"The Fault in Our Stars" - Tissue Level: Extreme

    "The Fault in Our Stars" is a tear-jerker. First and foremost, just know that. If your emotional Richter scale is highly sensitive, hope for the best and prepare for the worse. In other words, have tissue on hand when you see it. Based on the novel by the same title, the story follows two teens Gus (Ansel Elgort) and Hazel (Shailene Woodley), who meet at a cancer support group and begin a truly intriguing relationship; blossoming into a love story that transcends the very situations that bring them together, that being cancer.

   Just to note, I've never read the book so a review on the adequacy of the film's adaptation won't be found here, (however I've heard it was quite close). So looking at it from a film standpoint, the first thought that came to mind as the credits rolled was that this film was fairly predictable. Let's face it people, most romantic films, whether they be comedies or dramas, follow a pretty straight-forward formula. There's the initial meeting, the entertaining courtship, some type of conflict, and a heart-warming conclusion. "The Fault in Our Stars" follows this formula like a factory-line product. Though stories change and the variables throughout the plot differ from film to film, it's safe to say most to all romantic movies are predictable.

So, why do people flock to see these movies? "The Fault in Our Stars" was the number one movie over the weekend, edging out the epic "Edge of Tomorrow" in their shared opening weekend, as well as the extremely popular "Maleficent". I chalk it up to the cast. What makes a standard, cookie-cutter formula consistently successful is the people playing the characters. Gus is a charming, energetic and optimistic cancer patient who lost his leg and strives to make his life meaningful. Hazel is the embodiment of one who has accepted the fate dealt to her, however depressed she may be from it. These two meet in a cancer support group and it's really fun to watch as the charm and wit of Gus begins to warm and soften the heart of Hazel. I'll admit, when I first saw the trailer for the movie I noticed the two main actors looked familiar; not only because I'd seen them from previous movies, but because where I saw them last was from the same movie. Woodley and Elgort play siblings in the widely popular "Divergent". It's a credit to the both of them and their talent that I totally forgot their sibling relationship as I traveled the interesting road of their courtship in this movie.

   The real success with the story is the development of the idea of dealing with the everyday teen issues - first crushes, texting, favorite pastimes, etc - to teens who seem to only be defined by the illnesses they live with. It's emotionally driven. You'll laugh and more than likely you'll cry. I give it up to the cast, the writers and the director, as well as the novel's author John Green. It's not a perfect movie, but it is an experience worth having. You'll be happy you did. I was.