Paper Man (2009) User Reviews

Surprisingly Good Movie

[osterhoutj_2 · 7/10 · 29 October 2012]

I remember seeing a preview for this movie once a while back and thought it looked interesting, but then I never heard about it again. While roaming through Netflix one night I came across it in my queue and decided to check it out and very glad that I did.

Paper Man is a very charming dramedy with excellent performances by Jeff Daniels and Emma Stone who form a unique friendship that fills the opposite voids each character has in their lives. The type of friendship they form could have easily been ruined by coming off too romantic, but both Daniels and Stone teeter the line of awkward and endearing perfectly to keep the dramatic aspects in a comedic tone.

Then there's Captain Excellent, the imaginary friend to Richard Dunn (Jeff Daniels) played by Ryan Reynolds. Captain Excellent is the sarcastic "voice of reason" to Dunn that leads to many comical exchanges between the two. The sarcastic tone of the character plays well into Ryan Reynolds' wheelhouse and, because of that, I really enjoyed Reynolds in this roll. I thought both he and Daniels were great playing off each other.

All in all, this is a very solid flick that I would definitely recommend you check out.

Quite amazing.

[paul_haakonsen · 7/10 · 13 August 2010]

Alright, well I sat down to watch this movie without having a single clue as to what it was all about. I hadn't read anything about it, heard anything about it, or even googled it. I just sat down and watched it. I had expected it to be in the comedy corner, but it sort of isn't a comedy at all. Nor would I say it is a classic drama, but more of a movie about growing as people and coming to terms with whom and what you are.

The story in "Paper Man" is very warm, heartfelt and straight forward. It moves forward in a good pace, and you are never left bored throughout the course of the movie. Now, the movie is obviously kept afloat by the superb acting performances of Jeff Daniels and Emma Stone. I think this is one of the best roles I have ever had the pleasure of seeing Jeff Daniels in. Not saying that his previous work is bad, just that this is outstanding. And Emma Stone worked so well opposite Daniels in her role, despite being that much younger than Daniels.

The role of Ryan Reynolds, well it was essential to the movie, although I think it would have worked better with an unknown actor for that role. But still, Reynolds is not a bad actor, but he didn't really shine through in this role, at least not for me. Lisa Kudrow performed adequately as well, although it did seem like her character didn't come off as strong on the screen as it was intended.

You might think a movie like this would be for a female audience, but I found it to be very nice, as a guy. The story is captivating and the performances are good. The story is not at any point too sassy, and at the end of the movie, you come to appreciate the movie for what it is. A unique piece of cinema about how people grow.

This is definitely not a movie you should let pass you by. Do yourself the favor and sit down to watch it (with or without your significant other). This is a very, very nice movie.

Sentimentally Compelling

[Ziglet_mir · 7/10 · 24 September 2010]

I saw "Paper Man" recently in the favor of seeing Jeff Daniels act in a newer movie. And it is a job well done.

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 (who may I add surprised me very much). 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.

**A twist toward the end made me give this movie another bonus. It was unpredictable (at least for me) and allowed everything to tie together.

It's definitely above average and a movie I plan on watching many more times in the future. Plus, Jeff Daniels always hands in a great act.

Great little film

[msekdahl · 6 July 2012]

This was a very touching romantic film with an atypical story line--no wonder it made so little at the box office. :( It wasn't obscene or predictable or full of CGI, just actors who did an incredible job including my favorite Jeff Daniels (also an amazing stage actor) and Emma Stone and Ryan Reynolds. Well worth watching. I could so relate to some of the scenes of Jeff Daniels. Been there done that. We can really screw up but still in the end feel selfless love, which I believe is the main theme. Although the actors obviously really cared about their work in the film, there were a few times where reactions didn't seem quite fitting to the situation, and there was some lack of character development in minor characters. Some characters seem to be just a bit too unrealistically pathetic and thus unsympathetic (not believable characters). Emma Stone is thoroughly enchanting and sensual and believable. Its romantic minus a lot of the pain as it is imbued with a greater sense or philosophy of life, and not offensive or raunchy like so many modern romantic comedies. Dreamy. Well paced.

What were the marketing department doing?

[jhw_ben · 7/10 · 13 March 2017]

Rule 1, never watch a trailer, I watched it AFTER watching the film and am seriously questioning the mental state of the head of marketing of this film. It is not a comedy, it is a character piece, a drama I guess, but NOT A COMEDY.

