Summary
- John Green's work captures the essence of teenage struggles while exploring themes of mental health and self-discovery.
- Green's adaptations, like Paper Towns and The Fault in Our Stars, have resonated with audiences worldwide, despite varying levels of acclaim.
- Looking for Alaska stands out as the best adaptation, depicting profound themes of grief, love, and youth in a powerful and emotional way.
The writing of John Green led to some of the most successful young adult novels ever, and he has received several acclaimed adaptations of his work for both film and television. From his debut, Looking for Alaska, to his latest novel, Turtles All the Way Down, Green captured the essence of what it meant to be a teenager and tackled the difficulties of growing up, mental health struggles, and the need to find meaning in life. A powerful and profound young adult writer, Green’s work has resonated deeply with countless readers and viewers across the world.
With writings that date back almost 20 years, Green’s work has been adapted six times, and although they all have their unique charm, some were better than others. The very best of Green’s adaptations included some of the best teen movies ever, and they did so with a level of intelligence and philosophical curiosity not often seen in content aimed at teenagers. Although Green’s weakest adaptations suffered from a lack of depth, his very best were resonating explorations of humanity, the search for purpose, and the need to embrace life among all its challenges.
6 Paper Towns (2015)
Based on Paper Towns (2008) by John Green
Paper Towns
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Based on the novel by John Green, Paper Towns is a coming-of-age movie that follows Quentin Jaconsen (Nat Wolff) as he goes on a road trip to find Margo Spiegelman (Cara Delevingne), his neighbor and love interest who has disappeared.
- Director
- Jake Schreier
- Release Date
- July 24, 2015
- Cast
- Nat Wolff , Caitlin Carver , Halston Sage , Cara Delevingne , Griffin Freeman , Cara Buono , Austin Abrams
- Runtime
- 113minutes
John Green's works have always struck a chord with teen readers, as his depiction of adolescence and self-discovery felt powerful and relatable. However, the 2015 movie adaptation of his 2008 novel, Paper Towns, just missed the mark. With Nat Wolff as the nerdy protagonist Q Jacobsen and Cara Delevingne as every manic pixie dream girl wrapped into one Margo Roth Spiegelman, Paper Towns was full of mystery but sorely lacking in intrigue as Q followed a series of clues to track down his lifelong crush and, in the process, learn how to live.
While Green’s novel was full of the same wit and intellectual ponderings as his previous work, the film version of Paper Towns was not nearly as deep or moving as it sought to be. Delevingne had previously made a name for herself as a supermodel and, unfortunately, did not have the acting skills needed to pull off a character with as much supposed hidden complexity as the elusive Margo. Overall, Paper Towns felt like it was full of over-the-top teen drama tropes and clichés that lacked the impact and substance to stand among Green’s best adaptations.
5 Dil Bechara (2020)
Based on The Fault in Our Stars (2012) by John Green
The Hindi-language adaptation of John Green’s coming-of-age romantic tragedy, The Fault in Our Stars, retold the story through the lens of Indian culture. Dil Bechara was a powerful adaptation with a message of hope, love, and positivity about a cancer-stricken girl, Kizie Basu, who found love with Manny, a young man in remission whom she met in a support group. One major difference between The Fault in Our Stars and Dil Bechara was that the protagonists were not teenagers but instead portrayed as being in their early 20s, which was more in line with Bollywood representations of romance on screen.
Dil Bechara received critical acclaim in India for its hopeful message and powerful lead performances by Sushant Singh Rajput and Sanjana Sanghi. Sadly, much of the coverage was based around the untimely death of Sushant, as Dil Bechara was his final film role, as he died just one month before the film’s release. Because of this, Dil Bechara held special resonance and acted as a sentimental swansong for Sushant’s career.
Sushant Singh Rajput was one of Hindi cinema’s biggest up-and-coming actors who tragically died by suicide on June 14, 2020, at just 34 years old. Dil Bechara was released just one month later on the Indian streaming platform Disney+ Hotstar, where it broke viewing records and gained approximately 95 million viewers in its first 24 hours (via Hindustan Times.)