20 Movies Like The Fault In Our Stars You Need To See

Movies likeThe Fault In Our Starsmay not always be easy to watch, but sometimes audiences are looking for that effective mix of romance and tragedy. The movie is based on the popular young adult novel by John Green and stars Shailene Woodley as Hazel and Ansel Elgort as Gus, two teens who meet in a cancer support group. They fall in love, showing each other the joys of life while they face the reality that they might not have much of it left.

The movie is notorious for its emotional yet engrossing story of young love wrapped in tragedy. It can be harrowing at times, but it can also be inspiring. There are also a number of other movies that have struck a similar balance, delivering love stories that explore the difficult roads in life and how love can make them a little easier. Some have happier endings than others, but these movies like The Fault in Our Stars capture the beauty and tragedy in some memorable young cinematic romances.

20 The Notebook (2004)

Star-Crossed Lovers Are Faced With Obstacles In Their Romance

When it comes to love stories that make audiences cry, it is hard not to think of The Notebook. An adaptation of the Nicholas Sparks novel of the same name, The Notebook stars Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams as two star-crossed lovers who defied societal conventions with their relationship in the 1940s only for other circumstances to keep them apart. Their story is being told by an older man to a woman with Alzheimer’s as a way of helping her cope with the disease.

Gosling and McAdams have become one of the most iconic movie couples as Noah and Allie in this movie. However,The Notebook’s ending reveals the full extent of their relationship, which adds another layer of beauty and tragedy to the story. Interestingly, the ultimate couple who is attempting to overcome an illness together is much older than Hazel and Gus in The Fault in Our Stars, but the impact of their bittersweet love story is still as impactful.

19 We Live In Time (2024)

A Tragic Relationship Is Examined Non-Chronologically

The Fault in Our Stars follows Gus and Hazel’s relationship from the exciting beginning to the heartbreaking end, but it is interesting to see a similar relationship dealt with in a non-chronological way. We Live in Time stars Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh as Tobias and Almut, a couple who meet by chance and form a strong connection while also dealing with Almut’s battle with cancer.

We Live in Time is just as effective in showing the love, humor, and struggles of romance.

Almut and Tobias’ relationship in We Live in Timeis shown to the audience as it jumps around in the timeline, back and forth. The effect is a story that feels more like a memory of a relationship and all of its key moments rather than seeing one unfold like in The Fault in Our Stars. However, We Live in Time is just as effective in showing the love, humor, and struggles of romance.

18 Me And Earl And The Dying Girl (2015)

A Timid Teen Befriends A Girl Battling Cancer

Seeing The Fault in Our Stars mesh a teen love story with a story of teens battling life-threatening illnesses made it surprising how effectively the movie pulled it off. Of course, The Fault in Our Stars is not the only film to have succeeded in this daunting task. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl was another teen romance while, as the title suggests, also dealing with some heavy subject matter.

Thomas Mann stars in the movie as Greg, a somewhat isolated high school student who spends his time parodying classic movies with his friend Earl. However, he goes on a path of self-discovery after forming a bond with a fellow student, Rachel (House of the Dragon’s Olivia Cooke), who has been diagnosed with cancer. The film has a lot more humor than The Fault in Our Stars while also dealing with the subject matter in a similarly grounded way.

17 The Edge Of Seventeen (2016)

A Young Outcast Struggles With Teen Problems

While the tragic cancer storyline of The Fault in Our Stars is obviously an overpowering aspect of the story, the film is still a moving and relatable teen story that deals with being at that pivotal age and experiencing first love. One of the most underrated teen movies of all time, The Edge of Seventeen, also does a fantastic job of dealing with the most awkward time in a young person’s life where small problems can seem all-consuming.

The Edge of Seventeen stars Hailee Steinfeld as Nadine, a teen who has a hard time fitting in as she deals with an obsessive crush, a friendship falling apart, and past heartbreak. The movie has a lot of humor, but the third act gets more serious, similar to The Fault in Our Stars, as all of Nadine’s struggles pile up. It makes for a complex and compelling teen story.

16 50/50 (2011)

A Young Man Battles A Life-Threatening Illness

The Fault in Our Stars presents the difficult reality that young people also kind find themselves facing terrible illnesses like cancer. The unfairness and harrowing nature of the story is amplified by the young ages of Gus and Hazel. While 50/50 deals with a slightly older protagonist, it is still a compelling look at how young people deal with this life-changing diagnosis and the fight to overcome it.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars in the movie as Adam, a young man who learns he has a rare form of cancer for which the survival rate is 50 percent. The film leans into R-rated humor in its story, showing the laughter that can come from the situation. However, the illness is dealt with in a very real way as Adam is filled with fear, anger, and confusion about the whole situation. Like The Fault in Our Stars, the movie shows the importance of relationships during such struggles, including Adam’s burgeoning relationship with a therapist, played by Anna Kendrick.

15 Remember Me (2010)

A Young Man Confronts His Shattered Life With The Help Of A New Love

Remember Me

PG-13

Drama

Romance

6.0/10

Release Date: March 11, 2010
Runtime: 113 Minutes
Director: Allen Coulter
Writers: Will Fetters

Cast

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Robert Pattinson
Emilie de Ravin

Remember Me is a romantic drama film directed by Allen Coulter, starring Robert Pattinson as Tyler Hawkins, a rebellious young man struggling to come to terms with his family's past, and Emilie de Ravin as Ally Craig, a free-spirited woman who helps him find redemption.

