Paper Man (2009)
Average Rating: 4.6/10
Reviews Counted: 28
Fresh: 8 | Rotten: 20
No consensus yet.
Average Rating: 4.2/10
Critic Reviews: 13
Fresh: 3 | Rotten: 10
No consensus yet.
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Average Rating: 3.2/5
User Ratings: 2,978
My Rating
Movie Info
Jeff Daniels, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, and Lisa Kudrow headline co-writer/directors Michele and Kieran Mulroney's affectionate comedy drama detailing the unlikely friendship between a failed writer (Daniels) and the Long Island high school girl (Stone) who teaches him what it really means to take responsibility in life. Meanwhile, the author's long-suffering wife casts a disapproving gaze, and an imaginary superhero weighs in with his own take on the unusual bond. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
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Cast
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Jeff Daniels
Richard Dunn -
Emma Stone
Abby -
Ryan Reynolds
Captain Excellent -
Lisa Kudrow
Claire -
Hunter Parrish
Bryce -
Kieran Culkin
Christopher -
Arabella Field
Lucy -
Chris Parnell
Peter
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All Critics (28) | Top Critics (13) | Fresh (8) | Rotten (20) | DVD (4)
Aided by subtly wounded performances by Daniels and Stone, and a surprisingly affecting comic turn from Reynolds, Paper Man makes up for many of its shortcomings with an abundance of heart.
Top CriticThe manipulations characters act out with each other are realistic, even if the overlong and not-nearly-twee-enough comedy built around them isn't, making for a movie whose script may have had more merit than its execution. Or not.
A big Twinkie stuffed with indie-film cliches and glazed with chiming emo guitars.
What we have in this film is a whole lot of nothing, and the little that's there is irritating.
We don't even get a real sense of what kind of writer Richard is, or even if he's any good. It does make a difference, after all, if the novel he can't write is worth writing. A bigger question: Was "Paper Man" worth making?
Ignore the story of Paper Heart ... Concentrate instead on the delightful performances.
A flimsy character study...as ephemeral and forgettable as a sheet of paper carried off by a gust of wind.
We're subjected to so much arbitrary quirkiness that the characters' big breakthroughs and breakdowns ring false, accidentally making for some of the film's biggest laughs.
It's tough to watch such a glum progression through the familiar, with bits of quirk dissected and bandied about.
Jeff Daniels' issues are self-indulgent. But to him, his writer's block and insubstantial life are epic, and the film sides with him more often than not.
Too introverted and gimmicky for its own good.
Are we supposed to look upon a guy who comes on to young girls and plies kids with alcohol as some sort of blithe free spirit?
Emma Stone gives a tour de force over fine performances by Daniels, Kudrow, and Reynolds.
Love, Long Island style!
Audience Reviews for Paper Man
Super Reviewer
This is fantastic indie movie and a strong directorial/writing debut for Kieran and Michele Mulroney. The casting is interesting and diverse adding in the likes of Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, and Kieran Culkin. Each actor turns in their roles well for what they're meant to be. And I must say the film explores many intriguing concepts of one's mind, suggesting also how two people can be so different in age and still relate to how the other is feeling. It is heartfelt and very sentimental. The friendship between Daniels and Stone is sweet and quite emotionally driven. The roles of Reynolds and Culkin add another level to the movie's superiority because they change the film from being "your everyday drama among friends and family" to a individualistic adventure for one's identity in the cruel place that is the world. Overall, there are some flaws in this movie, but its strengths make it a good watch for a film no doubt made on a small budget. It is definitely a drama but when comedy is introduced, it generally hits the mark.
A coming-of-middle-age comedy that chronicles the unlikely friendship between failed author Richard Dunne and a Long Island teen who teaches him a thing or two about growing up, all under the disapproving eye of his long-suffering wife and his imaginary Superhero friend.
Super Reviewer
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This is probably the best performance of Jeff Daniels's career as he is able to handle the broadly comic moments with Ryan Reynolds as his imaginary friend and the truly heavy moments with his estranged wife and the babysitter, played by Emma Stone, who doesn't have a baby to sit. He's funny when he needs to be, and his crying scenes come from a real, wounded place.
The film is mostly senseless. By the end, we don't have any idea why these characters have retreated to a land with imaginary companions or what they really gain out of these relationships. The conflicts, namely Richard's argument with his wife, resolve themselves seemingly through magic and a half-hearted, unspecific apology.
Overall, it's lame storytelling by the end, but there are some good moments in the first and second acts, and Daniels has never been better ... except for maybe The Squid and the Whale.