By now, I think that many of us who frequent the Internet have witnessed the somewhat cringe-worthy “it’s a metaphor” scene from the upcoming film The Fault in Our Stars. But beyond that little moment – which I hope and pray does not indicate the tone of this movie – the latest trailer for the cancer-afflicted teen romantic drama looks pretty good.
Shailene Woodley is Hazel, a teen who attends a cancer support group at the request of her mother. There, she meets Augustus (Ansel Elgort), another teen whose cancer has gone into remission. They become friends and then, eventually, fall in love, navigating the thorny world of teenagers while having to simultaneously deal with their mutual life-threatening illnesses.
The film is based on the book by John Green, which has been lauded for dealing with a difficult and painful subject with humor and pathos while largely avoiding the melodrama that so often becomes the realm of both teen dramas, and books about people with diseases. While The Fault in Our Stars is not exactly going to be an uplifting tale, it has the potential to be a very good one.
At the moment, the film seems to be selling itself on the strength of its two stars, both of whom are easy on the eyes in an inoffensive, Hallmark Channel kind of way. The trailer gives us a basic overview of the plot and the characterization, and establishes a tone of both hope and melancholy that will undoubtedly permeate the film. Hopefully the “it’s a metaphor” scene will be slightly less pretentious in context, because otherwise I simply won’t be able to handle the schmaltz.
The Fault in Our Stars will premiere on June 22nd, so get your hankies ready.