Here it is.
At first glance, I feel nothing. Then I notice the tag-line. And I feel plenty.
“One Sick Love Story” ???
Let me back up a minute and clue in the three of you who haven’t read TFiOS to what it’s about. Hazel and Gus fall in love at a teenage cancer survivor’s support group. Gus is hilarious and awesome and Hazel is smart and quippy. Their love story is sweet and sharp and special and other S words. But S words like “sick” are not a part of that list.
And I get it. It’s a play on words; it’s pun-y. I imagine some suit at the movie studio nodding his head as it’s explained to him. “They have cancer, get it? And those crazy kids these days are always using ‘sick’ to mean something’s cool. Hardy har har.” Nod nod nod.
I can even imagine Gus making that joke at some point. But as a packaging for the film as a whole, it’s flip. A bit too flip. And, if you’ve read the book, you know that both Hazel and Gus do much to take the bite out of their cancer, but there’s real tragedy there too. This isn’t a Judd Apatow movie about cancer kids, so why does this tag-line feel like some hack wrote it? Why does it not reflect the poignancy and the humor of the book that we know and love so well?
Basically, I’m scratching my head thinking, “That doesn’t sound anything like the tone of this story. Is Kevin James in this thing?”
Words Words Words
There are LITERALLY so many great lines from John Green’s book that could have been worked into a tagline. Fans know this. Where is “Okay? Okay.” “Forever in our little infinity.” “Pain demands to be felt.” “Maybe okay will be our always.” “Love should last at least as long as your life does.” UGH. ALL THE GOODNESS. And we got “One Sick Love Story???” Bleh.
Take it from the fans
And let’s just be real here, while Shai and Ansel look adorable, there is a ton of fan art out there for TFiOS and … it looks better (at least better in terms of GETTING it). I think this poster was supposed to make me swoon, but it didn’t. Not as much as these did.
Photo:Twitter /@Alisfearless
Ok, so they aren’t great in terms of design, but God bless fans who at the very least get the emotional impact of the book when they make fan art. I mean, if we’re talking EMOSHUNS, let’s just go with the ultimate Hazel and Gus fan piece.
Source: drnightflower.deviantart.com
The colors! The background! The way she’s looking at him! Her hand on his knee! Augustus’ hair! The scene! This is everything TFiOS. Take a clue, film poster maker guy.
So, anyway. The good news is The Fault in Our Stars movie will be in theaters soon, like 6 months from now. And if I’m bring honest, this poster DOES make me excited for it. Bring on the laughter and the tears.
What do you think of this first official promo for TFiOS?
