John Green's Paper Towns is perfect ... until it tries to be deep [Review]
With loads of relatable jokes and a killer soundtrack, Paper Towns is the perfect summer teen flick, as expected. The leads, Quentin, or "Q", (Nat Wolff) and Margo (Cara Delevingne), have great chemistry to boot.
What sets this coming-of-age film apart is the twist. Margo goes missing after a crazy night exacting revenge on her ex. It's up to Q and his friends to find her.
The problem is that the film tries too hard to break stereotypes; when it comes to movies about high schoolers trying to find themselves, it's all been done. Q and Margo's relationship is clichéd - he's the nerd who has crushed on Margo forever. Margo, the most popular girl in school, feels lost. Oh, and the pretty girl, Lacey (Halston Sage) wishes people would notice her intellect, not just her looks.
Paper Towns is very enjoyable, but if you think too hard about the story, you'll just end up irritated. Margo's monologue, "it's a paper town, … everything's uglier up close," is fine, but it's certainly not as "deep" a revelation everyone on Tumblr makes out. But the great thing about the movie is that it reminds you that magic happens when you leave your comfort zone.