The Paperboy is missing a few puzzle pieces from being a complete picture. A sleazy, smutty exploitation picture, The Paperboy shocks the audience with two great performances of actors playing opposite their type. Unfortunately, some subplots come out of nowhere, and the story lacks any real payoff or lesson because the lead is just generic. Plus, who wants to cheer for an adult paperboy?
Recounted by his former house worker Anita (Macy Gray), Jack (Zac Efron) has been in a rut lately. A former swimmer who got kicked out of school, Jack moves back to his home in South Florida to become the town paperboy (his dad is the editor). One day, his brother Ward (Matthew McConaughey) comes home with his partner Yardley Acheman (David Oyelowo) to help Hilary Van Wetter (John Cusack) get out of prison for the murder of a corrupt cop. Aiding the lawyers is Charlotte Bless (Nicole Kidman) who has been writing Van Wetter for months and convinced herself that she is in love with him.
The Paperboy is at its strongest when either John Cusack or Nicole Kidman are on-screen. Both are actually playing against type. Kidman portrays a drugged out lonely former sexpot who latches herself onto damaged people. She’s immoral, damaged, and pretty stupid. She is asked to do a lot of dirty sexy scenes, which she nails. Even better is John Cusack, who is playing the opposite of every character he’s ever played. Cusack is grimy, disgusting, and very volatile as Hilary Van Wetter, who is as bad as bad can be. Cusack uses his confused looks and turns them into an empty crazy stare, which is frightening to behold. The scenes involving both Kidman and Cusack crackle with energy and intensity, especially an unusual form of joint pleasure.
The Paperboy’s failings involve what appears to be editing issues. The movie is already long (almost 2 hours), but director Lee Daniels chooses a middle route for plot information. Either he should flesh out the characters a little more and tie in the setting (South Florida in the late 60s) more closely to the murder story, or he should abandon one of the two (in this case, the racism side) and focus on his interesting characters. This middle road leaves the stories disconnected and unfocused, as well as dulling the climax of the movie.
I’m not sure who the audience for The Paperboy is, but no matter who watches it, they will be at least a little disappointed. The movie feels more like a wasted opportunity and wasted performances than something worthwhile. At least we know for certain how effective a jellyfish sting is, and how to properly ease the pain.