The Paper (1994)

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

I'm entirely mystified by the low ratings for what is perhaps Ron Howard's best film. Apollo 13 is more spectacular, true enough. But The Paper is a greater rarity, a 'small' story, spectacularly well done.I've seen this film numerous times - but to do so, I had to buy it on DVD from the UK, because no proper North American edition existed. Even as I write this (September 2016), there's STILL only a cropped full-screen DVD at Amazon.com, and no Blu-ray. Incredible, considering that Ron Howard is (I think rather undeservedly) considered one of Hollywood's top directors.The Paper starts with a brilliant script, by veteran writers David and Stephen Koepp. They absolutely nail all the plot points along several beautifully intertwining story arcs: Michael Keaton trying to land a big story, his wife having a baby, his editor trying to reconcile with an alienated daughter, and a cocky columnist feuding with the city's parking commissioner. Amazingly, these threads all tie up.Ron Howard, not usually the most flamboyant director, does a terrific job of pacing the film. He also uses a subtle but superb approach to filming the newsroom scenes, keeping the camera floating around the cubicles, creating a sense of the perpetual state of urgency imposed by a daily deadline.All the performances are terrific. Michael Keaton is funny, angry, emotionally conflicted. Marisa Tomei is charming and spunky as usual. Duvall is perfect as the grizzled editor. Glenn Close is suitably vile as the villain. And Randy Quaid delivers yet another unheralded mini-masterpiece, as an outspoken columnist... with a gun.If this film had been made in the 1940s, it would have starred Clark Gable and Jean Arthur and would have been directed by Howard Hawks. And today it would be regarded as a classic. For some reason, instead, The Paper has been nearly forgotten by everyone.The Paper is flatly one of the best films about the newspaper business, and quite simply an almost perfect film in every sense. It doesn't tackle big philosophical issues (much) - but what it does, it does as well as any film has ever done. It's funny, exciting, emotionally intense and utterly satisfying. I enjoy and appreciate its unexpected depths more with each viewing.See this film any way you can - short of purchasing the abominable pan-and-scan DVD.

Henry Hackett is the editor of a New York City tabloid. He is a workaholic who loves his job, but the long hours and low pay are leading to discontent. Also, publisher Bernie White faces financial straits, and has hatchetman Alicia Clark, Henry's nemesis, impose unpopular cutbacks. Henry's wife Martha, a hugely pregnant former reporter of his, is fed up because he has so little time for his family. He is therefore considering an offer from Paul Bladden to edit a paper like the New York Times, which would mean more money, shorter hours, more respectability...but might also be a bit boring for his tastes. But a hot story soon confronts Henry with tough decisions. The Paper is half dramatic and half funny and it lands perfectly thanks to a great performance by Michael Keaton and a good supporting cast although i do think that Spotlight was way way better more serious and more disturbing but i like this kind of movies anyways. The problem here is that the film doesn't have many memorable scenes, the cast is talented sure but in the end is sweet to look at but honestly i expected more as a movie and this whole thing with the murder takes the movie kinda off but in the end it's still a pretty good Ron Howard - Michael Keaton movie would i buy it on DVD tho? Honestly no but still it deserves better than a 6.6 that's for sure!!

I was disappointed in Ron Howard's 2006 "The Da Vinci Code", but "The Paper" is everything the overblown "Da Vinci Code" is not, namely exciting and suspenseful with well-rounded but solidly interesting and highly believable characters, plus lots of quite breathtakingly imaginative use of real locations. Despite Howard's equally adroit use of actual city streets and buildings in "Da Vinci", the over-all effect was boring rather thrilling, ho-hum rather than "Wow! Let's see that scene again!" Of course, "The Paper" is more down to earth. Its plot and characters are far more convincingly realistic – and the players really do them justice. Even minor roles – such as Spalding Gray's "Paul Bladden" and Jason Robards's "Graham Keighley" – are so cleverly integrated into the plot that they hold the viewer spellbound and keep him or her – especially him – asking for more. As the hero, Michael Keaton, does a really first-class job and keeps the viewer rooting for the character even when he over-steps the mark by his verbal badgering of the other characters and even his out-and-out stealing. Fortunately, the screen writing Koepps provide him with an important principal – "As far as I'm aware, the paper has never ever gone to press with a front-page story which we knew was wrong!" – and the Keaton character's adherence to this principle tips the scales in his favor when Alicia Clark (superbly enacted by Glenn Close) decides against halting the print run and Keaton's Henry Hackett sets out to attack her both physically and verbally. Yes, it may be a bit over the top – I haven't even mentioned another ten or twenty gripping incidents – but "The Paper" is so fast-paced, so enthrallingly plotted, so charismatically directed and so brilliantly enacted by the entire cast – there's no time to stop and think that maybe all these wild incidents strain credulity just a little, here and there! Available on a really excellent Universal DVD.

This movie came out right ahead of the surge of DVDs and the phasing out of VHS. It also was a couple of years before I retired, and we weren't watching many movies then. So we missed this one. Finally, today we saw it, very enjoyable with some of our favorite actors.Michael Keaton is Henry Hackett, news editor for a fictitious 2nd-tier newspaper in New York. He is somewhat of a workaholic, to the dismay of his pregnant wife who seldom sees him arrive on time for anything. Now she fears she will be virtually alone to raise their child. Marisa Tomei is his wife, Martha Hackett, in this role right near the same time she won an Oscar for her role in "My Cousin Vinney." She was in her 20s, while Keaton was already in his early 40s. But they make a good match in this newspaper movie.There are several themes, one being Henry's opportunity to leave for a better-paying job with a larger New York paper. Also his feud with the managing editor, the "bean counter" worried about cost, Glenn Close as Alicia Clark. But the core newspaper story involves two men being gunned down in their car, and two young black students being seen near the car. They didn't do it, but were arrested and Henry wants to get to the bottom of the real story, while Alicia wants to get the paper out on deadline. After all the union drivers are waiting, and it costs $12,000 for every half hour they delay!Always reliable Robert Duvall is Bernie White the publisher, fighting his own battles, prostate cancer and an estranged daughter.All in all a good movie.