It's good, I liked it, for me a 7/10 is a solid film, not bad, but not a a masterpiece. The strength comes from the amazingly good acting and writing. It makes you feel stuff, including awkward, which is good, because that is what movies are supposed to do. Don't be swayed, everything in this film is deliberate, if you felt it, the director wanted you to feel it, that is what good films do.

As I said, acting and writing is superb, and it really comes together in the last act. Starts slow, but it's not boring, just hang on.

I think Captain Excellent works, I don't really know why other people think it didn't, but I never mind breaking the immersion of reality in films.

Good film, go watch if you like characters and stuff.

A real heart warmer

[rockitpoh · 7/10 · 23 January 2011]

This is not the kind of movie I would generally watch or review, but! I must say I really enjoyed it. The message is simple but powerful. The characters are easy to relate to and the moral is quite subtle but important.

Paper Man tells the tale of an unlikely friendship between a middle age author (Jeff Daniels) and a teen aged girl (Emma Stone). Although this friendship is misunderstood by the people surrounding their lives, it asks questions about the meaning and importance of friendship. The use of the imaginary friends helps the viewer to understand the conflict going on in both these peoples lives. And in doing so adds a comical and interesting dynamic to the story.

Performances are strong with both Daniels and Stone. I've always thought that Jeff Daniels was an underrated actor and am hoping that one day he will get his break. I don't think this movie is it, but he is getting closer. Ryan Reynolds is great as Captain Excellent and Kieran Culkin is also very good in the part.

I would highly recommend this film, especially if you have a good friend to watch it with. And if your prone to a bit of a cry during movies, then grab a box of tissues before viewing. Its a very sweet movie. "sniff, sniff."

A slight misfire, but worthwhile

[neil-476 · 7/10 · 29 November 2015]

Richard (Jeff Daniels) is a published but unsuccessful writer, married to successful doctor Claire (Lisa Kudrow). The marriage is in low-key trouble because Richard is floundering, both in his writing and in life in general, as is made clear by the fact that he is accompanied by his childhood imaginary friend, super-hero Captain Excellent (Ryan Reynolds). As an unspoken measure of last resort, Richard goes to a holiday cabin to try to find his muse: instead, he finds Abby (Emma Stone), a youngster with issues of her own. A relationship grows between Richard and Abby, but it may well cause more problems that it solves.

Despite its relatively high profile cast, and despite the fact that I am an enthusiastic cinema-goer and film follower, I had never heard of this film under either its original title of Paper Man or the title under which I found it in the Pound Shop, Unlikely Hero. Add the fact that it appears to have been re-marketed as a quasi-super-hero movie, and I was unprepared for what followed.

The story is gentle and leisurely, but quite dark at times. It is not even slightly a comedy despite the DVD case giving that impression. Daniels gives Richard an air of affability, a mechanism he uses to compensate for his inability to deal with life: this makes it a little too easy to overlook how good his performance is.

But this is Emma Stone's film: she is wonderful.

A flawed indie flick that still succeeds in more ways than it fails.

[lewiskendell · 7/10 · 21 January 2011]

"I mean, I could be a coal miner dying of black lung or something. You could be a Cincinnati crack whore on food stamps." 

Paper Man is an oddball indie drama with a great cast, an odd sense of humor, and the occasional turn into deeper territory.

Richard (Jeff Daniels) is a frustrated writer who moves into a cabin outside a small town, in order to inspire himself to write and do some research for his book. Oh, and he has an imaginary superhero friend named Captain Excellent (Ryan Reynolds) who appears to help him whenever he's overwhelmed by a situation, or doesn't know what to do. Richard develops a friendship with a local babysitter named Abby (Emma Stone in full adorability mode) and hires her, even though he and his wife (Lisa Kudrow) have no children. The two of them draw various issues out of each other and help each other with their loneliness as they grow closer in friendship. And there's soup, too. 

Paper Man is a tricky movie to recommend. Not because it's bad (I enjoyed it), but because it's the kind of movie that some people will almost automatically like, and some people won't. And there's no real way to tell, except by watching it. I found some of the more fantastical aspects of the movie to be a little extraneous, as the story would have been equally (and perhaps even more) effective without them. Forced quirkiness holds Paper Man back a bit, but it's ultimately a worthwhile little film.