Remember Me's ending has made the movie infamous but it is a romantic drama worthy of a closer look. This underrated movie stars Robert Pattinson as Tyler, a young man struggling with his fractured family after a tragedy tears them apart. He falls in love with a girl named Ally, played by Emilie de Ravin, who lives life with a sense of fullness and optimism that Tyer has lost in his life. As their romance blossoms, Ally helps Tyler mend various aspects of his life.

It is true that the ending can ruin the movie for a lot of people, delivering the kind of sad conclusion these movies can tend to have in a controversial and manipulative way. However, the relationship at its center may hook fans of The Fault in Our Stars as it shows someone struggling with the harsh reality of their life only to be given the spark they needed to find happiness amidst the sadness.

Rememeber Me is available for streaming on Prime Video.

14 The Spectacular Now (2013)

The Fault In Our Stars' Shailene Woodley Dates Party Boy Miles Teller

The Spectacular Now

Comedy

Drama

Romance

7.8/10

Release Date: August 2, 2013
Runtime: 95 Minutes
Director: James Ponsoldt
Writers: Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber

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Miles Teller
Shailene Woodley

The Spectacular Now is a romantic drama film that follows the story of Sutter Keely, a charismatic high school senior, and Aimee Fineky, a quiet and bookish classmate, as they form an unlikely relationship. As Sutter's past and present collide, he must confront his demons and re-evaluate his priorities, all while navigating his blossoming romance with Aimee.

Before The Fault In Our Stars' Shailee Woodley cemented her talent and star power in that movie, she made another teen romance movie that fans will also love. Miles Teller stars in The Spectacular Now as Sutter Keely, a fun-loving student known for her partying ways who meets his shy classmate, Aimee (Woodley) and develops a romance with her late in their high school life.

The movie is surprisingly complex and nuanced for its approach to young relationships, which would appeal to fans of The Fault In Our Stars. The central couple is charming and there is a lot of fun seeing their young love blossom. However, there is also a darkness to these two that always threatens to overcloud their fun times. The movie also contains a strong supporting cast, including Brie Larson, Bob Odenkirk, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead.

13 Paper Towns (2015)

A Sheltered Boy Goes On Adventure With His Childhood Crush

The young romance of the story is more one-sided than in The Fault in Our Stars, but both are charming

Paper Towns is a fantastic movie that fans of The Fault In Our Stars will be able to connect with easily. It follows Quentin (Nat Wolff), a buckled-down high schooler who spends one random night on a series of adventures with his lifelong crush, Margot (Cara Delevingne). When she goes missing the next day, he follows a series of clues to discover what happened to her.

Part of the reason Paper Towns will work for fans of The Fault in Our Stars is because they both come from author John Green's books. The young romance of the story is more one-sided than in The Fault in Our Stars, but both are charming stories of how someone can meet the right person to help them understand more about themselves than they ever knew. There's also a cameo from Ansel Elgort, one of the co-leads in The Fault in Our Stars.

12 Irreplaceable You (2018)

A Dying Woman Attempts To Find A New Partner For Her Husband

There is a difficult thing to balance in stories like The Fault in Our Stars with uplifting romance and heartbreaking tragedy. That balance is also achieved in Irreplaceable You. This Netflix Original movie stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Abbie and Michiel Huisman as Sam, friends-turned-fiances set to be married whose worlds are rocked by Abbie's cancer diagnosis. In addition to the medical complications, Abbie is bent on finding a new love for Sam once she's gone.

The idea of a couple facing the very real possibility of death together is a heartbreaking one echoed in The Fault in Our Stars. It takes a look at an interesting conflict with Abbie wanting to ensure Sam is not alone and Sam knowing he will always love Abbie. The movie features Kate McKinnon, Brian Tyree Henry, and Christopher Walken, all bringing some humor into the unique love story.

11 My Sister's Keeper (2009)

A Young Girl Fights Her Own Family For Control Of Her Body

My Sister's Keeper

PG-13

Drama

8.0/10

Release Date: June 26, 2009
Runtime: 109 Minutes
Director: Nick Cassavetes
Writers: Jeremy Leven, Nick Cassavetes

Cast

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Cameron Diaz
Abigail Breslin

My Sister's Keeper is a drama film that tells the story of Anna Fitzgerald, a 13-year-old girl who was conceived to be a genetic match to save her older sister Kate, who suffers from leukemia. As Anna begins to question her purpose in life, she decides to file a lawsuit against her parents for the rights to her own body.

It is filled with sadness, but there's also an uplifting and sweet story

While The Fault in Our Stars takes a look at the tragedy of two young lovers battling a disease together, My Sister's Keeper is even more heartbreaking in its look at a young child dealing with the difficult reality. Abigail Breslin stars as a young girl who has been relied on to help keep her leukemia-stricken sisteralive but chooses to push back against her parents in order to have control over her own body.

Unlike The Fault in Our Stars' story about young love, this is a tale of a family facing similar realities together. It is a complex idea with a lot of love in the family, but different priorities conflicting with one another. It is filled with sadness, but there's also an uplifting and sweet story of these loved ones supporting each other through incredibly difficult times.

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