It’s Summer, so it’s time for the big Hollywood studios to scour the bookshelves over in the young adult section for another hot property. Thankfully it’s not another tale set in a dystopian future with mankind’s hopes and fate riding on a youngster’s untested shoulders. Of course they’re great for the movies, since most are part of an ongoing series. For execs there are few words as sweet as ” tent pole” or “franchise”. This new film is a solo story, although you could say it’s part of a series. You see it’s from one of the hottest (perhaps even a brand) names in YA lit, John Green. His first story to hit the big screen last summer was the smash hit, THE FAULT IN OUR STARS. So what’s his newest teen tear-jerker du jour? The main vacation spot for lots of kids may just be these PAPER TOWNS.
Eighteen year-old high school senior Quentin (Nat Wolf) begins this tale, by taking us back nearly ten years, to the day his “miracle” occurred. That’s when adorable Margo moved (with her family) into the house next door. The smitten ‘Q’ became fast friends with the wild, impulsive ‘M’, as she would often climb on the roof of his house and tap on his bedroom window, inviting him to embark on another ‘adventure”. But as the years wore on, the two drifted apart. Teenaged M (Cara Delevingne) became the most popular girl in high school, running with the cool crowd. The introverted shy Q viewed her from the sidelines along with best buds and fellow “band geeks” Ben (Austin Abrams) and “Radar” (Justice Smith). Then one magical night, M was tapping on Q’s window once more. She needed his help (and his family’s car) to right a terrible wrong. M had just learned that her boyfriend was fooling around with one of her closest gal pals. Into the wee hours, the two exacted revenge on the couple along with another two that aided in their betrayal. As they parted, Q hoped that their friendship was renewed, and secretly wished that he and M could be more than friends. But she never showed up at school the next day. Or the following day. And so on. Finally, word spread that M had run away…again. But Q recalled that M always left clues. Bribing M’s little sister to gain access to her bedroom, he pieced together a possible escape scenario. Q then convinces Ben, Radar and his steady girl Angela (Jaz Sinclair), along with M’s concerned ex-pal Lacey (Halston Sage) to embark on several state road trip in order to locate (and hopefully bring back) his first love.
Wolf, no stranger to the world of Green stories after his supporting stint in FAULT, makes for an affable, earnest everyman (or boy) as he tackles most of the film’s dramatic and comedic beats. His “deer caught in headlights” stare during the late night romp is a tad overdone along with his half-hearted whispered pleas of “No” “Don’t” “You can’t…”. The actor has talent to spare (he’s a true live wire in Palo Alto), but the thin material here doesn’t seem to challenge him. Delevingne, best known as a fashion model, doesn’t quite mesh with the “queen bee of the school” persona with her distracted, halting line delivery. I can get why Q would fall for her, but somehow she’s got everybody under her “spell”. Abrams alternates between obnoxious and endearing as the full of “it” Ben. He almost believe his stories about the “hook up” from Canada (maybe she’s the sister of Riley’s far North beau in INSIDE OUT). Only the appearance of the lovely Lacey keeps him in line (he’s like a lovesick puppy). Sage is quite believable as the school blonde bombshell who wishes people could get past her stunning exterior. Smith projects a real sweetness as the only one of the trio to have a girlfriend. Unfortunately this keeps him in a state of near panic as he worries about saying or doing the wrong thing (gotta’ keep her away from his house so she doesn’t see his parents’ obsessive holiday collection) that will drive her away and return him to the ” lonely single guy bin”. Sinclair truly delights as the dream girl who is happy to be taken off her pedestal in order to really emotionally connect with her jittery suitor.
Director Jake Scrieier (the superb ROBOT & FRANK) tries valiantly but can’t quite break the constraints of the too familiar leaden story. Slow motion flashbacks and sequences are overused, and several comedic bits land with a thud (the script thinks that Radar’s house is hysterical, along with a protracted cartoon theme sing-a-long). And who thought North Carolina could really double for central Florida? Many of the adventures and clues are contrived to the point of being ludicrous. And we can never get past the selfishness of Q’s dream girl. She frivolously commits all manner of serious crimes (topped with her siged spray-painted “M”, like a new age Zorro) with no concern about the boy she’s made her slave/accomplice. And as a follow-up, she deserts everyone who cares about her well-being, sending a message that running away is a cool, hip thing to do when you need a break from ‘stuff’. Such a brat! And off course the big finale, the ticking clock deadline, is the rapidly approaching big prom dance (yet another tired high school flick trope). Perhaps the book’s many fans will enjoy this adaptation, but I couldn’t wait to escape these flimsy PAPER TOWNS.
1.5 out of 5