Heartwarmingly sublime

[vyperxxx · 10/10 · 14 August 2010]

Just finished watching Paper Man and I wanted to express what a great film I think this is. From beginning to end the movie is touching and full of sublime humor. Sometimes happy, and sometimes sad, the emotional weight leaves you feeling for all of the characters. Jeff and Emma turn in fantastic performances and Ryan's presence brought a smile to all of his scenes. Anyone who has ever felt a bit lost in life will instantly connect with this film, it is inspiring and reminds us that great movies can still be about the little things and characters in all of us. For a debut film, the directors are off to a great start, we need movies like this to remind us that film can still be an art, and does not always have to be about CGI blowouts.

not at all what I expected - but worth the watch

[HelenMary · 6/10 · 7 June 2014]

I had no idea this film - Unlikely Hero - even existed until I saw it on the shelf in my supermarket, it looked funny, it said it was hilarious so it was Netflix'd. Well, firstly, it wasn't hilarious. I'd not even say it was a comedy but it was very good. I think Paperman is a better title, to be honest.

The incredible Jeff Daniels stars in this dark, melancholic, psychological film as the author who has hit writer's block and is battling depression and other issues, including the fact that he still has his imaginary friend, in the form of superhero Ryan Reynolds. Emma Stone is the brilliant, unlikely friendship he meets on his sabbatical to write in an out of the way town, and the complexity of both their lives, their joys, pains and despair is what the film is about. The film leaves a lot to the imagination, doesn't explain a lot and leaves an awful lot of questions unanswered. It's not a particularly satisfying film, in that it seems to end in a way that you wouldn't write yourself, there's no denouement or happy ending, just ... well watch it and see.

Whilst not satisfying in terms of plot, there is a lot of commend this film for. Namely the performances of the actors, it is funny in a dark and dry sort of way, and it does deal with some rather tough subjects. It is enjoyable, if for the adventure of discovery that it takes you on. Having not known anything about it I found it a rather pleasant film-watching experience. I'm not sure who I would recommend this to, but I wouldn't not recommend it as it was a good piece of independent (Sundance) film.

Not a comedy

[alexjshaw-30524 · 3/10 · 20 February 2022]

This is in no way a comedy.

It isn't a terrible film, but it's like ordering a pizza and being given a cucumber sandwich. A cucumber sandwich is inoffensive, maybe a niche taste and you definitely have to be in the mood for it, but if you've ordered a pizza and a cucumber sandwich arrives, it really isn't going to do what you want and you're not going to enjoy it.

I did not enjoy this film.

When the world is in peril, When Evil surrounds you ...

[RainbowCastel · 10/10 · 28 August 2010]

No matter your sex or what is your age difference, when you find a friend, if it is sincere, you have found one.

A one you can cherish, take care of, and don't listen to others prohibiting you of, because of rules and rules.

Hat's off to Writers, Directors, Jeff Daniels and Emma Stone. Emma, please give your DNA to a sort of preservation bank, perhaps we or our kids get a chance of having your clone as a friend or more if it worked out ;)

A small movie like this, playing with your imagination, emotions and feelings, up to this level? This must be either a proof to talents or something just ran off the normal Hollywood's crap line of production accidentally! /s

Want to witness real talent, feeling yourself in their place? Then this is your chance to appreciate a rare feel good movie, so real, you think you are Richard Dunn. (obviously I'm a male!)

I'm still looking back at the cupboard waiting the fantastic Ryan Reynolds as Captain Excellent to jump out of it!

I wish one day I could find a friend like Abby, giving some sense to my life.

Thank you for such a movie. These are the ones we support with our pockets not those 200 Gazillion Dollar ones targeted only for money and as empty as the popcorn box or the cola bottle at the end.

Open a bottle of wine, and taste this movie with, preferably a Friend.

Cheers!

An intriguing character study with an excellent cast.

[DeusExKatrina · 7/10 · 19 January 2015]

Some reviews seem to have pegged this as a mere indie romp, the quirky, gushy type that hasn't felt novel since the mid-00s. That tag doesn't quite do Paper Man justice. Sure, the surface style is a bit derivative. We've seen older men forging an inappropriate relationship with a high school girl before (Juno, American Beauty), and we've seen plenty of cutesy indie films about 20-something would-be-artistes struggling to grow up and get a real job (Flakes, for one). But this movie is quite a bit more deranged than all that. These characters aren't merely eccentric, their idiosyncrasies hover well past the line into downright pathology.

