"Paper Towns" Doesn't Disappoint...If You're Unfamiliar with the Story

Rating: ****


I'll start this by saying I broke one of my cardinal rules of movie-going. I did not read the book before watching the movie, something I normally make an almost insane effort to do. That being said, I think I lucked out this time BECAUSE I didn't read the book.

"Paper Towns," which is based on a popular John Green book,  turned out to be a fun ride that I was intrigued with until the final credits. My sister who has read the book, as well as many friends couldn't enjoy the movie, citing it as blasphemous in comparison to the book and expressing their distaste over the fact that it didn't perfectly match up to the original.

I, on the other hand, liked the fact it felt real. The main characters felt like people that could exist; not like perfectly crafted figments of someone's imagination. Cara Delevingne plays Margo Roth Spiegelman, the most popular girl in school, while Nat Wolff plays her childhood partner in crime and next door neighbor Quentin "Q" Jameson.

After growing apart as they got older. Margo and Q spend a night pranking their classmates towards the end of their senior year, before Margo disappears, leaving Q determined to find her. Delevingne makes the myth that is Margo human, showing it's just as easy for someome who has it all to feel lost, while Q comes across as a lovable dork you slowly begin to root for.

The movie was deep, yet relatable. The characters seemed to sense the finality of finishing high school, which is relatable and true to life, speaking as a recent graduate. The future is unknown, an idea "Paper Towns" not only grasps but seems to fully understand. Instead of treating the future as something that needs to be prepared for and planned through, it's looked at as an adventure that could lead you anywhere, something I find refreshing and different.

It builds Margo up, as well as Q and his friends, just to remind you they are just people, and at the end of the day that's what we all are really, just people. The story was sincere although at times it walked the fine line of being a cliche; eventually managing to find its voice to remind viewers that life isn't just about love, adventures, or risks. It's about people, which is the heart of the movie.

For more informaion about "Paper Towns," click here.

XOXO,

Lexie