Paper Towns

Paper Towns

Paper Towns is based off of the book by John Green.  It is the story of a teen aged boy named Quentin (Nat Wolff) who is a senior in high school.  Q, as Quentin is known as, has been in love with his neighbor, Margo Roth Spiegelman, since she moved across the street when he was a child.  Margo (Cara Delevingne) is adventurous where Quentin is cautious.  As children they were great friends but as they grow older, they drift apart. 

One night after Q has gone to sleep, Margo comes through his window asking for his help.  Margo, who is very popular in school, has discovered that her boyfriend is cheating on her with one of her friends.   She enlists Q’s help to plot her revenge.  After their espionage, they go to one of Margo’s favorite hangouts and Margo discusses “Paper Towns”, towns on a map that don’t really exist.  Q is encouraged by the evening and looks forward to spending more time with her.  However, Margo disappears the next day.

Q and his friends Ben (Austin Abrams) and Radar (Justice Smith), Radar’s girlfriend Angela (Jaz Sinclair), and Margo’s friend Lacey (Halston Sage) go on a road trip looking for the “paper town” where Q believes Margo is waiting.  Q thinks that Margo has left him clues so that he will search for and find her. 

The stars of this movie were very talented and I expect to see more from them.  Paper Towns reminded me some of the Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller, and 16 Candles which were all directed by the late John Hughes.  It wasn’t quite as good but had some similarities.  I loved how the friends grew up throughout the movie just as they did in Hughes’ movies. 

This movie has not received great reviews but I took my teen age daughter and she loved it as much as I did.  I gave it 3 ½ out of 4 stars.