First we have our protagonist. Not a disillusioned 20-something hipster, he's a man well into middle age who has no real job, no social skills and still clings to a (sometimes abusive) imaginary friend. Somehow this man with no prospects and no skills is married to a successful surgeon who isolates her maladjusted, delusional, slacker husband up in a rural cabin believing that -- somehow -- leaving him to his own devices and letting him run amok in solitude will help to repair his crippling mental state. Finally we come to Abby, a teenage girl so desperate for companionship that she tolerates a neglectful slob of a boyfriend, a deranged, obsessive stalker who follows her wherever she goes, and a middle-aged married man who lures her to his empty house under the guise of a babysitting job. Her response to being set-up by this pervert? She makes him soup. If her parents exist, they don't much concern themselves with her, and she has no other acquaintances.

This is an intriguing character study with some decent heart to be found. It's fascinating to explore these broken individuals and the movie's definitely worth a watch. Unfortunately, the courage with which these characters were created is not matched by the movie's highly formulaic ending, which largely glosses over their more serious instabilities. However, with so many otherwise solid indie projects these days ending abruptly with far too little closure (Not Fade Away, Palo Alto), I'm willing to accept a little undue schmaltz from Paper Man.

The cast also garners mentioning. With Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Lisa Kudrow and Jeff Daniels, they couldn't have put together a better ensemble for this film. The performances are entertaining enough just on their own merits.

Quirky offbeat film underwhelms

[Floated2 · 5/10 · 12 July 2020]

Paper Man apparently seemed to give off the impression that it was a comedy and a superhero film. Well as it turned out, it wasn't really either. This was more so an offbeat quirky drama with some touches of comedy but more so rather depressing and about the state of a middle aged man going through a midlife crisis.

Heard about this film years ago but never thought enough to give it a watch. Now after watching it, can see as to why.

Many of the top reviews are overwhelmingly positive and praising the film for finding it "charming, sweet and heartwarming". However, did not completely see as such, as thought it to be more creepy, offbeat, bizarre and disturbing- particularly the lead character of Jeff Daniels.

As in how his interactions with Emma Stone's character (her portraying a teenager). It came off as a creepy older man preying on a young teen. And her character seemed rather clueless as well- though in her defence she appeared to be strong and able to defend herself. And of course from the start we get a sense as a relationship brewing from Jeff Daniels and Emma Stone.

His character came across as if he had some sort of disability, overall he was just rather awkward and childish (particularly the interactions with his wife made it seem like she was always nagging him and telling him what to do). Something was off.

The film does get slightly better and becomes more engaging as we want to see the story unfold, even though it is relatively predictable.

Another negative, if you are viewing the film for Ryan Reynolds, he plays an imaginary superhero (where only interacts with Jeff Daniels) and doesn't have too much screen time. He pops up frequently from time to time in the beginning but doesn't exactly stay.

Found this rather disappointing considering Reynolds is on one of the posters' covers. Would say he was underused but it's understandable given this is Daniels project.

Overall Paper Man is underwhelming, slightly average, maybe a little more depending on what you want but severely not as great as a lot of these top reviews are claiming. Perhaps this is a film for a specific audience, and not everyone will enjoy.

$36 is a pretty high price to pay for a small pot of soup.

[TxMike · 19 December 2012]

I found this one on Netflix streaming movies. A Sundance product, it is very quirky, in a way that I really enjoy. I like this movie a lot.

Lisa Kudrow is Claire Dunn, a doctor, and Jeff Daniels is her husband, Richard Dunn, a writer. With one book out of the way, he is hopelessly stuck. So he moves to a little rustic house near the ocean in Montauk, to be inspired to write a novel with an extinct bird, last seen on Long Island, as the subject. Claire comes to visit him periodically and she, with a lucrative career as a vascular surgeon, expects Richard to be productive, to get on with writing his book.

But Richard has never completely grown up. He has an imaginary friend, Ryan Reynolds as Captain Excellent, with short bleached blond hair and always wearing his blue and red suit, not unlike how Superman appears. His imaginary friend is alternately a blessing and a nuisance. But he still can't get started writing. "I don't know what to do with my hands."

Local high school girl Emma Stone as Abby gets Richard's attention. Awkwardly he asks her if she can babysit, even though he has no children. She shows up, isn't too shocked that there is no child to sit, she says "I have some homework I need to do." But as he goes away for 3 hours, doing nothing in particular, she gathers whatever ingredients and vegetables she can find in his place and makes a pot of soup. He likes the soup, but when she tells him her babysitting fee is $12 per hour, he has just bought a $36 dollar pot of soup.

