Movie Review: The Fault in Our Stars (Spoilers)

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J.M.J.

Last Saturday, I saw "The Fault in Our Stars" at the movie theatre. I thought that it was a cute movie. Don't worry; I'm going deeper than that.

The expectation was that it was going to be a tragically sad movie. While it was sad (I cried), the first big chunk of it was a comedy. I laughed a lot!

The underlying message threading its way throughout was one of love even in the midst of suffering. I think that we need love especially when suffering. God is ready to wrap us up in His love at all times, and we tend to draw closer to Him when we are hurting the most.

This movie is rated PG-13, so there are inevitably some immoral elements involved. Just keep that in mind. I did not like the fact that this type of content was in there, but it was implied, so it was not terribly offensive.

So what type of suffering was in the movie? Cancer. That terrible, awful disease. What made it worse was that young people were facing it, staring death in the face. This understandably can lead to depression and some painfully real questions about the meaning of life and what is the point of it all.

The two main characters are Hazel Grace Lancaster and Augustus Waters. Hazel Grace (what Waters always calls her) doesn't want to hurt Augustus (Gus). Because she is so ill, she feels that to get close to him would only hurt him when she wouldn't be able to be there for him anymore. Gus wants to love her anyway. And he does. He tells her that he is in love with her. Towards the end of the movie, Hazel finally tells him that she loves him as she tries to convince him that life is not pointless.

Isn't this how we work? God loves us unconditionally. He keeps telling us that He loves us. We think that we can't come to God in our brokenness and frailty, so we stay away. Then, when we are totally lost, we come back to Him and confess that we do love Him. Thank goodness that God is so awesome.

This is a story of perseverance. Gus continues to pursue Hazel even when she has shut him off, declaring that they must be "just friends." Something to keep in mind if you decide to watch this movie, or if you have already seen it, is that physical love and attraction does not equal the sum total of real love! Genuine love is so much more than that. Yes, hugs and kisses can be an aspect of love, but to base one's relationship solely in that is to miss the point: God is love, and a relationship rooted in Him is the most beautiful thing imaginable this side of Heaven.

I give this film a thumbs-up. If you have seen it, what did you think? If you didn't see it, what were your reasons? Talk to me. Leave a comment.

By the way, a book came first. I am going to read it. So stay tuned for a book review too!

God bless you!
Stephanie