THE FAULT IN OUR STARS (2014)
Reviewed by Jerry Saravia
Reviewed by Jerry Saravia
Reprinted with permission by Steel Notes Magazine
It is hard to fathom that any single soul out there would not be even remotely moved by “The Fault
in Our Stars.” Although I am not a fan of dramas about terminally ill people (and are there fans
really?), “The Fault in Our Stars” digs a little deeper than most by focusing on the personalities of young adults who will not let illness rule their lives.
really?), “The Fault in Our Stars” digs a little deeper than most by focusing on the personalities of young adults who will not let illness rule their lives.
Shailene Woodley is the highly caustic 16-year-old cancer patient, Hazel Grace Lancaster, suffering
from a terminal thyroid cancer that has affected her lungs. This means she has to carry around an
oxygen tank, and attend support groups where the sponsor plays guitar and keeps a rug woven with the image of Jesus handy. Hazel needs more from life than to discuss her cancer with strangers
and she finds a far more supportive hand with a group member, Augustus Waters (Anser Elgort),
a teenager who lost a leg to bone cancer yet has the most beatific smile I’ve seen from a young male
in ages. Augustus walks around with cigarettes he never lights, consistently texts Hazel and is
persistently aiming to be to more than friends. Augustus looks at the world with optimism, trying to make it a better place. He helps his own friend, Isaac (Nat Wolff), who will lose both eyes to cancer and whose own girlfriend has left him due to this malady. Augustus also wants to share his love and compassion for Hazel (Saying “okay” to each other becomes their code for loving each other), even opting to get her to Amsterdam to meet the author of a book she consistently re-reads, titled “An Imperial Affliction” and written by a reclusive author, Peter van Houten (Willem Dafoe).
from a terminal thyroid cancer that has affected her lungs. This means she has to carry around an
oxygen tank, and attend support groups where the sponsor plays guitar and keeps a rug woven with the image of Jesus handy. Hazel needs more from life than to discuss her cancer with strangers
and she finds a far more supportive hand with a group member, Augustus Waters (Anser Elgort),
a teenager who lost a leg to bone cancer yet has the most beatific smile I’ve seen from a young male
in ages. Augustus walks around with cigarettes he never lights, consistently texts Hazel and is
persistently aiming to be to more than friends. Augustus looks at the world with optimism, trying to make it a better place. He helps his own friend, Isaac (Nat Wolff), who will lose both eyes to cancer and whose own girlfriend has left him due to this malady. Augustus also wants to share his love and compassion for Hazel (Saying “okay” to each other becomes their code for loving each other), even opting to get her to Amsterdam to meet the author of a book she consistently re-reads, titled “An Imperial Affliction” and written by a reclusive author, Peter van Houten (Willem Dafoe).
TV movies of the week used to primarily focus on the alienation of disease and how it affected a
family. There were great TV movies back then and some good theatrical ones that did not treat illness
with sentimental inclinations or any sanctimony; TV’s “An Early Frost” about AIDS and, likewise,
“Philadelphia” with Tom Hanks, come to mind. “The Fault in Our Stars” pushes further, which
is a refreshing change from the norm. The film looks at real human beings who just happen to
be afflicted with terminal cancer -- the love story between Augustus and Hazel works independently and is treated honestly. If the film had been about these sweetly innocent lovebirds only,
it would work like a charm. The terminal cancer aspect is simply treated as a hindrance in their lives,
something they work past to give validity to their own lives while looking ahead. That is what makes
“The Fault in Our Stars” such an endearing miracle of a movie - love is something to be cherished and
held in high regard. It is not resolutely about cancer.
family. There were great TV movies back then and some good theatrical ones that did not treat illness
with sentimental inclinations or any sanctimony; TV’s “An Early Frost” about AIDS and, likewise,
“Philadelphia” with Tom Hanks, come to mind. “The Fault in Our Stars” pushes further, which
is a refreshing change from the norm. The film looks at real human beings who just happen to
be afflicted with terminal cancer -- the love story between Augustus and Hazel works independently and is treated honestly. If the film had been about these sweetly innocent lovebirds only,
it would work like a charm. The terminal cancer aspect is simply treated as a hindrance in their lives,
something they work past to give validity to their own lives while looking ahead. That is what makes
“The Fault in Our Stars” such an endearing miracle of a movie - love is something to be cherished and
held in high regard. It is not resolutely about cancer.
I found little fault with “The Fault in Our Stars,” and that is remarkable in this day and age; some movies about young people can be a tad superficial. Not so with this film, and that is because of the extraordinary cast. Shailene Woodley is an actress that might give Jennifer Lawrence a run
for her money soon - Shailene is an actress of sublime restraint who shows amazing sympathy
without trying too hard. Anser Elgort is one of those mature teenagers who can smile and show
empathy with a mere glance or gesture - he doesn’t try too hard either. What is doubly amazing is that these two fantastic presences trounce Laura Dern and Sam Trammell (who play Hazel’s
parents) and even the titanic Willem Dafoe. The movie is a solid, three-hankie tearjerker, yet it
never sentimentalizes nor softens the drama. Watch it with tissues handy. It is going to be
“okay”.
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