Worth: $14.00
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Cast:
Riley Lai Nelet, Camryn Jones, Sofia Rosinsky, Fina Strazza
Intro:
...it’s the smaller, more emotional storylines that pack the biggest punch.
In the pre-dawn hours of November 1st, 1988 — the day after Halloween, or “Hell Day” — paper girls Mac, Tiffany and KJ, cross paths with new girl Erin, who’s just trying to make it through her first day without attracting the attention of the town bullies.
Hoping for safety in numbers, the girls join forces to finish their deliveries, only to find themselves faced with a threat far more dangerous than aggressive teenagers in dollar store Freddy Krueger masks.
Based on the graphic novel series of the same name by artist Cliff Chiang (Wonder Woman) and writer Brian K Vaughan (Saga, Y: The Last Man), Paper Girls is a collision of ‘80s nostalgia, coming-of-age drama, and mind-bending time travel hi-jinks.
With a core cast of relative newcomers, there are echoes of early Spielberg and Stephen King in the iconic imagery of teens on bikes roaming the small town streets. Only this time, alongside dealing with first friendships, first loves, and first attempts at rebellion, the paper girls of Stony Stream are also dealing with their first run-in with time-hopping renegades, and their first time coming face to face with their own future selves — and finding them wanting.
Despite the elaborate premise of being granted a peek into your own future, (a future which somehow inexplicably involves piloting giant mechanical humanoid robots), it’s the smaller, more emotional storylines that pack the biggest punch. Character-driven moments, where the girls bond over how to use a tampon, or share fantasies about who they want to be when they grow up, might slow the momentum of the war-across-time plot, but they’re all the more impactful for their quiet honesty.
What will likely be hailed as the female led answer to Stranger Things, developed for television by Stephany Folsom (Toy Story 4, Star Wars Resistance), Paper Girls is a heartfelt portrayal of what it’s like to be 12 years old, where a single summer can feel like an eternity. Unfortunately for Mac, Tiff, KJ, and Erin, there’s really nothing metaphorical about it.
