Some teen movies resonate with audiences because the characters are so painfully realistic, reflecting our own awkwardness and adolescent angst back at us. Other films, however, operate in a far more aspirational mode, where even the nerdy kids get a chance to date the cheerleader, and all the characters speak with the wit and wisdom of middle-aged screenwriters.
“Paper Towns,” an adaptation of a novel by “The Fault in Our Stars” author John Green, operates resolutely in the latter category, but it’s no less intriguing for its utter artificiality. Even if the smarmily sanctified and beautifully doomed male lead of “Fault” made you want to run screaming from the theater, you may find yourself on board with this movie’s road trip, particularly since it suggests that savvy, sexy and seemingly put-together teen characters might be nothing more than a Rorschach blot upon which others can project their own dreams and inadequacies.