#tfiosnyc

Basically this movie was everything I ever wanted it to be. I know that sounds cheesy and you might be saying “you’re stupid, there must’ve been something wrong” but I can honestly 100% say that it is the best book to screen adaption that I’ve ever seen. I felt everything all over again, the happiness, the love, the anxiety, the sadness, the fear. No other book adaption has ever made me feel the same exact emotions in the same exact way that I felt when reading.

Let’s start with the overall feel of the film. I had my concerns that it was gonna be this goopy, cheesy, yuck-fest but everything was so real and genuine. Seriously, it felt like a true teenage love story, they were funny, awkward, they talked like kids (but in the intelligent way that we know they do), they acted their age. Nothing felt fake or forced, you believed that these were real people.

*****IF YOU'RE AVOIDING SPOILERS DO NOT KEEP READING*****

Casting

Hazel-When I initially heard about Shailene's casting, I'll admit, I was really concerned, I had only ever seen her in an episode or two of that god-awful American Teenager show and I was less than impressed with her acting. But I have to say, I could not see anyone else has Hazel, she plays her so well, intelligent, humble, self deprecating, strong. She is book-Hazel. I was surprised to hear how much narration she has throughout the film, I thought they were gonna cut it out completely or pretty significantly but nope, all that dialog you hear in the book is there. She captures her whole essence so well, even her look. I know this mainly has to do with the costumers and creative directors but everything from her baggy, mis-matched clothes to her, simple hair, makeup-less face, unkempt eyebrows and even her mannerisms and line delivery are just absolutely spot on. Some of my favorite scenes were one's that relied totally on her acting, not the love story. Like when she's leaving Van Houten's, after all the screaming, yelling, and douchepants-ing, she gives him a big "Go Fuck Yourself" and seriously I have never heard more thunderous applause in a movie theater. Also the Eulogy. Oh My God the Eulogy. That scene was flawless and where nearly everyone lost it. It was so genuine but still light hearted, it hurt so much to watch her say goodbye to someone who was sitting right in front of her. All it is her simply talking to Gus, no fluffy montages or crazy music, it's just Shailene in her element. She was so believable, truly.

Augustus-Ansel Elgort, Jesus Christ this kid is probably the most beautiful human specimen I've ever seen. I was an exception when it came to him, I was never concerned with his lack of dark hair and light blue eyes but I was skeptical of his acting simply because he was basically an unknown at the time of his casting but he is undoubtedly the Augustus Waters. His line delivery is what probably got me to love him the most. He simply acts like Gus would, he's silly yet direct, sarcastic yet genuine. He never delivers for the sake of the line, it's all for the sake of the moment. I don't think I can explain to you guys how he literally was born for this role, you'll just have to wait and see. But seriously, my sister HATED his casting, she's one of those casting-nazis, the kind that shits over an eye color or hair that is even a shade lighter than expected. But when I say that she left that theater in love, I shit you not, that's exactly what happened. She fell in love with Gus allover again, Ansel did that to all of us, he brought Gus to life in a way that I could've never anticipated. Aside from the obvious sides of his personality, there are certain elements that really got to me. One of those being Gus' limp. I know this seems small but I was so concerned that the fact that he had a prosthetic would barely be addressed or cut out completely (*cough* Peeta Mellark *cough*) but this kid committed, he was always aware of the leg, swinging it over, dragging it a bit, he never faltered. Also there's his goofy side, the scene when they're in the plane is totally adorable, he's terrified and astounded all at the same time. He seriously provides so many laugh, the trophy scene, and the car-egging scene are some standouts. I'm not sure if you guys saw the b-roll footage, but the delivery of the 5 legs, 4 eyes, and 2 and a half pairs of working lungs" line was fucking great. Ands then there's the gas station scene, it was so hard to watch, you're seeing this guy who has been so idyllically built up only to be ripped down and forced to face his harsh reality in the worse possible way. He looks repulsive in the best way, he's white with blue lips, has blood shot eyes, covered in his own vomit and just so broken to the point where he's barely coherent. I was so impressed with Ansel here, he made me feel devastated and hopeless, my heart broke for him. You guys will have to wait to see the rest since he has so many awesome one liners that I can't remember along with the lines we all know and love. But seriously, Ansel nailed it.

