Director: Jack Schreier 

Cast: Cara Delevingne, Nat Wolff, Austin Abrams, Justice Smith, Halston Sage, Jaz Sinclair, Meg Crosbie

Running Time: 1 hour 53 minutes 

Release Date: August 17th 2015

King of the young adult novel, John Green, has found himself quite the beacon of youth approved literature ever since the release of his 2005 novel LOOKING FOR ALASKA; where his talent for story telling tapped into the wanderlust nature of its intended audience. With his ever expanding fan base gobbling up his writing at warped speed, his 2012 smash hit THE FAULT IN OUR STARS quickly found itself in movie form when STUCK IN LOVE director Josh Boone took on the adaptation, with Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort as famous lovers Hazel and Gus.

Ever since, whispering of Green’s other work being turned into movie screen magic has been nonstop and fans rejoiced when it was announced that his 2008 novel PAPER TOWNS was next in line for adaptation. 

With Jake Schreier in the director chair, PAPER TOWNS tells the adventure of high school student Quentin (Nat Wolff) and the fixation of his utter amazement, the girl next door; Margo Roth Spiegelman (Cara Delevingne). Once childhood friends, Quentin and Margo’s relationship had gone stale until Q wakes up to find the mysterious girl climbing through his bedroom window, taking him on a one night adventure of revenge and realisation, after she discovers her boyfriend has committed the ultimate act of betrayal. 

After a night of bonding and with Quentin falling even deeper in infatuation, Margo dissapears leaving only obscure clues as to her possible whereabouts. Sure in the hope that the clues are indeed for him, Quentin turns to friends Ben (Austin Abrams), Radar (Justice Smith) and his girlfriend Angela (Jaz Sinclair), and Margo’s former best friend Lacy (Halston Sage) to come together for the ultimate road trip in the hopes of tracking down Margot and declaring his love. 

With director Schreier having only helmed one other feature, ROBOT & FRANK, the film is generally a very ambitious project. Schreier throws himself into the young adult genre and his bravery pulls off as the tone of the film finds itself in the comfortable waters of teen adventure. Visually, it’s a good looking film. There are some wonderfully slick and shiny rolling shots of Quentin’s home town and surroundings, enabling audiences to plunge into his sheltered existence; and as Q’s eyes open to the bigger world that spans beyond him, as does the audience’s.

Cinematography from David Lanzenberg helps blur the line of Hollywood blockbuster as often the visual aesthetic feels more like a stylish independent film, much like his work on the likes of CELESTE & JESSE FOREVER. Equally as enjoyable is the wonderfully wistful soundtrack, with composition from John Debney and Son Lux. At times melancholy and at others so joyful, the soundtrack and score reflects the charged emotions within the temperamental characters, representing so perfectly the fragile nature of teenage confliction. Songs from the likes of Vampire Weekend, HAIM, Alice Boman and Vance Joy all help to create an eclectic and emotionally charged soundtrack. 

When news broke that model Cara Delevingne would be stepping in to play one of Green’s most beloved female characters, many were skeptical about her acting abilities as the ridiculous notion that a model couldn’t possibly turn to acting with any sincerity ripped through the gossip columns. Delevigne takes this in her absolute stride and gives a confident and skilled performance. Her natural, electric spirit is poured into Margo’s character and she immediately finds comfortable ground in the role; with an impressive American accent to boot. 

While die hard fans perhaps will always find difficulty in handing over such a loved character to anyone, Delevingne does her very best to encompass of the conflicting emotions that engulfs Margo’s character. A real sense of protection clouds the joy in the shallow representations of the wild child she mirrors, as one comes to realise the hidden hurt and difficult perceptions that are thrust upon her by every other character in the film; a clever development from both Green and screen writer’s Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber. Margo blurs the lines of character and narrative catalyst, aiding to the mystery behind her initial role in the film. 

Nat Wolff gives an equally impressive performance as our narrator and main character, Quentin. The very best parts of Q’s character development undoubtedly reside in the scenes with his onscreen best friends Ben and Radar; where the boys deal with the ever looming end of high school.

Austin Abram‘s gives a welcome comedic performance and actually proves himself to be a little show stealer. Without him, the melodrama of Green’s story becomes perhaps too stifling for an older audience, but his injections of comedy ensure that a wide sense of humour can be found amongst the teen angst. 

While PAPER TOWNS wont be changing the face of cinema as we know it, Green and the script writers know their audience with real intimacy and the film certainly taps into that adventure chasing aspect that teens hold so dear in their hearts. There’s a sense of maturity that resides within the characters and story, one that appeals to today’s youth culture and it steers clear of patronizing, overtly sexualised or otherwise offensive generalisations of today’s youth. 

Literature lovers are undoubtedly going to be dissapointed with some fairly big changes in the story, with much of the book’s most loved material hitting the cutting room floor but PAPER TOWNS is indeed a fairly refreshing take on the young adult adaptation. Ambitious and charming, Green’s book to movie library is quickly building into a new sub-genre of youth associated cinema. 

Verdict

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