There’s that one movie romance that we all wish we could emulate in our real life, with some exceptions. A lot of people are going to having flashbacks to one of those celluloid courtings pretty soon, as among the 2023 new movie releases is a 3D re-release of James Cameron’s Titanic. Still, the young lovers who want to be Jack and Rose know better than to book an iceberg laden cruise for their first date.
It’s a warning someone should have given on half of a couple that went viral on TikTok, as a woman realized that her wife was copying the tragic backstory of The Fault In Our Stars; right down to the bit about having terminal bone cancer. If you thought the story was wild, wait until you see author John Green’s reaction to being told the entire story:
@literallyjohngreen ♬ original sound - Yaya
Let’s just take a moment here to really take in what’s happened. John Green’s bittersweet tale of terminally ill teens falling in love, almost a decade after it became a box office phenomenon starring Shailene Woodley, is now being credited as inspiring an emotional fraud. The Fault In Our Stars may have been written to inspire tears, straight from the trivia friendly personality that is Green, but not these types of tears.
Green’s own shocked reaction confirms as much, as his shock with each turn of the story is palpable. The man wears a look of someone whose creation has been used for all of the wrong reasons, and while it’s entertaining to see John Green be his charmingly goofy self, it’s still sad to see him come to this realization. If only someone had just pretended that their name was Katherine, referencing Green's novel An Abundance of Katherines, instead.
John Green shouldn’t take it too hard, as again, The Fault In Our Stars was a cultural touchstone of its time. The book was banned from a California school library system upon its release, which probably made it all the more popular. That’s on top of director Josh Boone’s film dominating social media in the year of its release. Again, when a movie like this or Titanic is going strong, some are going to take it as a personal romantic goal.
That still doesn’t excuse this case of someone faking terminal cancer to forge a relationship. Rather, it highlights some contributing factors that may have led to these misguided actions. At least no one was harmed beyond a massive breach of trust, and the social media user who was wronged now has a cooler story to tell relating to John Green and his work.
Should you want to watch The Fault In Our Stars with someone you love and trust, you’re in luck. At the time of this writing, the movie adaptation is streaming for those with an HBO Max subscription.
