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Paper Towns
Quentin has an okay life. He has good friends, he's doing well in school and he hasn't had to go through any particular hardships. He did have a crush on a girl who stopped talking to him, but got over it. Until one night when she takes him on an adventure which has him feeling more about her than ever...
I went into this movie with mild hopes. The premise intrigued me, and I remembered The Longest Engagement, an absolutely excellent romantic mystery drama which had everything I could have asked for.
With this one, it did have some of it but not all.
I'll get to what I liked about it ar first, because I do have a lot of good things to say about it. Even though this movie is flawed, it's still kinda underrated. The characters are likable, especially Quentin. Nat Wolff who played him also was in another teen drama the year before (which I hear is very solid), and I thought he was the best in the movie. Like sure, he got some really cheesy dialogue sometimes, but he managed to do the best even with those. I think out of everyone he showed the most emotional range and felt very realistic in how he talked and how he depicted several mental states. Q's (it's his nickname) friends are very charming and instead of your typical annoying teen friends you see in movies they were genuinely nice and dare I say it, loving. The two girls who get on the road trip are interesting in their own ways too. Now of course, the second most important person to talk about. First off, Cara Delevigne was pretty good in the role. She didn't quite match up to Wolff, but had just the right amount of devious and enchanting presence at the same time needed. I'll get more into her character later on, since that's another story.
The story is pretty fine. It's after all what peaked my interest in the first place. The plot however not so much. It kinda feels like the movie drags on sometimes, with short stops which kinda makes it stand still. After a whole it does get going again, but there was maybe at least 10 minutes in the middle or so where I feel like it didn't really go anywhere. But you know, it's still a nice little road trip adventure, and I enjoy seeing all these friends interact with each other. The best dialogue comes from when they are just talking casually like buddies do.
The directing was pretty decent. I wouldn't say it blew me away, but some scenes felt pretty atmospheric, like when Quentin and Margo are dancing on the highest floor of a tower looking at the view.
There are some funny moments occassionally. They won't make you laugh out loud, this is not a comedy. But there's a good amount of chuckles or smileworthy moments, mostly from Dan.
The music is very bland, sad to say. I could predict pretty much every cue. The opening tune was pretty nice however.
Here are my problems with Paper Towns.
There were a couple of clichés you see in teen movies that felt a bit hamfisted. Like the importance of friendship, how you are doing something for the last time in high school (this was pointed out very explicitly), can't miss the prom yaddayadda. What is it with teen movies and making proms such a huge deal? They are fun, but it's not the worst thing in the world if you miss it. Besides, Quentin's friends still had girlfriends at least who they can hang out with any time they want. And yet they are extremely antsy for the prom like it's the biggest thing ever, instead of staying like friends and helping Quentin out. I don't know, it's just something we've seen a million times.
In the beginning, Margo is right away a huge deal. So why couldn’t we get more time establishing her and Quentin's friendship? The scenes where they connected were nice, but before that particular night (which trailers really liked to show) we could have gotten at least a few minutes more of development.
And finally, the ending.
Well, crap. This is why I don't like overthinking movies (you can probably notice this review doesn't have planning behind it, I'm just writing as I go along). I was gonna give it a 7, but that ending makes it more worth a 6 instead. And come to think of it, it's not even that underrated either. The ending makes this a disappointment.
Quentin has an okay life. He has good friends, he's doing well in school and he hasn't had to go through any particular hardships. He did have a crush on a girl who stopped talking to him, but got over it. Until one night when she takes him on an adventure which has him feeling more about her than ever...
I went into this movie with mild hopes. The premise intrigued me, and I remembered The Longest Engagement, an absolutely excellent romantic mystery drama which had everything I could have asked for.
With this one, it did have some of it but not all.
I'll get to what I liked about it ar first, because I do have a lot of good things to say about it. Even though this movie is flawed, it's still kinda underrated. The characters are likable, especially Quentin. Nat Wolff who played him also was in another teen drama the year before (which I hear is very solid), and I thought he was the best in the movie. Like sure, he got some really cheesy dialogue sometimes, but he managed to do the best even with those. I think out of everyone he showed the most emotional range and felt very realistic in how he talked and how he depicted several mental states. Q's (it's his nickname) friends are very charming and instead of your typical annoying teen friends you see in movies they were genuinely nice and dare I say it, loving. The two girls who get on the road trip are interesting in their own ways too. Now of course, the second most important person to talk about. First off, Cara Delevigne was pretty good in the role. She didn't quite match up to Wolff, but had just the right amount of devious and enchanting presence at the same time needed. I'll get more into her character later on, since that's another story.
The story is pretty fine. It's after all what peaked my interest in the first place. The plot however not so much. It kinda feels like the movie drags on sometimes, with short stops which kinda makes it stand still. After a whole it does get going again, but there was maybe at least 10 minutes in the middle or so where I feel like it didn't really go anywhere. But you know, it's still a nice little road trip adventure, and I enjoy seeing all these friends interact with each other. The best dialogue comes from when they are just talking casually like buddies do.
The directing was pretty decent. I wouldn't say it blew me away, but some scenes felt pretty atmospheric, like when Quentin and Margo are dancing on the highest floor of a tower looking at the view.
There are some funny moments occassionally. They won't make you laugh out loud, this is not a comedy. But there's a good amount of chuckles or smileworthy moments, mostly from Dan.
The music is very bland, sad to say. I could predict pretty much every cue. The opening tune was pretty nice however.
Here are my problems with Paper Towns.
There were a couple of clichés you see in teen movies that felt a bit hamfisted. Like the importance of friendship, how you are doing something for the last time in high school (this was pointed out very explicitly), can't miss the prom yaddayadda. What is it with teen movies and making proms such a huge deal? They are fun, but it's not the worst thing in the world if you miss it. Besides, Quentin's friends still had girlfriends at least who they can hang out with any time they want. And yet they are extremely antsy for the prom like it's the biggest thing ever, instead of staying like friends and helping Quentin out. I don't know, it's just something we've seen a million times.
In the beginning, Margo is right away a huge deal. So why couldn’t we get more time establishing her and Quentin's friendship? The scenes where they connected were nice, but before that particular night (which trailers really liked to show) we could have gotten at least a few minutes more of development.
And finally, the ending.
WARNING: spoilers below
I know what you are thinking. "Oh, a movie doesn't always have a happy ending". Well you're right, but it's not about a happy or a sad ending. It's about an ending which makes sense and feels right in the context of the movie. This is what really doesn't make sense: Margo sends all these clues, like "do this, go here". And he does (although he doesn't find her where he expected her to be). But here's the thing. Apparently they weren't clues he was supposed to follow! DUDE. WHAT THE **** DID YOU EXPECT? You give this guy a time of his life, teaches him lessons about getting out of his comfort zone, and when he finally finds you, you ask what the hell he's doing there in a very condenscending manner. Well duh, he followed you because you made it look like he was supposed to! It just doesn't make any sense at all. And still, when she's about to go again, she asks if he wants to come with her. WHAT? You didn't even want him to find you! And now she still wants him by her side. Look, she's not in love with him. I understand. But they are still friends, aren't they? Quentin's lack of feelings when going back first confused me, but then it made sense. She just tricked him, of course he shouldn't have any reason to care about her. This is not some melancholic meaningful ending, it's pure manipulation.
Well, crap. This is why I don't like overthinking movies (you can probably notice this review doesn't have planning behind it, I'm just writing as I go along). I was gonna give it a 7, but that ending makes it more worth a 6 instead. And come to think of it, it's not even that underrated either. The ending makes this a disappointment.