The Fault In Our Stars – *****

Well, that time is fast upon us. Perhaps the biggest movie of the summer will be released on Friday, and we haven’t even hit the summer solstice yet. For the uninitiated, The Fault In Our Stars is a beautifully poignant, yet ultimately heart-wrenching, adaptation of John Green’s bestselling novel. The overwhelmingly massive fanbase of the novel will be more than pleased with the fact that it is near verbatim from the book, besides some minor alterations in the third act. Otherwise, it is completely faithful to the source material, including a majority of its key dialogue.

TFIOS, as its affectionately called among the fan community, is a modern-day take on Shakespeare’s timeless masterpiece, Romeo & Juliet. However, in this tale, the star-crossed lovers are embattled by each of their own forms of cancer, as opposed to feuding Montagues and Capulets. Hazel Grace Lancaster (Shailene Woodley) is a typical, bookish teenager, except for the fact that she suffers from both thyroid, and subsequently, lung cancer. The latter of which has caused her to carry a portable oxygen tank around with her wherever she goes. As part of her prescribed treatment and with persistent nagging from her mother (played wonderfully by Laura Dern), she attends a weekly Cancer Support Group, which meets at a church that is in the Literal Heart of Jesus.

During one such meeting, she is introduced to the charismatic Agustus Waters (Ansel Elgort), or Gus for short. She is instantly attracted to him, especially once he proclaims that his greatest fear is “oblivion”, meaning that he wants to pass on knowing that he has left some kind of significant legacy upon the world, which is something most of us aspire to. It is quite rare to see someone as young as Gus who is so eloquent and witty. He is certainly not the typical teen heartthrob.

And while Gus is only there for his friend, Isaac (Nat Wolff), he once had osteosarcoma but has since been in remission. After Hazel’s surprising rebuttal, Gus is equally infatuated with Hazel as well. As they strike up a conversation while waiting outside for their rides, Gus unabashedly calls Hazel “beautiful”, and from there we’re off to the races.

Their intense romance moves along at an impressive clip, as seen through cute, floating text messages and phone calls, or even just how Gus always calls her “Hazel Grace” instead of just “Hazel”. But what creates the strongest bond between them is when they each share their personal favorite books (both fictional). For Hazel, it’s An Imperial Affliction, a book about, ironically enough, a child with cancer. And Gus gives Hazel his copy of CounterInsurgency 2: The Prince of Dawn, which is a sci-fi war story based on a video game he and Isaac enjoy playing daily.

As Gus is totally enamored with everything about Hazel, he gladly reads through AIA, and empathizes with Hazel when he reaches the end and has all the same questions she does. She then confides in him that she has written the author, Peter Van Houten (William Dafoe), numerous times, but has never received a response.

Secretly, Gus takes the initiative to track down the author himself. After a while, he does in fact receive a brief email back from Van Houten via his personal assistant, Lidewij (Lotte Verbeek). He says that he will not discuss what happens beyond the ending, except in person, for fear it may be distributed publicly. Gus then shares it with Hazel, who is ecstatic, and they both interpret it as an open invitation to Amsterdam.

As a child with cancer, they are allowed a Genie Wish (a la the Make-A-Wish Foundation). However, Hazel had already spent her wish when she was younger on a trip to Disney World. Gus jokingly chastises her for foolishly wasting her wish on something so cliche. But as Gus has wisely saved his Wish, he sets up an elaborate date with Hazel and informs her that he is taking her to Amsterdam so that she can meet her idol in person, and receive the answers she was desperately waiting to know ever since she first read AIA.

Although some complications arise, eventually the young couple are set to go to the Netherlands. They explore the beautiful and historic canals of the city on a romantic evening. The next day, they head out to meet Van Houten. Unfortunately, the visit is not what they were hoping for. Hazel and Gus will not let that spoil their literal trip of a lifetime.

Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort absolutely illuminate throughout. Director Josh Boone does an incredible job adapting the novel. Warning: Remember to bring some tissues! TFIOS is the epitome of “tearjerker”. It is doubtful that there will be one dry eye in the theaters by the time the end credits roll. But as they say, there is catharsis in letting it out. Watching this, the audience will definitely do just that. Fans of the novel will definitely not be disappointed!