This is one of the most faithful adaptations of a book I’ve
seen. It was important to me to see the
book represented because of my close relationship with Nerdfighteria and
especially John Green’s works. His books
are one of the main inspirations when I’m writing. There were three main things missing from
book to movie translation and two small things, however the lack of main plot
points did not detract from the story in any way, and I suspect one of the
small things is in a deleted scene. And
the second small thing actually added well to character development. Warning: this is gonna be spoilerific. So if
you don’t want anything to be spoiled, run away now! First with the missing parts...
Missing Item 1:
Augustus’s Previous Relationship
Part of his intrigue when he first meets Hazel is because she
looks and reminds him of his previous girlfriend Caroline Mathers who passed
away from cancer. Hazel spends some time
Facebook stalking (as any normal person would) and is interested about his
past. He eventually reveals more about
their relationship, but tells her he genuinely likes her now not just because
she looks like Caroline. Since the
central theme of the story is the relationship between Hazel and Gus, it’s
allowable that the previous relationship is omitted. Bringing up her story would mean at least
several minutes discussing it which would detract from the story.
Missing Item 2:
Augustus’s Sisters
When Augustus has his decline in health, his half-sisters and
their families come out to see him and help care for him. Ultimately, the additional family (especially
the small children) is more of a burden on him and he appreciates Hazel being
there so much more, as do his parents.
But the additional family was lacking from the movie, and it didn’t
detract as much as I thought it would.
It’s possible they could appear in a deleted scene, as his parents did
have a few girls sitting next to them in the funeral scene.
Missing Item 3:
Augustus and Hazel taking care of each other while sick
Both characters deal with the inevitable health decline that comes
from cancer. While Hazel bounces back
enough to go on the trip to Amsterdam, Gus declines until the end. In the books, they each take turns taking
care of each other. Gus reads to
Hazel. Hazel plays video games with
Gus. These small moments were extracted
from the film. I wish it could have been
added a little bit because while you do see Hazel taking care of Gus in a few
key moments, you miss a lot of them just being together. And that to me is what relationships are:
being there for each even without doing anything.
Small Item Missing: the online ad for the swing set
Augustus comes over in the film and they sit and discuss things
on the dilapidated swing set. Later in the
film, Hazel and Isaac sit in the same place but the swing set is gone. In the book, they create an ad online for
someone to get the swing set, so I’m guessing this will be a deleted scene
since obviously it is gone later in the film.
I also want to see the deleted John Green scene.
Small item added: the limo
In the book, Gus does not arrive in a limo. Hazel and her mother pick him up from his
house, where you catch a snippet of an argument between him and his parents. In the film, he rides up in a limo with a
cigarette dangling from his lips. This
scene adds to the development of the character, because Augustus is cocky and
needs to make a statement. He hates that
he’s facing oblivion and won’t be remembered forever. Everything he does is to leave a story
behind, and the limo scene does just that.
Overall, I would give the movie 10 out of 10. Not only is it the truest adaptation I’ve
seen, it’s heartbreakingly beautiful.
The characters are amazing, and portrayed well with their flaws,
especially Augustus. The soundtrack is
one of the best soundtracks I’ve heard too.
Any cd that has multiple Birdy songs on it wins my vote. The tracks vary from cutesy to melancholy,
and all along that emotional spectrum. I’ve
been unable to stop listening to it. Too
amazing. I encourage anyone to read this novel and see the film. It may be young adult fiction, but in it you find so much more, including gratitude for your health.
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