The Paperboy (2012)

Such a frustrating disappointment

Load of rubbish!!

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

The Paperboy is an odd movie. I watched it, noting that Lee Daniels of "Precious" was directing a great cast, and didn't really know what it could be about aside a murder. Well I was right, that's all it is about. Which would be cool if it had any kind of story.Plot- Its basically about this wannabe writer and his brother (Efron/Matthew Mccon.....) trying to determine a prison inmates (Cusack) innocence. Along with the brothers is the inmates girlfriend, and a legitimate journalist (Oyelowo). There are some things that draw you in, mainly out of curiosity rather than obligating you to listen and watch intently. Really, you'll end up thinking you missed something, but the story is just flat, nothing to dazzle you at all and this is coming from someone who gets entertained by watching water boil. (pardon my spelling of names) Acting/Characters- The acting is flawless in this film, Cusack has some odd moments that could have been more intense, but thats it. May be the best part of the film, yet thats not why I watch. It just happens to aid, or break a film.Writing- The dialogue is weird, yet not bad. The weak story really could have used some memorable conversations at the least. Sometimes characters contradict themselves, making it hard to understand who they are or what they might do. I didn't sympathize for them at all aside Efron, and even in the film he's just written as a horny teenager.Quality/Style- The Paperboy is edited in kind of a cool way, alot of psychedelic transitions n what not. Yet sometimes the editing is almost annoying, such as chopping a frame forward in time while maintaining the same continuous audio. Its another aspect of this film that I think tries way too hard to cover for the lame story. The score isn't bad, kind of cool. Overall, I only wrote this because it was a perfect example of a "gray area" movie in a sense that it's not good, or really all that bad. Its got just enough to be a decent film, and I can't say I would recommend it. I know that after the silly, short ending, I vowed to never watch it again. Once again, the absence of an eventful story really, really killed it.

This is a terrible movie. It is amazing that the big-name stars in this movie signed on for this piece of garbage. Technically, Nicole Kidman did a good job of playing her character, but it is all for nothing. Garbage script in, garbage movie out. Don't waste your time on this one. I regret having to give one star when it deserves zero.

Upon watching this sordid dark comedy, it is quite difficult to comprehend where director Lee Daniels' ambition for the film flew off. From his highly acclaimed efforts in the 2009 picture 'Precious', you would expect Daniels to uproot something with powerful cinematic efforts, especially for an A-list cast starring Matthew McConaughey, Zac Efron, Nicole Kidman, David Oyelowo, and John Cusask. Compared to the aforementioned film, this one feels like a harsh chore to sit through, particularly for those who grow uncomfortable with sweaty Florida natives with a thirst of sex and intimacy or gross-out imagery. There is one scene of a character getting urinated on, another scene of a man eviscerating an alligator, the list goes on. This is film is set in the late 1960s in Moat county, Florida. Zac Efron plays Jack Wansen, an aimless young man in his early twenties who is taken care by his old house wife Anita Chester (played by Madi Gray) after he's expelled from college for a reckless stunt. His mother is dead, and his stepfather is residing away in Arizona, and worse he's got nothing go on in his life other than delivering the morning newspaper. This is until his older brother Ward (played by Matthew McConaughey) returns to town to investigate a murder of a local sheriff by a crocodile hunter Hillary Van Wetter (played by John Cusack), hiring Jack and his friend Yardley (played by David Oyelowo) in the process. They soon make an unwise choice of trusting local sex junkie Charlett Bless (played by Nicole Kidman) who happens to be dating the convict. As they dive deeper into the case, violence and sexual tensions unexpectedly arise between the four.The plot of the film already sordid enough, but with powerful directorial efforts by Lee Daniels the concept could have worked. Unfortunately, it becomes soiled with a messy direction and a vastly uninspiring script by Peter Dexter, all of which results in a 107 minutes of tedium. The plot fails to be interesting or thoughtful in anyway, and this much is due to the soulless (sometimes bizarre) execution it endures. Not only does it suffer from a lack of emotional investment, it is very uneven to the point of reassembling a collection of short films put together than one with a coherent plot. While the premise does an okay job at setting up the story, the plot development stops not long before then. There are definitely some moments destined to shock or disgust such as a "sexually-charged interrogation scene with John Cusack in the jailhouse or the aforementioned urination scene on the beach, but nothing to amuse or leave an emotional impact. The performances may be the only aspect that keep the film from hitting ground zero. Matthew McConaughey is somewhat compelling in his role as the main character's older brother. Nicole Kidman delivers a off-putting vibe as the horny sex addict who adds some slight comic relief to the inane plot. Maci Gray does a fine job as the narrator as well as a supporting character who shares only a handful of screen time. The rest of the cast including Zac Efron, David Oyelowo, and John Cusack aren't bad but there characters are so one-dimensional they are given little to work with. By the end, it is hard to identify any memorable characters. The Paperboy is a botched cinematic piece with no substance and very redeeming value to offer. From the disappointing execution, to the mundane screenplay, to the overall soiled direction, the film leads vet little to be desired. The result is an forgettable picture that fails on nearly every level.

The Paperboy is a crime history drama film set in the early '60s. Starring Zac Efron as Jack, a young South Florida man whose father is the editor of the local paper. Jack lazes away most days, forever sparring in a loving, maternal way with the family's maid Anita, played well by pop star Macy Gray. His big brother Ward (Matthew McConaughey), an investigative journalist, returns to their small town with his African-American friend (David Oyelowo) to look into the case of Hillary Van Wetter (John Cusack), who was convicted of killing a vicious local sheriff.Director Lee Daniels shoots the film in a style that is quite gritty, and more so independently, but in truth could best be described as grubby or even scuzzy. That's intentional since he wants to make you feel the heat and the smeared emotions of the characters. The film is more centered not for everyone, and not for mainly the mainstream. The film does have quite a flawed storyline pace and is quite boring after a while. Overall, The Paperboy is quite over the top with over the top performances and the ending is not quite fitting.