This starts the unfolding of the story which basically is Richard and Abby helping each other get over some issues, and get on with their lives. They become friends, all innocent, but they form a bond that neither of them had experienced before.

Good movie.

SPOILERS: The other key character is Abby's friend, Kieran Culkin as Christopher. He almost seems to be stalking her, she doesn't seem bothered by his presence. Near the end Christopher and Captain Excellent and standing next to each other, and communicate with each other. Christopher is Abby's imaginary friend, since the time when Abby and her twin sister were swimming in the ocean, Abby came back to shore, her twin drowned. As the story is wrapping up Richard sends Captain Excellent away, he doesn't need him anymore, and Abby comes back to her room to find Christoper dead, hanging from her ceiling, symbolic that she didn't need him anymore.

Stone shines in good small film

[julian_03 · 7/10 · 13 January 2011]

Jeff Daniels' again plays a famous writer who is struggling for inspiration(Richard), much like his praised performance in The Squid and The Whale. This time, his wife is Lisa Kudrow(Claire) along with an imaginary superhero friend in Ryan Reynolds, dubbed Captain Excellent. To overcome his writers block, the three move to a small country town. Soon Richard meets 17 year old Abby(Emma Stone) and their relationship slowly develops.

Unfortunately Daniels' performance doesn't live up to The Squid and The Whale, as his his hopeless and lonely persona seems over the top and caricature-ish. Reynolds is solid but you can't help but feel he is underused. If you have an imaginary superhero friend to an aging male, you need to at least develop it. Kudrow seems like an odd casting choice, but provides good comic relief. In fact, the cast as a whole is quite an odd arrangement. However, without a doubt, Emma Stone is the highlight here. She plays a extremely likable but damaged girl to fantastic effect and makes the best dramatic scenes of the film.

There are a lot of relationships that intertwine in this film, but it they never become difficult to follow or too underdeveloped. Kieran Culkin's(Christopher) obsessive relationship is a great example of this and Culkin puts in another good performance to show that the family does have some talent in it.

Finally, it looks great. The cinematography and direction is superb for a debut effort from Kieran Mulhoney and he is certainly one film-maker to look out for in the future.

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.

Worth The Watch

[lexidietrich-43870 · 6/10 · 22 July 2018]

Defiantly a unique story, the acting was amazing and sincere as well.

I'm not a huge fan of the pacing of the movie, but I suppose I'm more used to the traditional plots points of a movie. The story was interesting, I could never guess where it was heading.However, I could never sty fully invested in the movie, at times it felt dragged out.

The plot twist at the end was some what predictable, in the sense the idea crossed my mind, but I doubted the movie would actually follow through. It was pleasantly surprising.

Overall 6/10 due to the poor pacing and how hard it was to keep invested. But the themes and the ideas behind the story remained strong.

Stone shines, Reynolds underused.

[Hellmant · 6/10 · 9 November 2010]

'PAPER MAN': Three Stars (Out of Five)

Quirky comedy / drama starring Jeff Daniels, the up and coming Emma Stone (of 'SUPERBAD', 'ZOMBIELAND' and 'EASY A' fame, she was also just cast as Gwen Stacy in the upcoming 'SPIDER-MAN' reboot), Lisa Kudrow, Kieran Culkin and Ryan Reynolds in yet another superhero role (although this one's imaginary). The film is written and directed by Michele and Kieran Mulroney (a long time actor). Despite the talent involved the film received a very limited theatrical release and garnered mostly negative critical reviews. The film has it's fans though as it sits at a pretty nice 7.1 user rating on IMDb. The high profile additions of Reynolds and Stone (who was the one part critics praised) have drawn interest to the film which other wise would have probably been mostly forgotten.

In the film Daniels plays a psychologically troubled middle-aged writer named Richard sent to a Long Island beach house for the winter by his upset wife (Kudrow) to work on his writer's block. He meets a young girl named Abby (Stone) whom he invites over to babysit, despite the fact that he has no children. She's not freaked out at all by this and agrees to do the job for him anyway. Impressed by the fact that he's a writer she cooks him some soup upon his return and the two strike up a bizarre friendship. She's just as mentally troubled as he is and is still suffering from the traumatic loss of a sibling, when she was young, which she blames herself for. Reynolds plays Richard's imaginary friend Captain Excellent and has been with him since childhood. The movie has somewhat of a twist, that at least I didn't see coming, in the third act.

