Okay, I have to put a post up on this. I saw the movie twice over the weekend.  I saw it on opening night and then again on Sunday.

The first viewing was filled with teenagers and my Eda and I were forced to sit in the front row. That resulted in a neck ache and overly large nose viewing.  But… it was still… okay. I did have a moment of inappropriate laughter though as one girl in the audience wailed.  She wailed. I was emotional as well, but the wailing was a little much. There were also gasps from a few girls when Hazel opened Gus’ shirt during the hotel room scene. That was funny too, but it is to be expected from a room full of teenage girls.

Then another friend wanted to see it, so I went with her on Sunday and made sure that our spots were in an okay place and were able to see the screen in its entirety. So I saw the movie twice and it was worth it. There were tears both times I watched it because of how amazing Shailene Woodley did as Hazel.

Now… that being said, I have to share my opinion.  The movie was good, and if I had not read the book, I would have probably absolutely loved the movie, because I would have watched an amazing story.  But after reading the book, the movie was kind of like a generic version of it.  I will say this though, Shailene Woodley, Laura Dern, Willem Dafoe and Sam Trammell performed immaculately. Without those actors, this movie would have not held the depth it maintained through the entire film.  They were inspiring. The emotion that each of them put into their characters made the movie breathtaking.

The Anne Frank house scene broke my heart. The way she carried herself, you felt that scene without any words being said. It was inspiring and heartbreaking.

My overall opinion is this is a good movie that I will recommend to others because the story of Hazel and Gus is one that everyone should hear. But I will tell those same people–you have to read the book first. You just have to if you want to get the depth of the entire story and the emotions it weaves.