Surprisingly touching

Rating: 8/10 (23 July 2014)

You may think you have seen enough terminal romances but surprisingly this one works. Even though you can expect some predictability and clichés, this tear jerker romance is engaging and watchable. It doesn't get too cute too often. Good twist.
Good job on how they made up Shailene Woodley to look tired around the eyes but not too sickly. For this kind of role she is quite dignified and restrained. Ansel Elgort smiles a bit too much at first but later on his sad face is touching. The trip to Amsterdam is enchanting and the valiant visit to Anne Frank's house is quite touching. At first I thought that the pairing would be strange with the sibling casting in Divergent but didn't really figure because the settings are different.
The Willem Dafoe writer thing is a bit annoying but it's good contrast so show how in real life everyone isn't all sweetness when it comes to cancer. The bitterness and bile are the reality check in this movie.
Overall worth a watch.