PAPER TOWNS (2015) 3.2

My biggest mistake in entering this film was using John Green’s first novel adaptation ‘The Fault in Our Stars’ as a benchmark comparison. While Paper Towns was a pretty good movie, the dragging lull of the plot along with the difficulty of translating internal emotions to the screen forces it to fall short. That aside, if snippets of the film are dissected, there was really something meaningful within.

Shedding some light on what is to come, there is an amazing shot early on as young Margo rides her bike into the darkness. Make note, this lighting and gradual darkness is beautiful. Innocent Quentin, played by Nat Wolff is found doting over Margo played by Cara Delevingne from the moment they become neighbors. As they grow up, they predictably grow apart. Quentin is found most often with two loyal friends, and the “in” crowd surrounds Margo whether taking place in convertibles or raging high school parties. Margo discovers disloyalty among her closest friends and on one fateful night, unleashes the "Margo Roth Spiegelman Revenge Plot" to begin.

Creeping into Quentin's window at night, Margo uses him as a resource with a minivan to support her revenge plot. This is also an act to show how human she really is, as she encourages Quentin to push the envelope and act in confidence rather than hesitate constantly. Overnight, as the two act on Margo's anger, Quentin's close to the surface feelings about his perceived’ Margo miracle’ are ignited. Even the smallest acts give Quentin false hope about their relationship. After all, "tHe RuLeS aRe So UnFaIr To ThE lEtTeRs In ThE mIdDlE."

A day later, Quentin learns that Margo has become her own mystery, and he will align the stars to determine he is the one to solve it and trace all the clues to find her. His friends Ben played by Austin Abrams and Radar played by Justice Smith are there to help him along the way. Both characters are extremely memorable and have an effortless chemistry on screen. Ben is perceived to be the average teenage boy with hormones, verbalizing his every thought and decision especially when it comes to Quentin's mom. Radar plays it safe with a long-term girlfriend and parents who play a role without being on screen. Leveraged throughout the film is Radar's parents’ record-setting black Santa collection. The three create a nerdy trio relies on the Pokémon song as they follow Quentin's lead to trace Margo's steps.

The end of the film was unexpected. Quentin finds himself questioning his interpretation of Margo's every move since she climbed in the window that memorable night. While this confusion and disappointment is a struggle, it also comes at a perfect time in his life for him to learn who he is and he splits from his childhood friends for college.

Overall, the movie does a great job at forcing the audience to fall for Margo and feel that same sadness when Quentin finally comes face to face with her. My biggest criticism is the flow. It seemed like the film was too long for the story line and the screen time was a mere 109 minutes. Much of the movie struggled to truly allow the audience to capture Quentin's thoughts and emotions, and since the movie is told from his perspective, this is a major downfall. Regardless, if any of you are like me, I enjoy the book to screen movies so it may be worth your time.

"The way I figure it, everyone gets a miracle."