This photo provided by Twentieth Century Fox shows Cara Delevingne, left, as Margo, and Nat Wolff as Quentin, in a scene from the film, “Paper Towns.” (Michael Tackett/Twentieth Century Fox via AP)
Three out of Five kernels
Movie reviewBY KAYLEE BREWSTER
“Paper Towns” is not the movie it appears to be.
The storyline is fairly familiar: the classic girl next door and the boy who falls in love with her. The girl in this case happens to be Margo (Cara Delevingne), who everyone wants to either be or be with. She’s pretty, smart and doesn’t bother with the rules. Quentin (Nat Wolff) is the boy. He’s good in school, loyal and doesn’t want to get in trouble.
It’s their senior year, prom is getting closer and closer and after one night of pulling pranks with Quentin, Margo is gone. Just like that. And just like that, Quentin decides to find her.
While the cast members are young, they certainly don’t act it. Not only do Wolff and Delevingne manage to pull off their individual roles — the straight-laced boy and the wild-child girl — with relative believability, the rest of the cast really makes it shine.
I’m talking about Quentin’s friends Ben (Austin Abrams) and Radar (Justice Smith), the boy’s best friends “since we were fetuses.” And not only do their characters provide much of the humor in the film — be it Ben’s failed charisma with the ladies or Radar’s embarrassing family secret — but their chemistry as friends is impeccable.
It’s the way they talk with each other, joke with each, act with each other and reference old times with each other that makes you think, “Wow, these guys have been friends for forever.” More importantly, it will remind you of all the good times with your own friends.
That’s what’s really at the heart of this story. It’s not just a tale about a boy and a girl, but also about the boy’s friends.
The real story also takes some detours from the clichéd version, which is a breath of fresh air. However, some ends don’t tie up quite as well as they should.
Despite those few issues, “Paper Towns” should satisfy most moviegoers, although it’s probably geared more for teens who are facing much of the same questions and emotions as the characters in the film.
It’s a pleasant break from tradition and the chemistry among the cast is outstanding. But watching it can probably wait for a DVD home viewing.