Isaac-Nat nailed this role, he's a total scene-stealer. He's not in the movie much, only 5 or so scenes come to mind but in each of them he's the star. First of all the trophy scene. You start out all sad for him because of what Monica did but once we gets to the destruction it's al laughs from there, he's actually totally in the background, blurred out by Hazel and Gus who are having a conversation in the foreground but the way in which he goes about breaking stuff is so great. That scene as a whole is just perfect. Also the egging scene as well as his eulogy were spot on, again, everything is so believable.

Hazel's Parents-I NEVER expected to like these two so much, in the book they simply felt like another element but I fell in love with her parents, their scenes were actually some of the toughest to watch, there pain is so evident yet they still maintain a sense love and hilarity. I was pleasantly surprised in what a big role they ended up playing, I loved seeing their relationship and even how they interacted with Gus. (also I have an old man crush on her dad...unf.)

Van Houten-I'll be honest, I never truly developed my own idea of this character so I was kinda open to what they had in store but Willem Dafoe is exactly the kind of douchepants I never knew I needed. You seriously want to clock this guy in the face. The scene in his house just makes you hate him and it plays out exactly as it did in the book. You get a sense of his craziness, the point where he starts blasting Swedish rap is hilarious but you still want to hate him. Even when you start to sympathize with him after learning about his daughter, you still think, "yeah, I feel bad for this guy and he's nuts but still, he can go back to his hermit shell now"

Specific scenes

Support group-There are two support group scenes, the first one, we learn about Patrick and his balls and the miserable life he leads, It's hilarious! and we even get a look at his life through a little montage. The second is the one where Gus is introduced, the awkward staring is done perfectly.

Gus' Driving-This was not omitted, Gus drives like a crazy son of a bitch and he and Hazel discuss cancer perks

Any scene where Hazel and Gus simply talk-There's a ton of these so I'm just gonna clump them all but every conversation driven scene is great and they help lay the foundation for the relationship. Some of my favorites were actually their text conversations, pretty much all of them are in there and their text bubbles actually pop up to make the conversations easy to read, some goes for all their phone conversations, They're all there and done exactly as they were in the book.

The trophy scene-I mentioned this one before but again, it's hilarious, a ton of great one-liners by both Gus and Isaac.

The Disney World discussion-It's there along with the "I can't believe I have a crush on a girl with such cliché wishes line"

The plane to Amsterdam-this scene is shortened from that in the book but the way that Ansel conveys Gus' nervousness with amazement is priceless

Orangee-Such an adorable part, when Gus proclaims his love you'll feel like a puddle of goo

Van Houten's house-A great scene where Hazel's strength really shines. The "Go Fuck Yourself" line that I mentioned before is one of my favorite moments,

The Anne Frank House-This part is SO beautiful, every element works so well. The emotion of the setting mixed with Hazel's drive to make it up the stairs and the spoken dialogue (done by Anne Frank, not Otto Frank like in the book) just leads up to the kiss which is so beautiful and passionate. You can just feel everything changing at that specific moment, it's truly the films turning point.

The sex scene-real, honest, sexy, tender and sweet. There's nothing gratuitous. Some of the book dialogue is there but most has been simplified, those omitted are not missed though, their chemistry is at its height and they still feel like teenagers. Also the speak so softly during this scene, which is why I think I loved the dialogue so much.

Gus reveals his remission-Heartbreaking. The second he says the "lit up like a Christmas tree" line, the sobs started and never stopped

Eggs-FUCKING HILARIOUS, great moments from all three

The Gas Station-I covered this before but your hear will break, there's no avoiding it. This scene was done perfectly.

Hazel discussing the future with her parents-A great scene, you feel every emotion that every person involved is feeling

The Eulogy Scene-Top notch acting my Shai, Ansel and Nat, you will cry. You will.

