Ok, yes - it's cheesy and at times quite nauseatingly sentimental, but it is also at times quite a touching story as two determined people who meet over a gentle meal of chemotherapy. "Hazel" (Shailene Woodley) - never without her portable oxygen cyclinder - attends a support group where she encounters the ostensibly recovered "Gus" (Ansel Elgort) who has turned up to support his blind best friend "Isaac" (Nat Wolff). They both have a certain disdain for "process" and a fondness for reading. It's that latter fascination that leads them to write to the author of their favourite book. They are surprised when they not only receive a reply, but the offer of an all expenses paid trip to Amsterdam to meet him! She has to convince her parents (Laura Dern and Sam Trammell) that it's a goer, and then off they go for a bonding exercise that introduces them to a Willem Dafoe who really does challenge their ideals. The story then takes quite a dramatic twist, changing the dynamic between the couple somewhat and it's at this point we start to sniff that sweet small of melodrama and the plot hits the heart-string tugging skids a bit. There's a degree of chemistry between the two actors and Dafoe also turns in quite well for his one or two scenes but the rest of it meanders just a bit too much. It's over two hours long, and there's far too much time spent on lacklustre character development. Everyone is easy on the eye and I didn't hate it, it's just a little too sugary for me. If anyone wants to rehearse my eulogy with me, do let me know.
