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THE PAPERBOY (2012)Movie Reviews
Drama about a convicted killer whose female pen pal enlists the aid of two journalists to try to get him off death row. Cast:Matthew McConaughey, Zac Efron, Nicole Kidman, John Cusack, David Oyelowo, Macy Gray, Nicole Kidman, Scott Glenn, Ned Bellamy, Nealla GordonDirector:Lee DanielsRelease Date:October 5, 2012DVD Release:January 15, 2013From:Millenium EntertainmentRating:RLength:1 hr. 47 min.
The Paperboy (2012) played in key cities to mixed reviews. • Stan Hall wrote in the Portland Oregonian, "...saved from disaster by uniformly terrific performances... Kidman is a revelation... Efron further proves he is legit by holding his own against the heavyweights." • And Mara Reinstein wrote in Us Weekly, "...sleazy... Almost none of it works." More Reviews Below...
The Paperboy (2012) Positive Reviews (43 Reviews, reviews below)
Mary Corliss, Time: EXCELLENT "...revels in the lure of the lurid... barges into that mythical land, the American South, takes root in the sins of the flesh and the soul, and digs deep, down and dirty..."(See all of Mary Corliss's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 726 words, 05/25/12
Christy Lemire, Associated Press: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...stylish trash... feels too scattered from a narrative perspective to have any kind of real emotional impact beyond simple, gratuitous shocks."(See all of Christy Lemire's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 266 words, 10/04/12
Mara Reinstein, Us Weekly: MODERATE(cg) "...sleazy... The movie can't decide if it's a racy comedy (Kidman and Efron get it on!), a violent thriller or a Civil Rights drama. Almost none of it works."(See all of Mara Reinstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 121 words, 10/04/12
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: GOOD(cg) "...so luridly bizarre you can't quite believe what you're seeing... Lee Daniels can make a scene sing, but he needs some more common sense to go with his talent."(See all of Owen Gleiberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 244 words, 10/05/12
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Boring it's not.... The movie, with a script by Dexter himself, has guts.... This hot mess got booed by the snobs at Cannes, but there's no denying its profane energy."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 246 words, 10/05/12
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...great trash, and as Pauline Kael told us, the movies are so seldom great art that if we can't appreciate great trash, we might as well not go at all."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 721 words, 10/05/12
Glenn Kenny, MSN Movies: VERY GOOD(cg) "...pretty unusual and entertaining as far as it goes... the problem is the extent to which there's anything discernibly noteworthy going on underneath all the luridness."(See all of Glenn Kenny's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 671 words, 10/01/12
James Berardinelli, Reel Views: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...unsettling... a rather grim, dismal experience where the elements never quite gel... The reason to see the film is more the performances than the story..."(See all of James Berardinelli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 814 words, 10/03/12
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (13 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: GOOD "...a hot mess... lurid, humid, florid, languid and stupid, but it is pretty much all id all the time... worth seeking out if only so you can say you saw it with your own eyes."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 751 words, 10/05/12
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: POOR(cg) "...see how truly awful good actors can be when they prostrate themselves for a misbegotten idea of 'art'.... likely to become an unintended camp classic..."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 397 words, 10/05/12
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "An exceptional cast gives these tawdry miscreants a scuzzy, sexy, sad reality that is as unerring as it is unnerving... There is such unflinching passion in the piece..."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 935 words, 10/05/12
Kyle Smith, New York Post: POOR(cg) "Every couple of scenes Efron must be seen in his undies... At one point Daniels, on a thin pretext, has Efron strip down to his tighty whities and dance in the rain."(See all of Kyle Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 431 words, 10/05/12
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: MODERATE(cg) "To say this movie doesn't work is one thing; to say it's dull is a lie. This movie is berserk, which is more interesting than 'eh.' "(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 514 words, 10/05/12
Bilge Ebiri, New York Magazine: POOR "...a deranged hodgepodge of tones and acting styles and strange mannerisms and affectations and narrative dead ends... the most alienating movie of the year."(See all of Bilge Ebiri's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 665 words, 10/05/12
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...great trash, and as Pauline Kael told us, the movies are so seldom great art that if we can't appreciate great trash, we might as well not go at all."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 721 words, 10/05/12
Jonathan Kiefer, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "Southern Gothic noir pulp... gropes for familiar movie language of its period setting... But sometimes hot messiness has its charms."(See all of Jonathan Kiefer's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 218 words, 10/03/12
Rick Groen, Toronto Globe & Mail: MODERATE(cg) "...all this accidental silliness and inadvertent amusement almost qualify as entertainment. Strange, how the running time flies when your movie bumbles into fun."(See all of Rick Groen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 666 words, 10/19/12
Susan G. Cole, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...so trashy that, when you're not turning away, you'll be laughing.... Lee Daniels gets great performances from his cast."(See all of Susan G. Cole's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 117 words, 10/18/12
KEY CITIES (10 Reviews)
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: MODERATE(cg) "...the film -- halfway between camp and trash, tragedy and comedy -- has a powerful, inexplicable pull. You don't so much enjoy it as you just give in to it..."(See all of Michael O'Sullivan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 761 words, 10/05/12
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: VERY GOOD(cg) "...wild and woolly... a fever dream of a mystery yarn - about sex, about race, about violence, about wide lapels and bouffant hairdos."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 486 words, 10/12/12
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: POOR(cg) "...low-rent camp... suggests something Tennessee Williams might have come up with, if he didn't know how to string together a plot... This is inept sensationalism..."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 365 words, 10/12/12
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "A few secrets are revealed, none particularly surprising. But the acting really is something. McConaughey is the only one with an ounce of subtlety here."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 646 words, 10/19/12
