Hardcover to Hollywood: The Fault In Our Stars

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Ladies and gentlemen of the blogosphere, we here at Crazy For YA present to you, the first Hardcover to Hollywood Chat!

 *applause* 

Alright, the first one is about The Fault In Our Stars by John Green. Forewarning to all of you: we saw this movie together, so there may be some references to things we may have said or some jokes that someone *cough cough Max cough* made about Divergent. Also, THERE WILL BE SPOILERS. So if you haven't read the book and seen the movie, I suggest you don't read this. Thank you! The moderator for this Hardcover to Hollywood is Tessa. Without further ado, enjoy!

Tessa: So, how did you prepare for the movie? I mean how many boxes of tissues did you buy?

Max: I re-read the book the week the movie came out and lowered my expectations.

Cassia: Well I just read the book a couple months before so I did not re-read it.

Tessa: What do you think about the casting?

Cassia: Woodley could’ve been better. Her crying was okay but it was fake if you ask me.

Max: Not a big fan of Ansel--he just looked funny. His acting was okay, I guess. Shailene was better but I like her better in Divergent.

Cassia: I thought Ansel was cute. I didn’t during Divergent but maybe I just thought that this time because he was playing Augustus. Oh my gosh, his running in Divergent was hilarious.

Max: He wasn’t cute in either.

Cassia: Yes he was!

Tessa: Personally, I did not like Woodley in either Divergent or TFiOS.

Cassia: She was definitely better in Divergent.

Max: I thought her voice was fitting for the part but not much else.

Tessa: How accurate do you think the movie was to the book?

Cassia: The parts they included were pretty accurate. Loved the gas station scene.

Max: Some parts were missing--Gus’s sisters weren’t in it, he didn’t have a dead ex-girlfriend, and there wasn’t a second video-game scene.

Cassia: OH MY GOSH THAT WOULD’VE BEEN SO COOL!!! The blind video game, I mean.

Tessa: I think that they missed a lot of scenes with Isaac.

Max: Some of the extra dialogue they added was great though. Usually when movies add in dialogue and scenes into well-loved book adaptations, people complain about how they’re not sticking true to the movie or whatever, and I didn’t really see anything in the movie that wasn’t in the book that I didn’t enjoy.

Tessa: What did you think of the secondary characters that we did not get to see much in the book? Like Isaac, Hazel’s parents, etc.

Max: Oh, they didn’t have Hazel’s one girl friend, either! The weird one? Do you remember her?

Cassia: Kaitlyn, or something? I don’t know I wasn’t too fond of her. She meant well, but I didn’t like her.

Tessa: I like Hazel’s parents in the movie more than her parents in the book. They seemed quirky in the movie, like Hazel.

Tessa: What did you think of the setting? Amsterdam and such.

Cassia: It was so pretty. Amsterdam was, I mean. Did they actually shoot it in Amsterdam?

Max: Yes. And the rest was in Pittsburgh.

Cassia: Oh okay that’s good. Am I the only one that didn’t find out everything about this movie?

Max: Yes.

Tessa: Real fangirls do their research.

Cassia: I am a fangirl. 

Tessa: What is your opinion on the music?

Max: NEVER ONCE IN MY LIFE HAVE I ENJOYED A SONG BY ELLIE GOULDING, let alone any of the five million times they were played in the movie.

Tessa: I do agree that there were too many pop songs, but I like the Charlie XCX songs.

Cassia: Yeah. I loved the violinist they had when they were in Amsterdam that was the best music in the entire movie. :)

Max: Oh, on the topic of the music---the Swedish hip hop scared me

Cassia: Definitely that was so weird.

Tessa: Did watching the movie change your perspective on cancer?

Max: The gas station scene actually gives you kind of perspective into Augustus’s head when he’s later into the stages, how he felt about not being able to do anything ever and that made me really sad for all of the cancer patients that feel that way.

Cassia: I agree. I don’t think it changed my perspective, it just deepened it.

Tessa: For me, it made me realize the reality of cancer. There are actually people who have to deal with this everyday and this is not fiction for them. Seeing the Gus literally fall apart had more effect on me during the movie than in the book because I could see it and Hazel’s reaction.

Cassia: Exactly. It makes me hope and pray for a cure now more than ever. That was the point I started to lose it. It was a very well-done scene.

Tessa: What was your favorite part of the movie?

Max: My favorite part was just getting to see the characters and the plot all happen instead of just reading about it.

Cassia: This is gonna sound weird, but the gas station scene, the egging Monica’s car scene, and just Ansel in general.

Max: I really did like that scene and all of the others with Isaac in them.

Cassia: Who played him? Because I really liked the way he did that.

Max: Nat Wolff.

Tessa: My favorite part the Anne Frank house scene. I loved how it emphasized Hazel’s determination and Gus’s willingness to help Hazel. Also, it was one of the few happy scenes before Gus’s big reveal.

Cassia: I liked the gas station scene. Wait, I already said that didn’t I? Next question please!

Max: I really liked the tagline “ONE SICK LOVE STORY."

Tessa: How would you rate TFiOS in comparison to other book-to-movie adaptations?

Max: Better than the Percy Jackson movies. Then again, getting my head bashed in a car door would be better than the Percy Jackson movies.

Cassia: I haven’t seen them yet. I’m guessing that’s a warning? The best I’ve seen besides this one is I Am Number Four.

Max: It was also better than the City of Bones movie. Much better casting in comparison, also.

Tessa: I agree. I think it is right in league with Divergent. Nothing phenomenal, but the fandom is relatively pleased. Not as good as the Harry Potter movies, which are the top of the scale for me.

Cassia: Still haven’t seen those or read the books. The fandom’s gonna kill me aren’t they?

Max: You just haven’t lived yet.

Tessa: This is why you are not a proper fangirl.

Cassia: Have you seen my Pinterest?

Tessa: Les Mis does not count.

Cassia: We have the best fandom in the world. And by the way, that is the best book to movie adaptation of all time. This one is nowhere near that.

Tessa: The Percy Jackson’s were better just for the sake that there was no music.

Overall, we enjoyed the movie. It was a good representation of the book, but the music and casting left something to be desired. Another job well done, John Green.