MovieChat Forums > Paper Towns (2015) Discussion > Anyone else not like Margo?

Anyone else not like Margo?

posted 10 years ago by thatsprettysalty
27 replies | jump to latest

I found her so selfish and arrogant.

First of all she all but ignores Quentin for literally years and then she ropes him in to getting revenge on people only to vanish the next day leaving Quentin to possibly face up to police action (for entering a house etc) and angry school mates.

Then she keeps going on about being judged and nobody caring about her yet she exacts revenge upon an innocent Lacey because she judged Lacey and didn't care enough about her friendship to even ASK if she knew.

Finally she clearly had means of contacting people as she mentions she speaks to her little sister daily, it's likely the sister mentioned him coming over twice yet she never made the effort to contact Q and let him know personally she's fine...no she leaves him clues to go to a creepy abandoned old shop because that'll put his mind at ease?

I thought she and the jock were a perfect match, both self obsessed and putting their own needs above other peoples and not caring who gets hurt or caught in the crossfire.

[–] coastin_on_a_dream 10 years ago

Yeah, she was pretty selfish and arrogant, but that's kind of the point of the story. Quentin made her out to be this mystical, mysterious creature almost and she was perfect in his eyes. But as the mystery unravels and he gets frustrated with trying to find her, he realizes he was just in love with the IDEA of her, and when he starts to see her as an actual person, he see's all of her flaws. The book communicated this much better than the movie (though I did like the movie, don't get me wrong). At the end of the day, Margo is just another 17/18 year old girl who makes mistakes and has as many flaws as the next person. The story is about seeing people as actual people, and not making them out to be these perfect little ideas. Quentin was only seeing what he wanted to see.

[–] AllyCat_L 10 years ago

This.

[–] PizzicatoFishCrouch 9 years ago

Ah, nice explanation. I haven't read the book so I didn't know if the movie was trying to convey what a blah Margo was, or if they were trying to show how beautiful and mysterious she was but I just wasn't getting it.

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[–] samhmd-7489 9 years ago

In the book when they find her she is in that barn, and she's not happy to see any of them. She actually insults Lacey and Ben. They all get PO'ed and leave to go to a motel except for Q and the rest of it is him arguing with her and him realizing he was wrong to see her as the perfect creature he thought. She points out he had created this imaginary scenario where he was the big hero out to save the troubled girl from herself.

It's a bittersweet ending but a necessary one.

[–] haggar 9 years ago

I still think Margo is a pretty extraordinary person, though.

[–] no_frills_rulz 9 years ago

I agree with you 100%. Nail on the head.
It was just so painful to see this poor innocent kid get so love sick and insane going to extreme lengths for someone who clearly did not give a *beep* about anyone but herself.
I understand that's the point of the movie; learning the hard way that the mystery girl is just a made-up fantasy in your head that you need to go through all the trials and tribulations of life to understand she wasn't right for you.
In the end, it was probably better he knew how much of *beep* she was so he could move on with his life and not wonder "what if?'.

[–] samhmd-7489 9 years ago

The book pointed out he wasn't exactly a poor innocent kid either, it was brought up that he was obsessive and somewhat egotistical. Sure, he thought he was being a hero but that was also just what he'd made up in his head.

[–] hopeseekr 9 years ago

Meh, that's a concise summary of my ENTIRE romantic life at age 34. Every. Single. Woman. has either rejected me outright or treated me like Margo treated Q. Needless to say, I hated the movie but gave it 2 stars for realism.

[–] imNOTmad 9 years ago

I personally haven't read the book yet but if the movie was trying to convey this theme it fell short. Had I not seen films with similar themes before (500 Days of Summer, for example) I would have not gotten that concept right away. Instead, I would just have filed this off as one of those movies that have a bittersweet ending for no reason.

Just to be clear, though, since I am familiar with movies of this theme - I did like it... Maybe not great, but good enough.

[–] DaliParton 9 years ago

Wow. I thought the movie was practically beating us over the head with its message. Especially with all the narration.

[–] stonka-58987 9 years ago

Now this is what I was looking for in the comment section. I watched the movie and thought well this turned out different than expected... Finally, someone shows us how Margo is just another human, there's nothing romantic about being lost and detached. I suppose every one of us got crazy in love with someone they didn't know- and if you were lucky enough, you got to know them later on just to discover that's not the person you had imagined earlier.

So basically, Margo is a bad character in disguise. What a relief! Apparently loads of other people though Quentin just did a bad job and let us see Margo for not that usual mysterious dream.

[–] rollerskater61 9 years ago

He had every chance w her in the beginning and told her flat out he wasn't interested. Now she's supposed to wait for him? Hello! She gave him the ride of his life on their "Date Night" or "rainmaker night" you think he regrets that night for one instant? It was the best night of his life. But he was nowhere CLOSE to her level, look at the experience she'd amassed! He was so pathetically clueless. So, to you dear OP, wrong number.

[–] Xkape 9 years ago

You mean if he was interested in being manipulated against his conscience to do the risky things she wanted to do as youngsters, then yeah, he had every chance to be with her. She didn't care about his thoughts though did she? Just manipulating and pushing. And the "best night of his life" involving snapping and threatening nude pics of a guy for revenge or breaking and entering and painting on the walls of houses she didn't own, while assaulting a buddy who was loyal, doesn't mean she should be placed high on a pedestal which that wuss kept doing. That may impress you, but not me. She was a selfish bi*ch who could have gotten him beat up and put in the hospital, if that picture didn't turn out perfectly. And life experience doesn't equal = good person which she definitely was not. That was the point of the OP of which you clearly missed.

[–] NikkiFromSiberia 9 years ago

well i like margo, with all her selfishness and whatever she was an interestin entertaining character.
so what? boo-hoo, some people are like that. i was on wild goose chase over a mysterious type of person like that once, loooooong ago, and even if distraught and angst-filled it was fun and meaningful
i guess some of you lack experience

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[–] vjbehm 9 years ago

not to sure about personality but her voice reminds me of someone like Lindsay Lohan or someone who has been partying till 8 o'clock in the morning blowing coke, smoking and drinking too many times till the wee hours... I could be wrong but that's what her voice sounds like

[–] unknown-metal-563-368926 9 years ago

i did not liked her...and i think Cara is not a good actress...i did not belive any of her acting and words...thats why i did not liked the movie also..

[–] Lethal_007 9 years ago

Was she even supposed to be liked? She was only supposed to pose as a mystery and a purpose for the main guy to find himself.

Girls like Margo are even worse than those superficial and material girls everyone knows about in high school/college. Margo is worse because you do not see her intentions coming, unlike those other bimbos, where if you happen to be blessed with half a brain you see them coming miles away!

[after killing an Irish] Burn him, see if his ashes turn green - Bill the Butcher

[–] lost_dream 9 years ago

she was one of the worst girl ever and the guy was so stupid she used him and he stay like an idiot .

[–] DaliParton 9 years ago

How did she use him? To have a one night adventure around town? Big deal.

He projected all his fantasies on her, that's on him for putting her on a pedestal.

[–] mazzellofan 9 years ago

You have to admit they both were in the wrong. He did put her on a pedestal. She knew that though and took advantage of him. Like she ends up saying she purposefully fed into that stereotype.

[–] Sabre-El 9 years ago

You've got it right. I really didn't like the first part of the movie. She didn't do anything 'loveable'. It was like a 6-yr old boy trying to get a revenge on anything. After years of ignorance, I don't think anyone would become a partner in these petty crimes.

The only thing I liked about the story was the end: that they never got together.

Clark: Jonathan Kent; isn't it a little past your bedtime?