Directed by : Jake Schreier
Written by : Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber, John Green (Author)
Starring : Nat Wolff, Cara Delevingne, Austin Abrams, Justice Smith
Release Date : June 18, 2015
"Paper Towns" follows a lot of the tried and true formula for what usually makes up a slice-of-life story involving High School kids. One could argue that the movie is very cringe worthy for it's overabundance of preciousness and sentimentality. The story also raises some eyebrows at how it's trying to feel realistic, even though the plot is ridiculously idealized, overly romanticized, and kinda unbelievable.
The marketing for this movie may be heavily promoting Cara Delevingne in her role as the enigmatic Margo, but it's really about Nat Wolff's character Quentin. What really makes this movie are Quentin and his best friends, Radar and Ben. In particular, Ben is an absolute scene stealer as the comedy relief of the group. The whole cast is good in this, and huge kudos to Nat Wolff for playing the awkward hopeless romantic teenage boy so perfectly.
While I have a lot of issues with the story, I have to admit that the movie kept my attention throughout the whole thing. The adventures of being out on the town at night, the house party, going on a road trip, and the allure of Prom, are a rite of passage for teenagers that this movie perfectly captures. The thematic messages of the story is also something I can wholeheartedly get behind.
Based on the John Green novel of the same name, "Paper Towns" is not a badly made film. It unfortunately still feels like it's primary audience are teenagers and hopeless romantics though. Even so, there are some very compelling points in this film that adults could really have a good discussion about.
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