Director: Jake Schreier
Starring: Nat Wolff, Cara Delevingne, Austin Abrams, Justice Smith, Halston Sage, Jaz Sinclair
Certificate: 12A
Running time: 109 minutes
If you’re a regular cinema-goer, back in 2014 you may noticed the recurring trailers for the Josh Boone-directed weepy The Fault In Our Stars, adapted from YA novelist John Green‘s popular book. Having recognised an opening in the market (however small, considering the sheer number of adaptations churned out in recent years), Robot & Frank director Jake Schreier got straight onto helming Paper Towns, another of Green‘s stories popular with teenagers and young adults. Does it reach TFIOS heady heights? Well, not really.
From an early age Quentin (Wolff) and Margo (Delevingne) (why does Green choose such pompous names?!) were partners in crime. However, as with many friendships, the pair drifted apart as high school loomed. With mysterious, elusive Margo one of the popular kids, Q is left on the sidelines, with best pals Ben (Abrams) and Radar (Smith) keeping him company.
But just when Q believes his friendship with Margo is shot, she appears in his bedroom window late one night, demanding he assist her with a revenge plan. After spending one eventful, PG-rated night together, Q has hopes that Margo is back for good…until the next day, when she doesn’t turn up for school. Or the next day. Or the day after that.
Determined to track her down, Q recruits Ben and Radar (along with their love interests) on a road-trip across the state to find Margo, after convincing himself that he’s found some clues she’s left just for him. Will Q find his happily ever after (at 17)? And what is Margo running from?
I originally read Paper Towns back in 2013, and as a young 19 year-old I was swept away with Green‘s writing. Granted, the adaptation of TFIOS did make me cry (buckets), but sadly Paper Towns just doesn’t have the same overwhelming affect.
Reminiscent of classic 1980s teenage comedy dramas, Wolff, Abrams and Smith have great onscreen chemistry, but it just feels like everything else falls flat. On reflection (and nearly three years on from reading the book), the narrative doesn’t really do anything or go anywhere. It’s nigh unbelievable that Margo would be able to just run away, with her parents not giving it a second thought. It’s also highly unbelievable that the parents of Q, Ben and Radar would be happy with them gallivanting across the country. The whole story just feels contrived and gives off the air of annoying, know-it-all teenagers proving, once again, that they know everything about everything, including love. And don’t even get me started on the whole ‘Margo as Q’s Manic Pixie Dream Girl’ thing…
All in all, Paper Towns is an enjoyable, coming-of-age story that’ll appeal to the masses of Green‘s target audience. For everyone else? It’s a little flat and predictable.
Paper Towns is available on DVD and Blu-ray now.