It's an interesting and mildly touching little film. The performances are all good, especially Stone (as the critics have pointed out) and Daniels like always. Reynolds is good as well but he seems underused. When you have an actor like him in a decent amount of your film you should be able to come up with at least somewhat of a better way to use him. Kudrow is also great like always and Culkin still shines as well. The movie is entertaining and well made to a certain extent but it feels like it could have been more and ultimately it's just not that memorable. Not a bad film but not one I'll probably ever want to see again.

Watch our review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqvCRlRn7qY

I felt the sixth sense about this movie

[phulla · 6/10 · 14 August 2022]

I can only ever associate Daniels with Carey and Dumb and Dumber.

Emma Stone is beautiful in her acting as she is in her appearance, and I always remember her from Easy A.

Lisa is so versatile in her performance, whatever character she plays, she never manages to convince you she isn't Phoebe, that might be my problem.

Was casting Ryan Reynolds in this such a great idea considering the focus was on Daniels and Emma's characters, possible not. I'm not sure but I'm thinking could Reynolds have played Richard Dunn and some unknown played Captain Excellent.

Essentially, having a partner, friends, hanging around with people or even having an intimate relationship doesn't stop you from feeling alone. If these characters have created a conscience that allows them to justify their behaviour, of feeling alone, inadequate, surviving guilt, then can two people make a whole?

The movie starts by laying the foundations for why Richard and his wife Claire are moving into a house where she has to spend the weekdays away and Richard needs to write his next novel.

I think Richard allowing the local teenagers to use his house for a party is a little extreme, but the rest of the movie really focuses on Abby and Richards relationship. Movie does move along fairly briskly, no real slow boring moments.

I think you have to either like these actors or be really bored and alone to watch this movie all the way to the end.

I didn't really enjoy the ending, it was too much Happy Ever After, I was hoping for something different.

A writer with writers block befriends a high schooler with problems of her own. WATCH THIS MOVIE!! I give it my first A+!!

[cosmo_tiger · 10/10 · 18 January 2011]

A writer (Daniels) trying to start his second book and find himself meets a local high schooler (Stone) and a friendship is born. Richard (Daniels) has always been different, for one he's in his 40's and has an imaginary friend (Ryan Reynolds). His wife (Lisa Kudrow) drops him off at a house alone in hopes he will finally start his book. Not feeling inspired Richard rides to town and meets Abby (Stone). The mis-matched pair become fast friends and discover more about themselves in the process. I can not say enough good things about this movie. Emma Stone stole this movie, her acting was great and I expect to see awards in her future if she keeps this up. This movie has it all, great humor, writing, acting and is also very moving. Almost instantly you feel sorry for Richard and you really root for him the rest of the movie. Emma Stone and Ryan Reynolds really make you feel for them and you are right there with them trying to give Richard the push he needs. The ending is unexpectedly touching and I actually got a little choked up. I honestly could go on all day about how much I liked this movie, it's just a shame movies like this one (where the plot and acting take center stage) don't get the audience they deserve while "Yogi Bear" gets all the attention it can get. Do yourself a favor and watch this, you won't regret it. First time ever...I give it an A+

Emma Stone great but Captain Excellent not

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 18 December 2014]

Richard Dunn (Jeff Daniels) still talks to his imaginary superhero friend Captain Excellent (Ryan Reynolds). He is a blocked writer and his wife Claire (Lisa Kudrow) moves him out to Long Island for the winter. He befriends local teen Abby (Emma Stone) despite his imaginary friend's disapproval. She has a brutish boyfriend Bryce and a best friend stalker in Christopher (Kieran Culkin).

Emma Stone is endearing and has a funny chemistry with Jeff Daniels. Kieran Culkin is also great. His character works unlike Captain Excellent which is the big problem in the movie. He is unnecessary and more of a distraction than anything helpful. He isn't actually funny. The movie is better off without him. Even the ending would work better without him because the twist is too obvious with Captain Excellent around.

Extraordinary, in several ways

[digdog-785-717538 · 4/10 · 17 August 2010]

It is a very rare occurrence when one finds himself staring into a film wondering exactly what one is looking at and me, having lost my film virginity very early, i generally have the whole script figured out within the first twenty minutes; But not with Paper Man.

