The Paperboy (2012 film)

The Paperboy is a 2012 American drama film starring Matthew McConaughey, Zac Efron, John Cusack, and Nicole Kidman. Directed by Lee Daniels, it is based on the 1995 novel The Paperboy by American author Pete Dexter. The film competed for the Palme d'Or at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.^[1]

Plot

An idealistic reporter, Ward Jansen, and his younger brother, Jack Jansen, investigate the events surrounding a murder in an effort to exonerate a man on death row, Hillary Van Wetter. Van Wetter has been jailed for the murder of an unscrupulous local sheriff, Thurmond Call. Call had previously stomped Van Wetter's handcuffed cousin to death. Van Wetter is now awaiting execution. The Jansens are helped by Ward's colleague, Englishman Yardley Acheman, and Charlotte Bless, a woman whom Van Wetter has never met but who has fallen in love with him and is determined that he should be released and that they should marry. In prison Van Wetter regularly receives correspondence from her.

Charlotte tries to prove Van Wetter's innocence by requesting the help of Ward and Yardley, who are both investigative reporters from the Miami Times and are hungry for a salacious story. Ward returns to his hometown to investigate the case but has mixed feelings about returning home to his estranged father, and his father's new girlfriend, Ellen, who distribute the Miami Times in their town. The Jansen brothers dislike their father's new girlfriend. Jack is the paperboy after having been expelled from college for vandalism. His only real friend is the family maid, Anita, who brought him and Ward up after their mother left them.

The evidence against Van Wetter is inconsistent and the writers are confident that if they can expose Van Wetter as a victim of redneck justice then their story will benefit them greatly. Meanwhile, Jack has fallen in love with Charlotte, who only desires Van Wetter. Anita realizes that Jack can never stop thinking of Charlotte as she is his first love. One day, with some information from Van Wetter, the Jansens travel to the swamp to meet Van Wetter's uncle Tyree, who has evidence that van Wetter did not commit the crime.

Ward is revealed to be a homosexual when he approaches some sadistic men, who rape and torture him. During Ward's time in the hospital, Yardley prints the news article despite not getting all the facts right. Jack tries to convince Yardley to stop, but instead discovers that Yardley is actually American, having pretended to be English because local black men could not be successful unless they lied about their backgrounds. Yardley had also given Ward sexual favors in return for a nicer position in the paper.

Van Wetter is eventually released from prison and takes Charlotte away to the swamp to live with him. She is unhappy and sends a letter to Jack telling how much she hates her new life. During their father's wedding, a recently recovered Ward and Jack go to save Charlotte. Before they arrive Van Wetter kills Charlotte after she tells him she wants to leave him. When Jack and Ward confront Van Wetter, Ward is killed and Jack flees into the swamp. He manages to evade Van Wetter during the night and is seen leaving in his boat with the bodies of Charlotte and Ward. Van Wetter is then arrested for these murders, convicted, and sent to the electric chair. As the credits roll, Anita reveals that Jack never forgot his first love.

Cast

• Matthew McConaughey as Ward Jansen
• Zac Efron as Jack Jansen
• John Cusack as Hillary Van Wetter
• David Oyelowo as Yardley Acheman
• Nicole Kidman as Charlotte Bless
• Macy Gray as Anita Chester
• Scott Glenn as W.W. Jansen
• Nealla Gordon as Ellen
• Ned Bellamy as Tyree Van Wetter

Release

The film premiered on the 65th Cannes Film Festival on May 28, 2012 to mixed reviews. Robbie Collin at The Daily Telegraph wrote that "Readers of the film's Wikipedia page may spot the claim that it received 'the longest sustained standing ovation of the festival at 16 minutes'. As someone who was present at that screening, and the cacophonous quarter-hour of jeering, squawking and mooing that followed, I think Wikipedia may want to clarify its definition of 'standing ovation'."^[2] The Guardian surmised, "those who prefer delicate watercolours had better stand well back. It makes a lurid splash."^[3] The Paperboy also screened at the 39th edition of the Flanders International Film Festival Ghent, 2012 Ischia Film Festival, 2012 New Orleans Film Festival, 50th New York Film Festival (to which Kidman received a tribute gala), 2012 Toronto International Film Festival, and the 2012 Stockholm International Film Festival.

Reception

Nicole Kidman, Lee Daniels, and Zac Efron promoting the film at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.

Reception to The Paperboy have been mixed with some critics comparing it to Lee Daniels' directorial debut, Shadowboxer. Robbie Collin of The Daily Telegraph disliked the film at its Cannes premiere, but positively reappraised it almost a year later on its UK release. "As a piece of art this is all lust, no caution; a heady mirage of sex, swamps and soul music that wants nothing more than for you to share in the joke. Thank goodness I finally got it," he wrote.^[4] Most praise has been for Nicole Kidman's portrayal of Charlotte Bless, and Collin wrote that she "has not been this good since Dogville (2003), and...secretes sensuality like a slug does slime".^[4] Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian said, "Nicole Kidman really is terrifically good as Charlotte: funny, sexy, poignantly vulnerable".^[5] Chris Haydon of Filmoria stated, "Would I recommend you to see The Paperboy? Yes, probably, simply because Kidman needs to be witnessed and noticed for this work. Will it win at Cannes? Absolutely not."^[6] And Mary Corliss wrote, "The revelation, however, is Kidman’s performance. Renouncing the goddess image she has so frequently assumed, her Charlotte is a ripe, feral creature, working all her sexual wiles just for exercise. With a risky mixture of precision and abandon, Kidman splendidly creates a vision of Southern womanhood at its most toxic...^[7] It won’t happen, but she deserves the Best Actress prize at this year's Cannes". Sophia Pande of Nepali Times wrote, "The Paperboy may not be to your taste. It is often over the top and very violent, but this is Lee Daniel’s style. It is this very style backed by intelligence, undeniable directorial skill, and an intimate knowledge of his deeply flawed but very human characters that make for such a compelling film."^[8]

Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a rating of 43%, based on 138 reviews. The site's consensus states: "Trashy and melodramatic, The Paperboy is enlivened by a strong cast and a steamy, sordid plot, but it's uneven and often veers into camp."^[9] The staff of the The A.V. Club named it the worst film of 2012.^[10] The New Yorker movie critic Michael Schulman called the movie "deliriously tawdry and nonsensical".^[11]

Soundtrack

Singer Mariah Carey wrote and recorded a song titled "Mesmerized" for the film's soundtrack.^[12]

Accolades

References

External links

• Official website
• The Paperboy at the Internet Movie Database
• The Paperboy at Box Office Mojo
• The Paperboy at Rotten Tomatoes
• The Paperboy at Metacritic