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: VERY GOOD(cg) "I don't mean the movie's full of McGuffins and red herrings, although there are those. I mean, the case is just a complete afterthought. That's how horny the movie is."(See all of Wesley Morris's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,180 words, 10/12/12
Stephen Whitty, New Jersey Star-Ledger: WEAK(cg) "...the movie itself - which begins with a disembowelment, features public urination and imaginary lapdances, and ends with a throat-slitting - is simple ugly trash."(See all of Stephen Whitty's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 608 words, 10/05/12
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: POOR(cg) "The story contains too much plot, too much exposition and too much explanation, and about halfway in, virtually every incentive to keep watching has evaporated."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 431 words, 10/05/12
Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times: MODERATE(cg) "...lurid, jittery... a sticky mess, like a box of taffy melted together on a hot sidewalk. You gaze at it with brief interest, then walk away, not looking back."(See all of Moira Macdonald's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 296 words, 10/12/12
Stan Hall, Portland Oregonian: GOOD(cg) "...saved from disaster by uniformly terrific performances... Kidman is a revelation... Efron further proves he is legit by holding his own against the heavyweights."(See all of Stan Hall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 316 words, 10/12/12
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: POOR(cg) "Despite all the freaky business on display, the film suffocates you with boredom like a hot, wet blanket. You want to push it away and escape. It makes sleaze boring."(See all of Rene Rodriguez's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 681 words, 10/12/12
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (8 Reviews)
Jonathan Kiefer, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "Southern Gothic noir pulp... gropes for familiar movie language of its period setting... But sometimes hot messiness has its charms."(See all of Jonathan Kiefer's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 218 words, 10/03/12
Anne Lewinson, Boston Phoenix: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "A Russ Meyer roughie meets 'The Help'... Daniels works wonders with non-actors; Gray's scenes give the movie an emotional center this not-quite-camp-classic needs."(See all of Anne Lewinson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 143 words, 10/11/12
Nathan Rabin, AV Club: POOR(cg) "If Lee Daniels actually set out to transform the wildest possible source material into the most inert possible film, he's succeeded spectacularly."(See all of Nathan Rabin's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 373 words, 10/04/12
Cynthia Fuchs, Pop Matters: POOR(cg) "Anita's sense of sympathy or revulsion might become yours. But most often, the movie uses her to set up all the bad behavior as a series of horrific jokes... appalling..."(See all of Cynthia Fuchs's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 951 words, 10/05/12
Alison Willmore, Movieline: WEAK(cg) "...the scenes between Efron and Gray are poignant and funny, and provide a slight counterbalance to all the grotesquery in this otherwise offputting jumble."(See all of Alison Willmore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 841 words, 10/04/12
R. Kurt Osenlund, Slant: MODERATE(cg) "...a hot-button, hot-tempered, hot-and-bothered sleazefest... The actual plot unfolds in uninvolving, episodic bursts... There's no shortage of admirable technique on display..."(See all of R. Kurt Osenlund's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 892 words, 10/02/12
Susan G. Cole, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...so trashy that, when you're not turning away, you'll be laughing.... Lee Daniels gets great performances from his cast."(See all of Susan G. Cole's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 117 words, 10/18/12
HIGHBROW PRESS (5 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: GOOD "...a hot mess... lurid, humid, florid, languid and stupid, but it is pretty much all id all the time... worth seeking out if only so you can say you saw it with your own eyes."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 751 words, 10/05/12
Scott Tobias, NPR: POOR "...spectacularly incompetent... Some of the film's missteps would be forgivable if Daniels delivered them with any conviction, but he doesn't seem capable of it."(See all of Scott Tobias's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 605 words, 10/04/12
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "An exceptional cast gives these tawdry miscreants a scuzzy, sexy, sad reality that is as unerring as it is unnerving... There is such unflinching passion in the piece..."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 935 words, 10/05/12
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon: GOOD "...once you get used to the all-out, heavy-breathing ridiculousness of this movie, there actually is a lot going on under the hood of this particular hot-wired Chevy."(See all of Andrew O'Hehir's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,263 words, 10/04/12
MOVIE INDUSTRY (5 Reviews)
Justin Chang, Daily Variety: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...not unenjoyable... marked by a sticky, sweaty atmosphere of delirium and sexual frustration that only partly excuses the woozy ineptitude of the filmmaking."(See all of Justin Chang's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 692 words, 05/24/12
Todd McCarthy, Hollywood Reporter: VERY GOOD "...a tasty wallow in sordid goings-on down South in 1969... gloriously grubby... the entire cast gets down and comes off all the better for it."(See all of Todd McCarthy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 806 words, 05/24/12
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "An exceptional cast gives these tawdry miscreants a scuzzy, sexy, sad reality that is as unerring as it is unnerving... There is such unflinching passion in the piece..."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 935 words, 10/05/12
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: MODERATE(cg) "...loose, rambling, lacking dramatic focus, not even well acted, and technically inept... seems unfinished, sort of work-in-progress.... not deep enough to be taken seriously."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 839 words, 05/25/12
A.O. Scott, New York Times: GOOD "...a hot mess... lurid, humid, florid, languid and stupid, but it is pretty much all id all the time... worth seeking out if only so you can say you saw it with your own eyes."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 751 words, 10/05/12
24.0 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
The Paperboy (2012)'s reviews are separated by an average 24.0 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
The Paperboy (2012) (43 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:The Paperboy (2012)'s reviews cover 91.6% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 23,752 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 552 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 18 Days Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
The Paperboy (2012)'s reviews on average broke 18 days before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is The Paperboy (2012)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
The Paperboy (2012) (43 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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