Get Lost. Get Found with Paper Towns

Paper Towns might start of as any ordinary young adult romantic movie, boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, girl becomes popular in high school and they drift apart but that's where the ordinary ends. Quentin is in love with Margo (Cara Delevingne) who has become the "it" girl in school. They have drifted apart despite being best friends when they were kids. One night, Margo breaks into Quentin's room and takes him on an adventure, the next day Margo disappears but leaves behind clues which Quentin along with his friends follow, hoping to find Margo. 

I just got out of the cinema from watching Paper Towns and I am writing this review in a frenzy just because I loved Paper Towns so much. I read the book prior to seeing the movie and I honestly didn't know what to expect of the movie and I really enjoyed it! Until now my tummy hurts from all the LOL moments in the film. The wit and humor in the book was easily translated to the screen. The tandem of Q (Quentin) -Natt Wolf and his friends, Ben (Austin Abrams) and Radar (Justice Smith) was just HILARIOUS. It was spot on-crazy funny but without trying too hard, it seemed that they were a real group of high school friends. The chemistry of the three male leads is undeniable. It's as if they really did know each other from when they were "fetuses". 

Sorry, I really am getting ahead of myself since I enjoyed the movie so much. There is so much more than just laughing and enjoying the movie because in the journey to find Margo the three friends cement their friendship and go on a road trip that will change their lives forever. We see the three friends grow in their adventure and get out of their comfort zone and do things they would not usually do (like skip class). 

More than just a love story, Paper Towns is a coming of age story which challenges stereotypes and placing people in boxes and under labels. As John Green, the author of Paper Towns said the story also looks into the complexities of people and seeing them for who they really are rather than who we want them to be. 

Watching the movie, made me reminisce my High School days (about 11 years ago). High School is such an interesting part in our lives, it is a time of self discovery when you learn things about yourself that you never knew and you also have a million questions at the same time. It can be a very beautiful time in our lives, yet it can also be frightening and confusing. Yet, one thing is for sure about High School, it is when you witness the miracle of friends and seeing the movie pulled on a few heart strings as I remembered and missed my High School friends. 

There is no dull moment in Paper Towns, from a night of 'righting wrongs' to an investigation of Margo's dissapearance to going on an impromptu road trip. Your stomach will ache a good kind of ache from laughing at the well delivered comedy. It is a beautiful movie of love, friends, growing up and of overcoming labels and stereotypes. 

We all get one miracle. Make sure to let your miracle know that they're yours. 

Paper Towns is showing in theaters nationwide on July 22 from 20th Century Fox and is distributed by Warner Bros. 

"Paper Towns" is more than just Cara Delevingne

Aside from the usual excitement of a John Green novel being adapted into a movie is the fact that one of the most mysterious and beautiful models of this generation - Cara Delevingne in it and this has probably doubled the must-see factor for the upcoming movie Paper Towns. On a regular day my news feed is filled with praise and admiration for her unique beauty (look at those eyebrows!) goofy expressions, her rock star and wild child persona which keeps fans and admirers wanting more. 

Delevingne plays the mysterious Margo Roth Spiegelman, the 'it' and popular girl who loved mysteries so much that she became one. Adapted from John Green's novel Paper Towns, the story reviolves around 'Q' (Quentin) a childhood friend of Margo's who has always been in love with her ever since they were kids. 

Sometime before graduating High School, Margo takes Q on an all-night adventure through their hometown, and then suddenly disappears--leaving behind cryptic clues for Quentin to decipher. The search leads Quentin and his quick-witted friends on an exhilarating adventure that is equal parts hilarious and moving. Ultimately, to track down Margo, Quentin must find a deeper understanding of true friendship--and true love.

People may be looking forward to watching the movie because of Cara Delevingne but I've read the book and I assure you that the movie will be more than just a love story with a beautiful leading lady. 

Q and his friends are witty and hilarious and the bonds of their friendship will be tested and bring about crazy adventures that they could never have imagined. 

The heart of “Paper Towns” rests in its depictions of friendship and its accompanying adventures, mysteries and even the aggravations that pull young people together at a significant point in their lives.  Q, Ben and Radar are the best of friends.  Their circle of friendship grows with Margo’s disappearance. As author John Green explains, “Q, Ben and Radar are extremely tight but as their high school years come to a close, they grapple with the fact that their friendship is soon going to be different.”

    “There’s a real connection between these friends, and so the humor between them feels lived in and real,” adds Schreier.  “Ben is this nerdy kid who desperately wants to have a girlfriend but has no idea how to go about getting one,” says Austin Abrams, who takes on the role.  “Like the other characters, he undergoes big changes in his thinking about girls, and realizes that a girl he’s long had a crush on, Lacey, is not only pretty, she’s actually very cool and sweet.”

For the part of Radar, the filmmaker cast newcomer Justice Smith. “Radar is a really sweet kid who plays saxophone in the high school band,” says Smith. “He’s a little afraid of bringing his girlfriend Angela to his home because his parents own the world’s largest collection of black Santas.  He’s very embarrassed that his house has, you know, like, 4,200 black Santas in it.”

 Green uses that story element as a mirror to Q’s initial, superficial view of Margo.  “It’s ludicrous how monolithically we imagine Santa,” he points out.  “And there’s a moment in the story when Angela, upon learning of this unique collection, says, ‘I think it’s really cool that your parents are helping to make Santa more complex.’”

Paper Towns Book Review

"Paper Towns" was my first John Green book. I didn't join the bandwagon when "The Fault In Our Stars" came out; until now, I have yet to read the book or see the movie. So I really did not know what to expect. Was John Green another Nicholas Sparks? I'm not going to go on and compare the two authors but one thing is for sure; I read through Paper Towns like the book is on fire. I loved the non-traditional characters, I loved how the novel was written in such a smart and witty way that I was chuckling to myself as I was going through the pages; because the lines were just so funny and a funny smart kind of way. :)  

It was actually the trailer of Paper Towns that got me to start reading the book. I was actually expecting a typical love story when I saw the trailer but I was really surprised as to how it really wasn't your typical love story at all! 

Paper Towns is a contemporary coming-of-age story with unique characters, so real they can actually be someone you know. Instead of a "damsel in distress/heroine" "looking for love" we have Margo Roth Spiegelman, a free spirited teen who takes revenge on a cheating boyfriend, has a wide collection of records which even her best friends don't know about, oh and she likes running away from home. 

Then we have our protagonist Quentin "Q" Jacobsen whose voice and thoughts narrates the story for us. Unlike your typical hero "Q" is a geek and a nerd who loves playing video games on his free time, he studies for tests and does his homework. I love how the story allows the characters to  grow from their own shells and find the courage that even they did not know existed within themselves. 

Shout out to Q's friends Ben and 'Radar' who bring in more to the story. Anybody would be lucky to have friends like them :) 

The night before Margo runs away from home, she enlists the help of Q to get revenge on people who she felt have wronged her. During this "mission" Q's feelings for Margo are fully realized. (he has had feelings for her since they were little). The next morning when Margo's disappearance has become official, Q realizes that Margo has left clues for him to find her. Q begins an obsessive search to find Margo with the help of his friends Radar and Ben. 

Paper Towns deals with themes of growing up and appearance versus reality. In a high school setting of the beautiful and popular kids and the geeks and the nerds in the school band and of concerns like graduation and prom, I'm glad to see deeper thoughts and themes being explored. 

A great book and a great reading experience - looking forward to when the movie comes out :)