By Keeva Stratton
Based on the John Green novel (who famously penned The Fault in Our Stars), Paper Towns will easily capture teenage audiences’ hearts, with its warm depiction of the awkward perfection that is growing up.
Quentin (Nat Wolff) believes the greatest moment of his life happened when a young girl named Margo (Cara Delevingne) moved across the street. Together they played, formed a special friendship and had the time of their lives. That was until they became teenagers, and Margo became popular.
For years, Quentin watched her from afar as she broke the rules, dated boys and embraced her sense of adventure. Meanwhile, he studied and worked hard. Then one night, just a few weeks out from graduation, she knocks on his window and asks him to come with her.
The adventure is more of a revenge plot that sees them visiting several homes to prank those who have hurt her throughout high school. It’s an amazing night, and Quentin finds his love for Margo stronger than ever, when he wakes to discover she’s missing. Determined to find her, and what he believes will be his true happiness, he enlists his friends and embarks on a manhunt of a different kind, following the clues she has left behind.
Paper Towns is a warm, coming-of-age tale that sees one boy’s desire for a girl take him upon a journey that helps him find that very same love for himself. It’s written for adolescents, and as such it tends to overindulge in small moments. Nat Wolff carries the film with a convincing performance, and the humour is enough to make it easy viewing.
As one of today’s most iconic models, Delevingne is as striking on screen as her image is in print. It’s clear why they chose her, but her performance doesn’t quite have the same sizzle.
If you’ve ever felt like you didn’t belong in high school, you might find yourself perfectly at home with this tale of finding yourself—or simply your self-acceptance.
Directed by: Jake Schreier
Starring: Nat Wolff, Cara Delevingne
Rating: PG
Runtime: 109mins
Release Date: 16/07
Reviewer rating: 3/5
