Paper Towns

Starring: Nat Wolff, Cara Delevingne, Austin Abrams, Justice Smith, Halston Sage, Jaz Sinclair, Jay Duplass, Ansel Elgort (uncredited)
Directed by: Jake Schreier
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama, Romance
2015

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: When the girl he's always loved, Margo (Cara Delevingne) suddenly vanishes, Quentin (Nat Wolff) is determined to follow the clues she left behind to find her and reveal how he feels.

Review:

Tim: I have to admit, Paper Towns was better than I expected it to be. From the trailer, it looked like it could have been more than another throwaway teen romantic drama, but there were no guarantees. The movie might not be as good as it could have been, but it's a solid, entertaining film. One of the things I really liked about it is that at points, it went the unconventional route. True, there's a lot of conventionality here, but it's not 100%. Those departures from the norm were appreciated.

This is an interesting film because in addition to being a romance and a drama, it's also a mystery. The lead actress disappears and leaves behind clues for her childhood friend (who's in love with her) to follow. So, we get the expected high school scenes of parties, drinking, getting ready for prom. But, we also get this cool, unexpected mystery at the heart of the story. That made everything feel fresh and different. A slight tweak to the standard formula went a long way.

The cast is decent, for being people I don't know. Nat Wolff made a good protagonist. He balanced the geeky side with a genuine everyman quality that allowed you to identify with him and root for him. I'm not convinced Cara Delevingne will be a great actress long-term, but I have to admit she surpassed any of my expectations. Too often younger people are cast for their looks without any thought about talent. She gave a very strong performance. Her style may not be my cup of tea, but I have to admit she played the role very well. Austin Abrams and Justice Smith gave good supporting performances and accounted for some needed levity. I wouldn't say anyone in the cast blew me away, but everyone works well and give solid performances.

The movie did a good job of balancing a few humorous moments with the drama, romance, and mystery. It all adds up to a film that doesn't quite feel like the kind of film you'd expect when you sit down. I appreciated this and consider it a major plus for the film.

Now, I've said Paper Towns is a good movie and a worthwhile one. It does have some flaws, though. The conclusion of the film is a bit unexpected, but it's not as powerful as it needed to be. I'm not suggesting the end should have been different, but when the mystery is resolved, you just expect a little more. It ended unexpectedly, but it wasn't especially memorable. The movie also does slip into too many predictable, convenient moments. This is a film set in high school and it follows a few too many of those cliches. Other things that happen were a stretch- it might allow the script to tie up all the loose ends, but it unmoors this film from reality. One example is that there's no way in the world that Quentin makes it to Prom. I don't care what anyone says, that was an absurd departure from all logic. The film has a number of those moments where the writing is lazy and they take the easy way out.

I wouldn't say I loved Paper Towns at all. But, it is definitely a solid, enjoyable movie. I would recommend this film to others and was pleasantly surprised that it surpassed my own expectations.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



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