SHAILENE WOODLEY IN THE FAULT OF OUR STARS

year: 2014 rating: **

Teenagers who talk like intellectual college grads is nothing new... Either is having a starstruck book fanatic meet the author of her dreams who turns out being a complete nightmare.... MY GIRL 2 is a perfect example...

THE FAULT OF OUR STARS does have a certain edge being that it centers not only on a serious subject... teenagers dying of cancer… But the main character Hazel, played by Shailene Woodley, diagnosed and having met a good looking, free-spirited boy named Gus, actually mentions that life isn't a Peter Gabriel love song as seen and heard in the movies...

Unfortunately STARS, based on a best selling novel,  plays out just like a movie – and a cliché one at that.

The romance between Hazel and Gus is held together because of the hardship both face on their own, which becomes a peripheral subplot mentioned in life-affirming narratives by Hazel herself, sounding more like clever tweets than heartfelt journal entries... So after meeting the horribly rude author in Amsterdam (who supposedly set up the entire trip in the first place, but not really), the cancer story returns in full form back in America. 

Although centered on two existential teens seeking the last refuge of hope, there’s very little connection to their plight, something that could have made the characters much more interesting than the usual romantic, tear-stained melodrama. This would also allow the young actors to stretch beyond their abilities. In Woodley's case, using THE DESCENDANTS as a springboard, the potential is limitless. As for Ansel Elgort, his sweet-natured performance is not that different than when he took CARRIE to the prom last year. So we’re left with just another opposites-attract teen romance that seemed more befitting a LIFETIME movie of the week than a big screen feature. Although this new generation needs their very own LOVE STORY... Not only did both relatively low budget films deal with the same topic, they surprised everyone with a gigantic box office gross. Take that, Marvel!