Intrigued by the trailers of a mature Jeff Daniels wrestling with his imaginary superhero friend, i dedicated a hour and a half of my best time to the film, with great expectations, and this is what i got out of it: Richard (Daniels) is a writer, in his late forties, who isn't really all quite there with his head. His wife Claire (Kudrow) drives him to the hamptons so that he can isolate himself a bit and find a vein to finish his next book. While in his hermit's retreat, Richard "hires" a baby-sitter (with no baby in sight) to keep him company. As Richard is little more than an overgrown infant, the two form a friendship based on his insanity and her cluelessness. Cue moments of liberation, and crash back to reality when the wife shows up.

And then, when the film was now over, i realised what i was looking at : Nothing.

Mark my words: one day there will be a beautiful film, perfectly shot and with the best actors in the world, about a man who goes shopping for groceries. Oh the humanity. Oh the human dimension.

Whatever possessed Lisa Kudrow to commit suicide with this role is beyond me; Did she read a different script ? Were there massive parts of the film that got left on the cutting room floor? Seriously, i don't want to sound harsh, but ..

Richard is obviously NOT a mid-life crisis case, more like a lunatic asylum case: why isn't the aspect of his insanity examined At All in the film ? If the relationship with the baby sitter needs to be a purely platonic one - and to tell the truth, there really isn't a relationship here, given that he's a manic delusional and she is clueless about it - why did the writer center it on a scene where she *thinks* he is coming on to her, while in fact he's just being a loonie, and then put absolutely no moment of connection between the characters in the film whatsoever? And worst of all.. What is the Plot of the film ? I'm amazed that a production of this calibre can still get the go-ahead without anyone stepping in and saying "this film has no story"; Here is a short summary of what happens: Loonie gets left alone, runs into a girl who hangs around him because money falls out of his pockets, her friends take advantage of his wallet, they throw a keg party. The End. Of Kieran and Michele Mulroney's career.

I can equate this film to only one other i have seen before, and it was an Andy Warhol film..

Here is a lesson for anyone who wants to be a film director, or writer, or even worse, both: before you get behind the camera, you must have had at least once, a moment where you busted in you'r best friend's house and yelled "I GOT A GREAT IDEA FOR A MOVIE". If you haven't had that, don't do it. Leave the impressionism to the french, and go down to the library to get some books on writing.

4/10 really, really pointless. Transformers was better.

A heartwarming, pleasant surprise!

[TheNorwegianRocker · 8/10 · 29 December 2010]

Richard Dunn (Jeff Daniels) is an abortive writer in his 40's. He is unhappily married to Claire (Lisa Kudrow), who spends most of the time away from their home because of work, causing Richard to be left alone, feeling lost and lonely and that he has no purpose in life. He has a really annoying fictional friend in superhero Captain Excellent (Ryan Reynolds), who dictates his life and who always tells him what to do, and has done so since Richard was a teenager.

When Richard impulsively decides to hire a babysitter (even though he and Claire doesn't have any kids), he meets teenager Abby (Emma Stone), who it turns out is struggling with many of the same problems as himself, as she is friendless and an only child, and also have this imaginary friend (Kieran Culkin) who tries to control her. But as they grow an unlikely and close friendship, they also find hope to get their lives on track. Through laughter, deep conversations, and exchanging of fantasies, they change their lives for both good and bad.

I hesitated when I saw this movie in the local store while I looked on its cover. It said "Paper Man" with a huge picture of Ryan Reynolds in stupid tights and small pictures of Lisa Kudrow, Emma Stone and Jeff Daniels surrounding it. It took a lot of strength for me to pick up the cover at all...

And while they are on with that stupid cover - on the back it said "Jeff Bridges" instead of "Jeff Daniels". I thought: Not very professionally made. And by the way - the first picture on the back shows Daniels riding a grandma's bike. But then again, I am a sucker for friendship stories (which I could barely learn it was from the small synopsis on the back), and I also like Jeff Daniels and Ryan Reynolds - and also Emma Stone - a lot from earlier work. So if these actors agreed to involve, it could not be THAT bad. Ergo, I gave it a chance.

And what a surprise this movie turned out to be! In fact, I was blown away. I got to see a heart warming, intellectual story with great dialog and (for once) REAL emotions flashing out of the screen. The manuscript is the best I've seen in a very long time, and I hope it's not long until these Mulroney's does something new. And the thing about Daniels riding a grandma's bike - that turned out to be one of the film's main trademarks, in a good way.

