The Paperboy

Outstanding film about the human condition
I came to this film not knowing what to expect. I hadn't seen "Precious" so I was unfamiliar with Lee Daniel's work. Plus, I had read some of the negative reviews about the film, so I came to the film with some trepdidation. But from the opening sequence in which Macy Gray barges in on Zac Efron to clean up his room, and the hilarious dialogue between these two actors, I was hooked. Nothing about what I had heard about the film had anything to do with the actual film. It was at times sad, funny, bizaare, chilling, grotesque, romantic, menacing, and at times all of the above. It was like nothing I have ever seen, except perhaps for the films of Tod Soldendz.

This film, like so many great films, doesn't have a genre, so if the fact that it doesn't fit into some preconceived notion of a specific type of film upsets you, you are not going to understand this film. It is mostly a character study of all the motives, predjudices, obsessions, and secrets that each character in the...

A Haunting Film ...
This motion picture is difficult to watch in places; but it is without doubt one of the best films I've seen this year. Nicole Kidman's performance deserves an Oscar. Ms Kidman is truly an actress who cannot be forced into cookie cutter roles. She has proven throughout her career that she can assume the character convincingly no matter how different that individual is from herself ... a rare and amazing gift.

Matthew McConaughey, Zac Efron, David Oyelowo, John Cusack & Macy Gray also give outstanding performances. I especially loved the character played by Macy Gray ... a truly loving and generous character in the midst of a world that did not value her as she deserved.

The Paperboy touches many dark places known to human beings. The film is set in a small Florida town in 1969 ... a place you might expect to find the racism and violence depicted in the film; but by the end of the film, you may view these expected vices tame compared to the other human conditions...

The Most Underrated Film of 2012
With The Paperboy, we have the arrival of a major new cinematic talent - Lee Daniels. Though his first two films (the bizarre Shadowboxer and the extremely well-acted Precious) had their merits, only with The Paperboy do we finally see the maturation of his craft, the arrival of a distinct new voice. It is a hypnotically bold, daringly original, and utterly fearless film that seemingly effortlessly dances between drama and comedy, tenderness and tension, completely unafraid to go to shocking, dangerous places. It feels totally unpredictable, and nothing about it feels safe, which is something far too many movies are these days. The Paperboy hearkens back to the audacious spirit of American cinema in the 1970s, when filmmakers weren't afraid to make outrageous works like Deliverance and Prime Cut. In this film's world, nothing is sacred, and because Daniels is so assured with this approach, so completely in control of every moment, watching it is an enthralling, absorbing, exhilarating...

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