Hazel and Gus are two teenagers who share an acerbic wit, a disdain for the conventional, and a love that sweeps them on a journey. Read more …
Their relationship is all the more miraculous given that Hazel's other constant companion is an oxygen tank, Gus jokes about his prosthetic leg, and they met and fell in love at a cancer support group.
Make no mistake: the film is crud, but the higher kind of crud that leaves you feeling OK with yourself in the morning. It opens the valves and cleans the pipes. I went in sure I would hate it and emerged, two hours later, pale-faced and tear-stained, marveling at the scale and speed of my wipeout.
A faithful adap that walks the mawk line thanks to the Woodley’s naturalistic charm consolidating her standing as a compelling actress who can lead a film. Spidey 2 missed a trick…
Despite a few missteps this is a spirited, touching romance and Shailene Woodley’s best performance yet. Divergent fans after a weepie need look no further.
Resistance is futile. Expect this to go stellar.
It’s overlong and sometimes heavy-handed but also romantic, wise and funny, aided immeasurably by the cast.
The Fault in Our Stars lays its joy and tragedy on with a trowel. Depending on your stomach for films which deal entirely in emotional extremes (and on whether you find Augustus to be a dreamboat or an unbelievably annoying prat) you'll need plenty of tissues, or a bucket. Or possibly both.
Perhaps therapeutic escapism is the point of The Fault in Our Stars – although Hazel claims that it is the real thing. This prettified cancer fantasy comes nowhere near.
Teen weepie The Fault In Our Stars is a disingenuous affair.
The film has some toe-curling moments, especially when they visit Anne Frank’s house in Amsterdam, but you are willing to forgive a lot of faults for such a sweet, likeable duo.
In the end it can’t help but be pulled under by its own undertow of mawkishness.
Performance-wise there are enough grace notes to see it through.
An effective (and affecting) weepie that marries the unashamed sentimentality of Love Story with the rougher edges of Now Is Good, while largely eschewing the insufferable archness of Gus Van Sant's appalling Restless.
Although sentimental viewers will be reaching for the tissues, the film's manipulative tendencies ensure it is unlikely to win over cynics.
General release. Check local listings for show times.