At the beginning of the film, the narrator Hazel tells us that this tale is the real 'truth' - no sugarcoating and no bad situation that can simply 'be fixed by a Peter Gabriel song'. However,
The Fault in Our Stars (based on the best-selling novel by
John Green) fails to back this claim up as it often falls victims to the tropes it attempts to set itself apart from. There are still the 'long gazes at each other from the across the room'. The 'dazzling first kiss' in a public area (that for some reason gains applause - am I the only one who would roll my eyes and awkwardly move away?). The 'constant waiting for him/her to call them'. Luckily, the film does deploys enough of the wit and genuine emotion of the source material to avoid sinking too far into being a generic teen romance and is strengthed further by its generally stellar cast.
