JOHN Green’s best-selling book The Fault In Our Stars has been somewhat disappointingly transformed into Hollywood’s latest teenage chick flick.

Terminal lung cancer patient Hazel (Shailene Woodley), a typical stroppy teenager, if not for the oxygen tank she has to wheel around with her, meets the frustratingly perky Augustus (Ansel Elgot) at an Indiana cancer support group. A few cheesy pick-up lines later from the overly excited Gus and Hazel’s hooked. Cue transformation from scowl to smile in every shot.

The film traces Hazel as she falls for Gus and comes to terms with her illness along the way.

Emotional opening monologue included, the first half is filled with an onslaught of unbearably cheesy moments, with a long list of embarrassing lines from Gus making the final cut (the wink he gives Hazel in one scene is almost creepy). I kept hoping that I would start to take the film more seriously, and eventually I did, as it turned towards a more honest portrayal of Hazel’s illness.

Here, however, my frustrations transferred from the upbeat Gus towards Hazel, as she tempts danger in a number of scenes. Her actions are often more anger-evoking than endearing.

The couple’s first kiss comes three quarters of the way through despite the obvious attraction of the characters from the opening moments. For two teenagers in love, it’s not quite believable.

The continuity of this high-budget movie is extremely shaky, and weakens it where it need not. The soundtrack, however, is well-chosen and is a real redeeming factor.

For what it is, a chick flick with a twist, it ticks all the right boxes; I grinned, wept and cringed within the space of two hours, and if that’s your thing, it’s probably worth a watch.

The sincerity of the serious scenes - and there are quite a few - is diluted by the awkward moments, though, and unfortunately I wasn’t hooked.

There are a few feel-good scenes and at moments the film even becomes touching. I’ll admit, it’s a tear-jerker at the end, but after spending a good hour rolling my eyes, that wasn’t quite enough to redeem this new rom-com from director John Boone.