Paper Towns. Rated M (sexual references). 109 minutes.
Directed by Jake Schreier. Screenplay by Michael Weber and Scott Neustadter.
Based on the novel by John Green.
The previous
cinematic collaboration from Green, Weber and Neustadter was the hugely
successful tear-jerker The Fault in Our Stars (2014), directed by Josh Boone.
For this adaptation of Green’s earlier novel, Schreier takes over the
directorial responsibilities, and does a simply perfect job of delivering this
charming film to the screen.
Seeming to arrive
out of nowhere, without the usual multi-million dollar marketing blitz, Paper
Towns is about a young man, Quentin (Nat Wolff), and his fascination with his
feisty, independent neighbour, Margo (Cara Delevingne), with whom he has been
in love with for years. Sadly, Margo has never felt quite the same way about
Quentin, and it is this classic contradiction that practically everyone will
relate to on some level.
Having driven her
around their neighbourhood on an entertaining night of revenge-inspired
shenanigans that also serves to bring them closer together, the following day
Quentin is surprised to discover that Margo has disappeared. Certain that she
has fallen in love with him, Quentin believes that Margo has left a trail of
clues to help him find her. With best mates Ben (Austin Abrams) and Radar (Justice
Smith) in tow, Quentin sets out to find Margo and declare his undying love.
Wolff is excellent
as the vulnerable young suitor who can barely find the words to describe his
feelings for Delevingne’s equally good Margo, while Abrams’s over-sexed Ben
guarantees some great laughs, ensuring that the film doesn’t get bogged down in
doom-laden introspection.
Paper Towns also
stands out from a number of other recent contributions to the ‘young adult
drama’ genre by being a refreshingly intelligent, involving experience of fine,
weapon-free storytelling.
This review was
commissioned by the West Australian Newspaper Group.
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