Page 22 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • June 18, 2014 ‘Fault in Our Stars’ features masterful manipulation by Dennis Seuling “The Fault in Our Stars” is a movie that will undoubt- edly clean up at the box office. It has many elements for success: attractive leads, developing romance, best- seller pedigree, and melo- dramatic plot. It is also the kind of movie that requires a hefty supply of tissues. Set in a small Indiana town, the film is based on the novel by John Green. A voiceover by Hazel Grace (Shailene Woodley, “The Descendants,” “Divergent”) explains that cancer is far from how movies depict it. Hazel is a teenager whose cancer is currently in remis- sion due to an experimen- tal medicine she is taking. Because of permanent lung damage, she is constantly on oxygen and has to lug around a tank with a tube worn across her face feed- ing her supplementary oxygen. At a support group, Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort in ‘The Fault in Our Stars.’ she meets Gus (Ansel Elgort, “Divergent”), a high school basketball player and cancer survivor who lost part conveys much through her face, even though it is partly obscured by the oxygen tube. of a leg to the disease. Elgort has the task of being the cuddly teddy bear and Despite his physical setback, Gus is remarkably upbeat and charming, with a sweet face and engaging smile. He is ideal boy. He puts an edge to his performance by being almost too pleasant and congenial considering the disease cocky and using humor to win over Hazel. He has a ter- he is battling. Hazel is soon drawn to Gus by the similar rific movie face and will undoubtedly elicit many a sigh circumstances they face and by Gus’ cool, clever banter. from young females when his close-ups are shown. He She is amazed that he is so upbeat and naturally cheerful. is more than mere pretty boy, however. Elgort’s Gus is Both Woodley and Elgort turn in strong performances. mature beyond his years and is planning how he wants to They have a comfortable chemistry and are entirely believ- be remembered. Laura Dern stars as Hazel’s mother, who accompanies able as the characters they are portraying. This helps tremendously in preventing the movie from becoming her daughter and Gus on a Make-a-Wish trip to Amsterdam an exercise in cheap sentimentality. Woodley shows far so Hazel can meet her favorite author, Peter Van Houten greater acting chops here than in her previous film, “Diver- (Willem Dafoe). The Amsterdam sequences provide a bit gent.” Her performance is more subtle and expressive. She of international flavor to the tale and provide an opportu- Cook Up Some Business! Advertise your restaurant in The Villadom TIMES. You’ll reach over 47,000 households. 201-652-0744 www.villadom.com nity for the two young people to ruminate on mortality. These conversations provide depth to what, without them, might seem just another teen romance. It is apparent that Hazel and Gus are not typical teenagers. They are smart, thoughtful, and inquisitive. Viewers come to care for these two attractive people, perhaps because they are so young and are threatened to have a short life cut off cruelly by fate. Director Josh Boone takes his audience down a romantic path without the characters wallowing in self pity. Cancer is the hook -- the device to draw viewers in, but it is the relationship that holds the audience’s interest. In fact, some might object to the use of such a dread disease as a plot point, but the execution is what counts, and the movie is hardly offensive. The screenplay is filled with witty dialogue, but Hazel and Gus are never flippant about the disease. They simply do not want it to define them. Rated R, “The Fault in Our Stars” owes much to “Love Story” and “Terms of Endearment,” successful films that incorporated serious illness in their plots. What differenti- ates “The Fault in Our Stars” is the youth of its principals. Tragedy is multiplied when it involves the very young. Every film manipulates in some way -- whether to make viewers laugh, get scared, experience a rush of excitement, or feel sad. Manipulation in itself is no sin. Because the movie is well acted and ably directed, its manipulation is masterful.