Jeff Daniels is fantastic as the depressed and lonely, unhappy married man chasing inspiration and answers, whether it is regarding his new book (which he struggles to write, to use an understatement) and his life in general, but who finds hope when he meets Stones character. This is something I, to be honest, can (partly) relate to from my own life experiences, which probably is part of why I liked this as much as I did. Regardless, Daniels was at his very best in this movie.

So, he needs a little push in the right direction. Enter Emma Stone, who plays his female contrast. She is very vulnerable, has no real friends, but a very unsympathetic boyfriend. She is also charming and splendid, and Stone played her role tendering and with such great intensity. Her chemistry with Daniels was surprisingly good, despite the age difference between the two. Stone without doubt did her best performance this far - including the highly overrated "Easy A".

Ryan Reynolds... Well, he is Ryan Reynolds. With his superb comedic presence and, I have to say, boyish charm, he delivers line after line with such timing that you just have to laugh, no matter how stupid some of the jokes are in reality. In other words - he is fantastic and amazingly funny as Daniels' imaginary friend. And the former child star Kieran Culkin as Stones imaginary ditto is about to become an actor of his own, and was a breath of fresh air. The only complain I have is Lisa Kudrow's character, who was dramaturgically necessary, but poorly written. I never quite felt the frustration she must have had with Richard.

I could really not see this coming, but there is nothing like pleasant surprises. And this was definitely one of them. This is the best "dramedy" I've seen since Garden State, and illustrates the importance of having friends you can trust in tough times, and to have a soulmate in your life who just understands you no matter what. I give it a solid 8/10, and it definitely deserves more acknowledgment in my opinion.

(And I also found out: Never judge a movie by its cover...)

Failure in combining the drama and comedy shows "Paper Man"'s shortcomings

[napierslogs · 6/10 · 18 January 2011]

Movies with a plot line where a writer is alone in a remote house for a week usually play out as a thriller. The good thing is that "Paper Man" is a comedy and although it might be about being alone it's really not about the house or his surroundings. The not-so-good thing is that it's only funny in a quirky kind of way and the characters aren't really complete they're more just quirky.

Things get kind of interesting when Richard (Jeff Daniels) questions the state of his marriage, and also heartfelt when he starts developing an honest relationship with Abby (Emma Stone), but nothing is presented in an intelligent, whole-hearted manner. We are just supposed to be amused by his childishness and the comedy of his situation.

"Paper Man" has some funny moments and some genuine emotions, but its failure in being able to meld the comedy and drama shows that it's not particularly smart or profound.

the first 3/4 are great

[miless-49621 · 1/10 · 30 May 2023]

I think audiences expected a superhero story since ryan reynolds is on the cover, but were instead confronted with a story that made us think about everything a superhero story leaves out. Ryan reynolds actually has a reasonable character that doesnt take up 90% of the script with pointless one liners for once, and the story is really heartfelt and funny in little ways. For the first 3/4 of the film or maybe a little further i was really enjoying it, so long as jeff convincingly maintained his innocence. However, then comes an abrupt U turn into problematic territory.

I will say that the ending kind of drags, and they really should have ended on mr excellent flying away, since many of these later scenes made the whole thing very uncomfortable. Especially after him inviting a bunch of minors to his and providing them alcohol because he feels lonely, having the 40-50 something jeff daniels kiss a girl on the lips who is stated to be around 15 years old or younger kind of makes me question the integrity of the protagonist. If jeff wrote his own character, then he may just be some kind of IRL pervert trying to make an excuse to spoon with and kiss emma stone.

Until the ending, i was all the way with the idea of him as just some sad guy who didn't know what he was doing, and i also was willing to believe that the initial "you're such a beautiful girl" was poor phrasing and meant more earnestly. Instead, by the ending, we are left with jeff having painted himself as a complete idiot, a pervert, and an irresponsible jerk who is causing a lot of stress for the people around him. It's especially awful for him to traumatize and sexualize this poor girl like that when she clearly is lonely, already damaged, and looking for a father figure.

By the end of the film, they have systematically removed everything that would allow us to relate to the protagonist, and it becomes pretty creepy that he's exposing a bunch of children to his problematic immaturity. Playing some quaint and whiny indie music while this all happens only makes him look like more of a creep and a narcissist. He doesn't even finish the book. Frankly, the fact that he says his wife views everyone as a machine just makes him seem worse, as if he's resentful towards her for expecting him to behave like a halfway functional adult.