I’m really gonna try to see more movies from now on, I realize that this is only my fourth review of a 2015 film. (I’ve actually seen a fifth one at the time I’m writing this – that review is coming.) So, I needed to see a film, my mom had the day off, and I realized she wasn’t gonna see Mad Max, so we went to see Paper Towns.

Now I’ll be honest, my anticipations were pretty low when I first walked into the theater. I didn’t read the book, but I heard it was good. The scenario seemed simple enough. A popular and well-liked girl disappears under mysterious circumstances, and everybody’s trying to find Amy Dunne… I mean Rachel Amber… I mean Margo Roth Spiegelman.

I ended up really pleasantly surprised by this film. There are two things I really like about the film. One is the screenplay. While the story starts out looking pretty standard, it soon throws you a loop, and there are a lot of moments where it doesn’t go the direction you think it’s gonna go. And it’s worth menyioning that this is one of the few films I’ve seen to have gross-out humor that’s actually funny.

The other thing is the acting. This film has an amazing ensemble cast, and every performance feels very natural. Pay special attention to Cara Delevigne, who, in a fair world, would be a Best Supporting Actress contender.

It’s not groundbreaking or anything, but I personally couldn’t find anything really wrong with it. But you should know that this film is not an extreme recommendation, and it’s not a film that everyone will enjoy. But personally, I enjoyed it fine. You can take that for what it’s worth.

****