Unlike John Green's "The Fault in Our Stars" and "Looking for Alaska," I only read "Paper Towns" once - and a bit. I'd started reading it again but lent the book to a family friend. Now, that doesn't mean I don't like the book, I do! I'd just place it third in my favourites when it comes to Green's work.
So, I entered "Paper Towns" with excitement, but not as much as with "TFiOS," and my memory not as fresh. The novel came flooding back as I watched, and I must say that this is a very faithful adaptation, with changes that fit rather than feel out of place.
The story is about a boy and a girl. The boy is Quentin "Q" Jacobson (Natt Wolf), who is bright, innocent and kind hearted. The girl is Margo Roth Speiglman (Cara Delivinge), a wild, husky voiced mysterious cool girl. Q is in love with Margo. One night, after years of being next door neighbours but not talking due to high school social cliques, Margo climbs through Q's window, for she needs him in an extravagant revenge plot due to her cheating boyfriend and wayward friends. Together they plant catfish in cupboards and take pictures of ex boyfriend's tiny appendages as they run away. The next morning, Margo disappears.
With his friends, Ben (Austin Abrams) and Radar (Justice Smith), Q discovers clues that may point to Margo's whereabouts in a remote Paper Town in the state of New York. Along with Margo's best friend Lacey and Radar's girlfriend Angela, the boys go on a road trip of a lifetime, to find Margo, so Q can express his love - all while trying to make it back in time for prom.
When I heard that "Paper Towns" was being adapted into a film, I was surprised; it didn't seem like a marketable film, only to Nerdfighters and not to the general public or critics. It wasn't as mainstream as other young adult novels; dare I say it, it may be one of Green's more hipsterish novels, which is not a bad thing at all! It's a unique little story and I was thinking, how will they make it work? Well they did, and it's another faithful adaptation that Green and his fans seem to enjoy as much as the book. The acting is great, the changes are suited to the pacing of the story (Angela does not go on the road trip in the movie, but here she does and it does not disrupt in any way). The ending is slightly changed, but again not in a negative way, at least not to me. I enjoyed Abrams as Ben, so geeky with his Dutch-Courage; he even made the phrase honeybunny sound cute, a quote which made me cringe in the novel.
Wolf isn't as charming here as he was in TFiOS, but he is likable. and there's one cameo which they focus a bit too much on. The road trip scene is hilarious, and all the bits are there: the gas station, the great wall of cow, the World's Best Granny and Confederate t-shirts. Even the Black Santas! It's a treat for Nerdfighters who are open to small changes.
"Paper Towns" is a charming coming of age slash road trip buddy comedy, with realistic banter between boys and their awkward shyness around girls. You may learn a thing or two from this movie. For me, is that boys are just as emotive when it comes to girls as we are towards them; you may understand men a bit more! For others, it may tell you to not fall in love with the idea of someone. For most, it's possibly just a funny teen comedy that deals with growing pains in a clever, poetic way. It's not as grand as TFiOS or Perks, and it's not trying to be; it is sure to please other fans, it's fun, it's relaxed and that's OK by me.
So, I entered "Paper Towns" with excitement, but not as much as with "TFiOS," and my memory not as fresh. The novel came flooding back as I watched, and I must say that this is a very faithful adaptation, with changes that fit rather than feel out of place.
The story is about a boy and a girl. The boy is Quentin "Q" Jacobson (Natt Wolf), who is bright, innocent and kind hearted. The girl is Margo Roth Speiglman (Cara Delivinge), a wild, husky voiced mysterious cool girl. Q is in love with Margo. One night, after years of being next door neighbours but not talking due to high school social cliques, Margo climbs through Q's window, for she needs him in an extravagant revenge plot due to her cheating boyfriend and wayward friends. Together they plant catfish in cupboards and take pictures of ex boyfriend's tiny appendages as they run away. The next morning, Margo disappears.
With his friends, Ben (Austin Abrams) and Radar (Justice Smith), Q discovers clues that may point to Margo's whereabouts in a remote Paper Town in the state of New York. Along with Margo's best friend Lacey and Radar's girlfriend Angela, the boys go on a road trip of a lifetime, to find Margo, so Q can express his love - all while trying to make it back in time for prom.
When I heard that "Paper Towns" was being adapted into a film, I was surprised; it didn't seem like a marketable film, only to Nerdfighters and not to the general public or critics. It wasn't as mainstream as other young adult novels; dare I say it, it may be one of Green's more hipsterish novels, which is not a bad thing at all! It's a unique little story and I was thinking, how will they make it work? Well they did, and it's another faithful adaptation that Green and his fans seem to enjoy as much as the book. The acting is great, the changes are suited to the pacing of the story (Angela does not go on the road trip in the movie, but here she does and it does not disrupt in any way). The ending is slightly changed, but again not in a negative way, at least not to me. I enjoyed Abrams as Ben, so geeky with his Dutch-Courage; he even made the phrase honeybunny sound cute, a quote which made me cringe in the novel.
Wolf isn't as charming here as he was in TFiOS, but he is likable. and there's one cameo which they focus a bit too much on. The road trip scene is hilarious, and all the bits are there: the gas station, the great wall of cow, the World's Best Granny and Confederate t-shirts. Even the Black Santas! It's a treat for Nerdfighters who are open to small changes.
"Paper Towns" is a charming coming of age slash road trip buddy comedy, with realistic banter between boys and their awkward shyness around girls. You may learn a thing or two from this movie. For me, is that boys are just as emotive when it comes to girls as we are towards them; you may understand men a bit more! For others, it may tell you to not fall in love with the idea of someone. For most, it's possibly just a funny teen comedy that deals with growing pains in a clever, poetic way. It's not as grand as TFiOS or Perks, and it's not trying to be; it is sure to please other fans, it's fun, it's relaxed and that's OK by me.