Kernel Rating (out of 5):
MPAA Rating: PG-13 Length: 125 minutes
Age Appropriate For: 13+. If your teenager was allowed to read John Green’s novel, than they can handle the film, which is a very faithful adaptation of the original text. Teenagers are sick with cancer and some die; there is some kissing, groping, and one implied sex scene with implied nudity; some cursing; an alcoholic character; teenagers who put cigarettes in their mouths but never smoke them; and lots of emotional upheaval. It will make you weep, but the film is earnest and emotional, not manipulative or melodramatic.
John Green’s wildly successful novel ‘The Fault In Our Stars’ is streamlined for the big screen, and the missing portions take some of the oomph out of the characters. But the performances from stars Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort will capture and then break your heart.
By Roxana Hadadi
The latest in a stream of young-adult novels adapted for the big screen, “The Fault In Our Stars” is not your next “Hunger Games” or “Divergent,” even though it features the star of the latter film, Shailene Woodley. There are no oppressive governments, sci-fi themes, or bows and arrows. “The Fault In Our Stars” is about the world we have now, about love and life and time, and what to do when we have one or two of those, but not all three. And thanks to strong performances from Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort, you’ll be weeping throughout.