Hazel Grace Lancaster (Shailene Woodley) is a 16 years old, who loves to read. She also has a killer sense of humor, which comes in handy, since she has cancer and must carry around an oxygen tank at all times.
Her super loving parents (Laura Dern) and (Sam Trammel) worry that Hazel doesn’t have friends. At their urging, she joins a cancer support group, which changes her life in the most unexpected way.
Hazel meets a guy named, Augustus Waters (Ansel Elgort) who also has a killer sense of humor, which also comes in handy, since he has a prosthetic leg. His hopes of playing basketball were cut short due to a bout with cancer. He’s in remission but he’s joined the group to support his best friend, Issac, (the wonderful, Nat Wolff) whose cancer caused him to lose an eye.
Now I bet you’re thinking…Who wants to see a film about people with cancer? How depressing is that? The answer…It’s not just about cancer and it’s definitely not depressing.
‘The Fault In Our Stars’ written by the uber talented, Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber (‘500 Days Of Summer’, ‘Spectacular Now’) based upon the number one bestselling novel by John Green, is an absolutely beautiful, touching, uplifting film about ‘being alive’.
We follow Hazel and Augustus, as they become really good friends and eventually, fall in love.
But not before, they share their fears, their passions and their love of books, including Hazel’s favorite, ‘An Imperial Affliction’. She has several questions about the book’s ending and has tried many times to get in touch with the reclusive author, Peter Van Houten (Willem Dafoe) but to no avail.
Gus determined for Hazel to get her answers, manages to reach Van Houten through the author’s assistant and it results in an invitation to meet the writer in Amsterdam.
Once there, Hazel is so excited to meet Van Houten and finally get her questions answered…But the answers she’s looking for do not come from the author. They come from living a great adventure, that the teenager shares with someone, she’s not afraid to love, despite their numbered days.
This is a film that will stay with you long after the credits roll and that has a lot to do with the extraordinary performance of Shailene Woodley…She is one of those actresses that you can’t take your eyes off. She captures all the qualities that make Hazel one of those unforgetable characters.
‘The Fault In Our Stars’,.directed by Josh Boone, opens in theatres, Friday June 6, 2014 Don’t miss it.
After all, I don’t give 5 bagels out of 5 to just any film.
Check out the Two Jews On Film video for more of my thoughts and witty observations.
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