The Paperboy (2012)

Number Rolled: 39

Movie Name/Year: The Paperboy (2012)

Tagline: None

Genre: Crime, Drama, Horror

Length: 106 minutes

Rating: R

Production Companies: Millennium Films, Lee Daniels Entertainment

Producer: Ed Cathell III, Lee Daniels, Boaz Davidson, Jan de Bont, Danny Dimbort, Cassian Elwes, Mark Gill, Asger Hussain, Avi Lerner, Miguel Menéndez de Zubillaga, Lonnie Ramati, Simone Sheffield, Hilary Shor, Trevor Short, John Thompson

Director: Lee Daniels

Writer: Peter Dexter, Lee Daniels

Actors: Zac Efron, Matthew McConaughey, Nicole Kidman, John Cusack, David Oyelowo, Scott Glenn, Ned Bellamy, Nealla Gordon, Macy Gray

Stunt Doubles: Stanton Barrett, Tim Bryan, Shauna Galligan, Kortney Manns, Tracy E. Thomas

Blurb from Netflix: Convinced by a mysterious woman that a death row inmate is innocent, two brothers investigate and discover a case marred by betrayal and deceit.

Selina’s Point of View:

I’m so glad the last film I watched was good, because I needed a break from disappointment. Unfortunately, I went right back to it.

This film was based on a book by Peter Dexter (Michael, Wild Bill, Mulholland Falls). Dexter has admitted to disliking the film. Now, I don’t know why he didn’t like the film, but I agree with his general assessment.

The story itself was interesting. The murder, the search to find out if the man was innocent or not, and that fucking ending, man. That ending caught me so off-guard I woke up my daughter.

However, it felt like Lee Daniels (Empire, The Butler, Precious) had no faith in the story what-so-ever.

There were a ton of gratuitous scenes forced into the film, every ten minutes throughout the entirety. Each of those scenes felt like they served to try and force the movie to feel more gritty and dark. In reality, the plot didn’t need help. Each scene detracted from what was going on, to the point that it became a chore to watch. In fact, it started feeling more like a weird back-woods soft-core porn than anything else.

The Paperboy had so much potential that I’m actively saddened by the fact that I feel as if never watching it again would be too soon.

Cat’s Point of View:

This was an interesting period piece. It took me in an entirely different direction than I thought; which was a pleasant surprise (even if the plot was a bit squirmy and dark).

Parents, be warned. This is one of those ‘don’t judge a book by the cover’ moments, because the title seems rather innocuous, but this movie is gritty with a side of raunch. To be fair, as far as those things go, this film falls on the milder and more tasteful application for the sake of story; rather than the gratuitous skin romps of your average late-night premium cable. This is not the movie to compare Zac Efron’s (Parkland, We Are Your Friends, Dirty Grandpa) Disney repertoire to. Just saying.

Speaking of Efron, I am increasingly impressed with his range. I see a different side to him in every movie I see him in. I will admit that I’ve missed a few, but still. I think he was an excellent casting to pair with Matthew McConaughey (Failure to Launch, Bernie, Mud) as brothers. They had a real connection going that was as palpable as the Florida heat that radiated from the screen. McConaughey, once more, proves his dedication to his craft with the crazy challenges he takes on with his roles. I have to tell you he was responsible for my jaw hitting the floor more than once.

I’d have to say that another pleasant surprise here was Macy Gray (Idlewild, Brotherly Love, Papa). Her portrayal of the motherly housekeeper tugged at my heart. I really liked how she was utilized within the frame of the story.

I could keep going about the cast, because the well-known names don’t stop there; but, instead, I want to shift gears a little. When I mentioned the heat before, it was no joke. I felt like I needed a tall glass of lemonade. The essences of the time period and setting were captured masterfully. True to the time period, there was some vocabulary that had me wincing; but there was also a window into the shifting of the times.

Lee Daniels (Shadowboxer, Precious, Star), once more, showcased his finesse with this movie. I was riveted – even when it made me uncomfortable.

Languages

Speech Available: English

Subtitles Available: English

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 43%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 33%

Metascore - 45/100

Metacritic User Score – 5.8/10

IMDB Score – 5.8/10

Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 2/5

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 3.5/5

Movie Trailer: