Such a frustrating disappointment

Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

The Paperboy is an odd movie. I watched it, noting that Lee Daniels of "Precious" was directing a great cast, and didn't really know what it could be about aside a murder. Well I was right, that's all it is about. Which would be cool if it had any kind of story.Plot- Its basically about this wannabe writer and his brother (Efron/Matthew Mccon.....) trying to determine a prison inmates (Cusack) innocence. Along with the brothers is the inmates girlfriend, and a legitimate journalist (Oyelowo). There are some things that draw you in, mainly out of curiosity rather than obligating you to listen and watch intently. Really, you'll end up thinking you missed something, but the story is just flat, nothing to dazzle you at all and this is coming from someone who gets entertained by watching water boil. (pardon my spelling of names) Acting/Characters- The acting is flawless in this film, Cusack has some odd moments that could have been more intense, but thats it. May be the best part of the film, yet thats not why I watch. It just happens to aid, or break a film.Writing- The dialogue is weird, yet not bad. The weak story really could have used some memorable conversations at the least. Sometimes characters contradict themselves, making it hard to understand who they are or what they might do. I didn't sympathize for them at all aside Efron, and even in the film he's just written as a horny teenager.Quality/Style- The Paperboy is edited in kind of a cool way, alot of psychedelic transitions n what not. Yet sometimes the editing is almost annoying, such as chopping a frame forward in time while maintaining the same continuous audio. Its another aspect of this film that I think tries way too hard to cover for the lame story. The score isn't bad, kind of cool. Overall, I only wrote this because it was a perfect example of a "gray area" movie in a sense that it's not good, or really all that bad. Its got just enough to be a decent film, and I can't say I would recommend it. I know that after the silly, short ending, I vowed to never watch it again. Once again, the absence of an eventful story really, really killed it.

This movie isn't for everyone it is very dark, very dirty, and very real. Lee Daniels takes you to a place where most movies don't even dare to show their audiences. The twists and turns that this movie will take you on will keep you wondering what the hell am I going to see next. Outstanding performances from everyone in the cast. This movie should be held to a higher regard.

As the type of person who does not write reviews often, I must be quite honest, I am biased in this review because of how much I like the review. Like most people who like this movie apparently, I love the film-making behind it. The collection of all star actors and actresses is amazing and not expected. For example, I watched the movie because I love McConaughey and believe Efron has potential. I was caught entirely off guard seeing Cusak and Kidman. I was even more surprised these people would accept roles in such a weird and *spiritual* movie. All of the casts acting made this movie more of a character study rather a normal movie.instead of caring about the plot and the inevitable ending, the audience is drawn to the characters and their feelings. Although their actions might seem predictable, it is all the better to see them feel the way they do and make us all feel as if we agree with them in the actions that they ultimately make.Another great addition to the all star acting is the cinematography, it is truly lovable. A movie released in 2012 that has the majority of the time spent in a "Vintage-Old Timey vibe" giving the audience the ever-constant reminder that it takes place in 1969 is truly amazing and doesn't ever get lost. It adds a certain charm to the movie that helps it, something like this in a different genre would normally seem tacky and corny but this fits perfectly. All in all, I clearly loved the film and recommend it to anyone trying to see a movie that has an insane plot that probably is more common than we all know. More importantly the truth hidden in the acting and cinematography is heart wrenching and spiritually enlightening. A movie that fools half of it's audience and enlightens the other half.

I could not get enough of this movie, both tragic and spellbinding! Nicole took on this role and ran with it. She really did an excellent job in making you believe she was this tragic soul, looking for love in the wrong place.. Zac Efron and Macy Gray where spot on, and what can you say about Matthew?? Great cast, John Cusack scared the devil right out of me and David Oyelowo was refreshing and very funny. I wished more people would check this movie out, I bet they would enjoy just as much as I did.. But Zac Enfron was the hero in this story, what a very talented and handsome young man..I was trying to find out if this movie was based on a true story, so I guess I will look it up. Again, a very excellent movie from beginning to end..