When it comes to "The Fault in Our Stars," tone is all. Director Josh Boone and screenwriters Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber capture the delicate balance that John Green achieved in his book of wit and warmth. And, better yet, they've found two actors who do the same: Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort. They play teenagers who have battled cancer and survived, but not without fall-out; Gus lost a leg, Hazel has to use an oxygen tank. Their romance may seem a little too tragically idyllic at times, but these characters retain their gallows humor, and they show themselves to be smart, thoughtful and self-aware. When it comes to the acting, Elgort is good but Woodley is amazing. As she displayed in "The Spectacular Now," Woodley gives deeply felt, emotionally honest performances. Jennifer Lawrence, you're getting a run for your money when it comes to best-actress-of-your-generation honors. Another note about "Fault": Some scenes and plot twists do clunk; Willem Dafoe's appearance as a novelist whose work Hazel reveres doesn't get a believable moment to play in either of his character's Jekyll-and-Hyde incarnations.

- KRISTINA DORSEY