The Call-Hazel never actually picks up the phone, she just breaks down and so will you

The Funeral-You never actually see Augustus in the casket, which I'm actually really thankful for. Hazel doesn't say the "I love you present tense" line but she leaves the cigarettes and gives the bullshit Eulogy about his parent’s encouragements 

Van Houten at the Funeral-He's still annoying, but you do feel pity when he talks about his daughter. He gives Hazel Gus' letter but he spews some bullshit and she blows up on him, leading her to crumple up the letter.

Hazel reading the letter-This scene plays out a bit differently than in the book. After the funeral (same day) Hazel and her dad talk and then Isaac comes over to discuss things and mentions Gus' correspondence with Van Houten thus leading Hazel to go to her car and find the crumpled up letter. She reads it, Gus narrates and a montage of their best moments shows, it's not cheesy at all though and you see him sneaking into the ICU to see her when she's unconscious. The movie ends the same way the book does with the letter finishing up and an overhead shot of Hazel holding the letter. Ed's song plays and you will cry yourself to death.

***SPOILERS***

Some specific things I can remember off the top of my head

-The movie starts the same way the trailer does, the whole "you can sugarcoat it blah blah blah" thing

-You get a hilarious montage about Patrick and his ball cancer along with some songs about his undying love for Jesus

-The Staring scene during the second support group scene is GOLD

-The metaphor scene is longer than the one that’s already out there

-Isaac grabs a whole lotta boob when you see him making out with Monica

-They don't watch V for Vendetta but there is a poster in Gus' room

-As I mentioned before, Ansel walks with a limp throughout the whole movie, he also lifts up his pants to show the prosthetic, wears shorts, lies in bed with it clearly showing and there's a shot of his stump after the sex scene when they're cuddling naked

-The text conversations are shown by these little text bubbles that pop up, they're white line art and are hand-drawn so they go with the motif of the movie art. Emails are also shown by popping up on the screen

-There's one tiny little complaint have and that's the use of "tumblr-language" I'm gonna call it. There's multiple occasions where lines like "what is this life?" and "I can't even" are used. It's not an issue, it just came off a bit forced 

-Kaitlyn has been totally omitted but you won't miss her

-Same goes for Gus' siblings so there's no "seeing me naked took Hazel Grace's breath away" line

-John's Cameo did not make it in thus no little girl asks about Hazel's cannula

-The blind video game scene is gone so no "Hump the moist cave wall"

-The swing-set selling this is omitted and it is never referred to as "the vaguely pedophilic swing-set of tears", just "the swing-set of tears." You don't see them selling it but it's gone at the end of the movie.

-Gus' ex-girlfriend with brain cancer has been totally cut out

-Gus comes to hazels house before they go to the airport so you never hear the fight between him and his parents thus his remission is a total surprise...well for those who haven't read the book

-You never see them in the airport, it leads straight from Hazel's house to the plane

-Hazel says "Go Fuck Yourself" to Van Houten before leaving his house

-The girl who plays Lidewij has great hair (just a thought) she also comes of extremely caring

-Anne Frank narrates during the kissing scene instead of Otto Frank. It's an absolutely gorgeous scene

-The sex scene is very tender and soft, some dialog has been omitted but there's still a ton there. You don't see any actual sex but Gus is shirtless as well as Hazel who takes off both her shirt and bra, they later snuggle naked which is when you see Gus' stump

-There's a ton of beautiful interactions between Gus and Hazel when Gus is sick

-The Eulogy is almost word for word exactly the same as the book

-The movie actually feels a lot longer than I thought it would, which I'm really thankful for :)

That's all I can think of for now but I promise you, everything about this movie was done right, seriously no major complaints whatsoever. By biggest tip is to not go into it wanting to find differences, and if you haven't started already, DO NOT re-read the book before seeing the movie, I think that's why I loved it so much because I wasn't focusing on changes, just the story itself. 

You will leave this moving feeling everything that you felt while reading, I've never had that before with a movie but I promise, it's everything you've ever wanted the adaption to be.

I can't wait for you guys to see it.

If you guys want to know anything else, feel free to message me.

Okay?