Low-stakes mystery unfolds in modest 'Paper Towns'

A low-key vibe is both the greatest strength and the greatest weakness of "Paper Towns," Jake Schreier's self-consciously modest adaptation of John Green's 2008 novel.

Green also wrote "The Fault in Our Stars," the movie version of which was well on its way to becoming a huge hit this time last summer. Although the low-stakes mystery that propels "Paper Towns" has little of that earlier film's emotional pull, this gentle coming-of-age story has its winning qualities. If it's a bit dull, and too dependent on a what-I-learned voice-over to make its points, it can still be applauded for resisting the temptation to overreach.

The self-effacing ethic of "Paper Towns" is perfectly embodied in Nat Wolff. Here, the young actor comes into his own as a leading man, reminiscent of a "Graduate"-era Dustin Hoffman.

Wolff plays Quentin, a high school senior who for the past decade has harbored a crush on his neighbor Margo (Cara Delevingne), who shrugs past him at school with heedless indifference. While Quentin hangs out with slightly nerdy buddies Ben (Austin Abrams) and Radar (Justice Smith), Margo runs with a faster crowd.

A mildly notorious character in their community outside Orlando, Margo is also practiced at burnishing the stories that have made her such a captivating enigma. She enjoys being talked about, even as she longs to escape the suburban torpor for more adventurous climes. When Margo disappears one day, after roping Quentin into one last epic night of creative mayhem, he besottedly comes to believe that she secretly wants to be found - by him and him only. Enlisting Ben and Radar, he sets out to find her and bring her home.

Quentin is studying "Moby Dick" in school, a helpful source of subtext for viewers who might miss the finer points of "Paper Towns." But in chronicling a teenager's first experience of obsession, projection and romantic yearning, this sincere, understated drama is at least more convincing than the more stylized "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl." An icky running gag in which Ben lusts after Quentin's mom notwithstanding, "Paper Towns" has been tastefully made and features appealing performances from its stars. Wolff possesses a soulful, expressive quietude that fits Quentin's careful, observant nature, while the raspy-voiced Delevingne banishes all doubt whether, when Margo goes on the lam, she'll land anywhere but on a flashbulb-bathed Manhattan catwalk.

The supporting players are good too, especially Smith. A carefully planted cameo midway through the film is sure to elicit delighted gasps and giggles when it shows up. At that point, "Paper Towns" has turned into a road picture/teen romp and the true moral of the story is taking shape.

In the end, it's nearly impossible to resist Green's cheering if perfunctory message about the importance of friendship, identity and the willingness to examine our most cherished wishful thinking - even at the ripe age of 18.