John Green has the ability, more than virtually any other young adult author, to capture the teenage experience accurately.
Although some of his novels are arguably much lower quality than others (notably, Will Grayson, Will Grayson with co-author David Levithan), Green’s collection of works is overall insightful, thought-provoking, and entertaining.
As a preteen, I read his 2017 novel, Turtles All the Way Down, about a teenage girl—Aza Holmes—who navigates the challenges of having OCD while pursuing a local mystery. I’ll admit that, although I appreciate Green’s novels, I didn’t care for this particular one. Its mystery felt half-baked and Aza’s personal storyline, involving the relationships between her friends and love interest, wasn’t compelling.
Even so, I figured the movie adaptation of the book, released in May, deserved a chance to prove itself.
Naturally, having not liked the book, I had low expectations for the movie. Considering it is a Max original film, not even having the chance to release in theaters before coming to the streaming service, I figured it would resemble a Netflix original film. That is to say, I expected a corny, subpar-acting-filled 90-minute movie.
And somewhat, that is what Turtles All the Way Down felt like on some level. However, in large part, it was better than I anticipated.
While the acting wasn’t necessarily Oscar-worthy, almost every character felt natural, normal, and more than two-dimensional.
Isabela Merced, who I haven’t seen act since I was at most ten years old, portrayed the main character, Aza. While Merced is 23, she played the role of 16-year-old Aza quite well, appearing vulnerable and younger than she actually is.
However, even though I liked Aza, her best friend, Daisy Ramirez—played by Cree Cicchino—came off as obnoxious. I wouldn’t necessarily attribute this to bad acting, but the character herself talked too much and had more time than she needed on-screen. Virtually every time she appeared in a scene, I was just waiting for it to be over.
While this isn’t necessarily a dig at the movie as much as it is at the storyline itself, Daisy’s “secret”—which is revealed near the end of the film—was pretty low, even considering the circumstances. Her motives are understandable, but the length to which she keeps it going is questionable. But, to be fair, the fact that Aza never read her best friend’s most prized work is horrible. I enjoyed how John Green incorporated their row into the plot, but if I were either Daisy or Aza, I’m not sure I would have forgiven the other.
Aside from the basics of the film, the soundtrack of the movie, a pivotal factor when determining whether I enjoy a movie or not, could have been much improved. Overall, the soundtrack felt very 2020-pop-music-heavy, with many overplayed tracks. For example, the first song featured in the movie was “bad guy” by Billie Eilish, which, although somewhat suited the scene, could have been substituted for a more unique song.
A few of the other popular songs included in the soundtrack were “The Less I Know The Better” by Tame Impala and “Sunflower, Vol. 6” by Harry Styles, which both were subjectively better inclusions than “bad guy.” While I am typically less enthusiastic about ubiquitous pop songs being used in movies when there are plenty of other viable options, I didn’t find the Turtles All the Way Down soundtrack to be horribly unsuited for the movie. The songs generally matched with the scenes they were played over, and there were a few quality tracks included, like “Zeitgeist” by the band Babe Rainbow.
As a whole, Turtles All the Way Down was decent. It is not a movie I would voluntarily watch again, but an adequate film that held my attention for its almost two-hour run time. It did not change my life by any means, nor was I expecting it to, but it was entertaining. Turtles All the Way Down was an ample adaptation of the novel, from the character portrayal to the continuity of the plot, which is, in the end, all it needs to be.
