Paper Man (2009)

This is a movie with a stellar cast, who have some of their best performances of their careers (espacially Jeff Daniels and Emma Stone). Though is it pretty funny at times, it's definitely no comedy. It's mainly a drama, with a stong indie feel to it, where the plot isn't that important. It really touched me and I had to let the movie sink in for a while. The soundtrack is absolutely wonderful and complements the film very well. I absolutely fail to see why this move has such a low rating, I guess it's because people expectet a comedy or a romcom, which it really isn't. I just think it best to watch this movie without expectations and emerse yourself in it.

'Paper Man' is a bizarre and tediously dull movie that never even seems sure of what it's trying to achieve. Most of the film is nothing more than a generic friendship story. A middle-aged man going through something of a midlife crisis befriends a younger girl, who helps him get back on track. But the man also has an imaginary friend, 'Captain Excellent', who I guess was supposed to bring the humour to the film... with little success.One of the main problems with 'Paper Man' is that it's so slow that it almost feels like its going backwards. It really is boring, even for someone with the patience of a saint. You would have thought a character like 'Captain Excellent' would have made the movie more interesting, but no. He adds very little to a film that already doesn't have much going for it. Jeff Daniels and Emma Stone are probably the only positives to speak of. Both deliver good performances and share the odd decent scene. Ryan Reynolds on the other hand, the less said the better.

This film barely elevates itself out of the dust bin that it crawled out of. Whether Jeff Daniels' horrible, awkward and unfunny groping of Emma Stone or his pushing 10th graders into alcoholic stupors, the disgusting aspects of this film are tough to rise above. The horrible dialog - stilted and sparse - is anything but funny and the comedic moments are completely squandered. What I find most flabbergasting is the complete lack of anything resembling plot closure or character's personal progress at the end of the movie. It just trails off into some kind of oblivion which is exactly where this movie belongs: oblivion. Having said all that, I will justify my 3 star rating by saying that the two leads prove they are worthy of being considered among the best of the best in Hollywood. Honorable mention goes to Lisa Kudrow who provides a yeoman's performance as an unlikable but decent wife.

The concept of this movie on the surface may seem a bit odd or maybe even a bit dorky in the beginning; however, the emotion of the characters; especially Abby played by Emma Stone, really help bring the story to life. As the story wraps up the characters' different stories, each story is portrayed in a clever way. I would have to say the movie tries a little too hard at times to be shocking which makes it a little harder to take serious for a movie of this style and caliber. Overall I felt the movie was a good very watch able movie and I give it a 8 for the courage of the acting and portrayal which raised this movie above average.