Review of The Paperboy (2012) by Foxgrove — 25 Mar 2013

Watching the Paperboy is a bit like being an observer watching a car wreck. One is inappropriately fascinated by the whole thing. Lee Daniels direction is very uneven (although not without its moments of style), and he seems to subscribe to the notion that nothing succeeds like excess.

It doesn't! The film is handicapped from the start by voiceover narration that alienates the viewer quickly rather than getting them involved. The grainy and amateurish photography is also at first a distraction, even though as the film progresses it does seem to fit perfectly with the increasingly steamy and violent setting.

Where Daniels has succeeded most is with the performances of his cast. John Cusack is suitably nasty as the killer on death row; Zac Efron perfect as the pretty boy maturing by events surrounding him, and the currently ever improving Matthew McConaughey is just great as the newspaper reporter with a secret.

Shining above all these, however, is Nicole Kidman in the role of the trashy Charlotte. She steals the film. Even by her own high standards this versatile and accomplished actress is truly amazing. If the Paperboy was judged soley on the performance Daniels has drawn from Miss Kidman it would certainly be no mean achievement.