The 2024 movie schedule is filled with plenty of interesting titles, some of which are book adaptations. Amongst those feature film efforts is Turtles All the Way Down, which is based on John Green’s 2017 novel of the same name. Max subscribers have already taken to the platform to stream the teen-centric romantic drama flick. And, if you’ve yet to check it out yourself, maybe Ryan Reynolds’ review of the movie will encourage you to do so. I don’t know about you, but I’m now aiming to go watch it immediately.
Aside from acting in major movies, Ryan Reynolds – like so many of us – is also a lover for quality feature films. So I’m not too shocked that he took some time to watch Hannah Marks’ latest directorial effort. Reynolds took to his Instagram story to share some glowing thoughts on Turtles All the Way Down. The post – which was draped in the film’s official poster – also featured a piece of high praise for the scribe who wrote the book. Check out the message of praise for yourself down below:
While the author is the only person who is explicitly tagged in the post, this is certainly a major compliment for everyone involved in the making of the movie. It’s definitely not easy to adapt a novel into a motion picture. However, John Green has seen several successes when it comes to his work being translated to the screen. The Fault in Our Stars, Let It Snow and Dil Bechara are just a few of his books that have been praised as films. At present, I’m glad to see that the Deadpool star is among those who are high on this particular film, and his compliment certainly gives me even more incentive to check it out ASAP.
Turtles All the Way Down centers on a 16-year-old named Aza Holmes who contends with her obsessive–compulsive disorder while also mourning the death of her father. She eventually sets her sights on investigating the disappearance of a billionaire, while becoming close to the missing man’s son. All the while, Aza also reconnects with a childhood friend. As a whole, the story provides a nuanced look at how an individual, specifically a youth, navigates the complexities of mental health. The premise and themes alone have me intrigued by this intimate flick.
‘We Try To Keep The Spirit The Same:’ Turtles All The Way Down Made One Key Change To Its Ending That John Green Loved
Thus far, the movie has received mostly positive reviews thus far and currently holds a 94% freshness rating (out of 16 reviews) on Rotten Tomatoes. Our own Alexandra Ramos was also a fan of the film and shared some introspective thoughts on it. She specifically detailed how it captures her time dealing with anxiety while in high school. All in all, it seems that this movie is striking a chord with people.
In the last few years, Ryan Reynolds has been very vocal about his “lifelong” struggle with mental health. He first revealed it in a post shared in 2021, through which he explained that he would “overschedule” himself while dealing with anxiety. Later, Reynolds shared why he spoke out, saying that he wants to “de-stigmatize” such conversations. On top of that, he also wants to serve as a good “role model” for his kids. We can’t say for sure whether it’s the mental health aspects of TATWD that truly resonated with the Canadian actor. However, considering what we know about him, one would think that he appreciated the movie’s handling of such subject matter.
I don’t know about you, but I’m now definitely ready to give Hannah Marks’ film a watch. Reactions point to it being a warm and cerebral piece of work that’s mostly faithful to John Green’s work. You love to see a quality book adaptation in any case, and I’m certainly glad that this one is getting some buzz. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a streaming service to hit up.
You can also check out Turtles All the Way Down now! It’s streaming amongst some of the best movies on Max.