love of her life wither away, whether it be away in a gas station parking lot or when she speaks from her heart at his "prefuneral". It is because Elgort allows Gus's love and goofiness to come through that it seems okay for him to pass away. Haze tries stay strong and hold back her hurt but it is still evident, which is contribution to her growing beauty. She is strong on the outside for the one she loves but is dying on the inside, literally and figuratively. Her pain is beauty. We see the emotion erupt from Hazel when in Amsterdam and many other scenes throughout the movie. These scenes are full of raw emotion but Woodley presents them so well we are not distracted by poor acting, but allowed to see the naturalism flow and depict the true beauty of Hazel. Though they are doomed from the beginning they still manage to find their always. The actors allow their viewers to see the two teenagers fully embrace the meaning of living instead of just being alive as they fight to pursue their dreams and wishes, despite their circumstances. Choosing these two actors are a key part of the movies success.