by Rachel Lamb, staff reporter
Most hit movies include romances that seem too perfect and come to totally unrealistic conclusions. Refreshingly, “The Fault in Our Stars,” though already a box office hit (having had a $48.2 million opening weekend), does not have the usual Hollywood ending–despite being heart-wrenching and relatable.
The movie begins with teenage Hazel Lancaster’s description of a perfect life story, but the viewer quickly learns that Hazel (Shailene Woodley) lives in a far-from-perfect reality: she has lung cancer, carries around an oxygen tank and faces the thought of death daily. Hazel’s mother and doctor force her to attend a support group, where she encounters Augustus Waters (Ansel Elgort), who lost his leg to cancer. Augustus (or Gus) manages to charm the ever-skeptical Hazel, and in doing so, he probably upped the standards that viewers have for a romantic partner.
Gus dreams of being loved by many people and leaving enough of a mark on the world that he’s remembered forever. Viewers can relate to this–doesn’t everyone want to be remembered long after they’re gone? At the very least, everyone wants a better life than he or she currently has, and one of the most important effects that “The Fault in Our Stars” will have on many viewers is to show them that their problems pale in comparison to Hazel’s, and to make them grateful for their good fortune. The movie manages to represent the problems teenagers with cancer face in a realistic way, not shying away from addressing the social alienation that they often experience.
“The Fault in Our Stars” is one of the best film adaptations of a young adult book in many years: the movie accurately captures the tone of its source material (the bestselling novel of the same name by John Green) and provides a similarly unique and honest perspective on the life of cancer patients. Shailene Woodley, as Hazel, demonstrates phenomenal acting abilities in her perfect rendition of Hazel’s straightforward and strong attitude towards life. Even though the transitions between the film’s sad and happy moments are sudden–and can be disconcerting–“The Fault in Our Stars” will make people of all ages laugh, cry and have emotional crises by the film’s end. This will definitely go down as one of the best love stories of the year.
