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Jeff Daniels, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Lisa Kudrow, Hunter Parrish ... see more see more... , Kieran Culkin , Arabella Field , Chris Parnell

Jeff Daniels, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, and Lisa Kudrow headline co-writer/directors Michele and Kieran Mulroney's affectionate comedy drama detailing the unlikely friendship between a failed writer ... read more read more...(Daniels) and the Long Island high school girl (Stone) who teaches him what it really means to take responsibility in life. Meanwhile, the author's long-suffering wife casts a disapproving gaze, and an imaginary superhero weighs in with his own take on the unusual bond. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Flixster Users

49% liked it

2,486 ratings

Critics

29% liked it

28 critics

R, 1 hr. 50 min.

Directed by: Kieran Mulroney, Michele Mulroney

Release Date: April 23, 2010

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DVD Release Date: January 18, 2011

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Stats: 358 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (358)

  • xXGiNoBiLiPRXx
    May 8, 2012
    xXGiNoBiLiPRXx
    A little imagination goes a long way

    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. Each actor turns in their roles ... read morewell 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. 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.

    A coming-of-middle-age comedy that chronicles the unlikely friendship between failed author Richard Dunne and a Long Island teen who teaches him a thing or two about growing up, all under the disapproving eye of his long-suffering wife and his imaginary Superhero friend.
  • itsjustme2004
    February 6, 2012
    itsjustme2004
    I was looking forward to seeing this movie, but I was rather disappointed. For whatever reason, the last half hour of this movie was much more enthralling than the rest of the film. A quirky indie film that could have used a little more quirk, or substance, or something that I ca... read moren't quite put my finger on. Randomly funny at times, and I thought Emma Stone's character had the most to offer throughout all of it.
  • dreamfaeries
    October 6, 2011
    dreamfaeries
    People and critics seemed to not like this movie, but I have had it on repeat for weeks now. I am head over heels in love with the cast and the direction. It is such a great movie. The music is also so top notch that I had to individually search out as many of the songs as I c... read moreould and purchase them. A favorite at my house for many years to come.
  • blkbomb
    August 10, 2011
    blkbomb
    Richard Dunn: What are we, Claire? Are we unhappy or are we just pretending to be unhappy? 

    "It's grow up time"

    I really like Paper Man. I watched it despite the negative feedback I had heard about it because, well, I'll watch anything with Emma Stone in it. By the way, she rea... read morelly is fantastic. The rest of the cast made it look even better to me. Jeff Daniels, Ryan Reynolds and Lisa Kudrow make a pretty good cast for a little Indie film. What really sold me on this movie was the relationship between Richard(Daniels) and Abby(Stone). I guess your appreciation of this movie will be based on how much you buy this relationship.

    Richard is an odd writer, who has a superhero with him at all times. He sees a teenager and for some reason followers her. In time they begin a friendly relationship. While this relationship should seem really weird, it doesn't. That is, once you get past the initial though of it. Both Daniels and Stone really sold their performances and made the movie very likable for me. 

    I guess I can see why a lot of people wouldn't really care for Paper Man. Firstly, there's probably a good percentage of people that will be turned off by the fore-mentioned relationship. Although not sexual; it is still kind of weird. If your not a fan of Indie films; you won't like this. It doesn't go out of it's way to make you laugh or feel for the characters. It presents it's story and then let's you make out of it what you will. I got a lot of different things from the story and all in all it was a satisfying film.
  • fb535316333
    June 7, 2011
    fb535316333
    If the viewer fails to connect or even relate to it's protagonist from the get-go then they'll immediately find little interest in this film. An extremely bold approach but rewarding when it does find the right audience.

    Many critics feel it was too "quirky" and "gimmicky" for i... read moret's own good. If anything it wasn't enough! Utilizing the duo's imaginary friends should have been the film's focus not as subsidiary premise elements.

    Let's take a step back and take out these "weird" "indy" ideas. What do we have? A story about an aged man searching for direction, connecting with a younger teenager who's also damaged; ultimately finding resolution in each other's influence/friendship. HOW UTTERLY BORING AND FAMILIAR.

    Unique stylization in execution was key to Paper Man's intrigue, something the directors failed to recognize or were afraid of pursuing.

    Despite all this I actually really enjoyed the film (well, the somewhat pandering voice-over at the end almost killed it for me.) and I'd recommend it to close friends.
  • kiriyamakazou
    February 26, 2011
    kiriyamakazou
    A quirky film about damaged people all getting along. These are the kinds of people that you would run a mile from in real life. Daniels is a huge manchild that needs his imaginary friend to get through life. Reynolds livens up the screen with humor and empathy. In other places t... read morehe film is a heavyhanded tedious piece. The soup analogy is spelled out for the retards in the audience. The subtleties are rarely allowed to just exist without exposition. Culkin parallels Reynold's bright side as the dark and creepy loner. Without these two sidekicks, the film would fall flat on the tedium of the protagonists. Indie comedies are a lot like indie music. Tuneful, enjoyable, but it all starts to sound the same, and thinks it's more important than it really is.
  • LWOODS04
    February 19, 2011
    LWOODS04
    Cast: Jeff Daniels, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Lisa Kudrow, Hunter Parrish, Kieran Culkin, Arabella Field

    Director: Kieran Mulroney, Michele Mulroney

    Summary: Through special friendships with a teenage girl, Abby (Emma Stone), and an imaginary superhero named Captain Exce... read morellent (Ryan Reynolds), frustrated novelist Richard (Jeff Daniels) experiences a second adolescence, which helps him discover a completely new way of life.

    My Thoughts: "Richard seems to be lost in life. He's 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 lonely and that he has no purpose in life. He meets Abby, who seems to be just as lost and lonely as him, and they form a friendship. The relationship never feels strange, or that it is crossing any lines. It is a genuine friendship, one that they both needed in this specific time in their lives, and although the difference of their age, they still relate to how the other is feeling. Ryan Reynolds plays "Captain Excellent, who is Richards imaginary friend who pretty much tries to dictate Richards life of bad decisions. He's the only friend Richard has ever had. Reynolds is very funny in his role with perfect comedic timing. Kieran Culkin plays a similar role but a bit darker. The film is so much more then what the cover of the DVD shows. Yes it looks a bit silly, but it's really a sweet, funny, touching, and at times dark film that I very much enjoyed. It truly reinforces the idea that life goes on from even the most desolate of circumstances. This is the first film that I have seen of Emma Stone playing a more serious role. She blew me away. This film proved, for me, she can do much more then just comedies. Jeff Daniels is always fantastic in his films. All the performances were great. This is a fantastic indie movie and a strong directorial/writing debut for Kieran and Michele Mulroney. Can't wait to see what they do next."
  • puffchunk
    January 31, 2011
    puffchunk
    These are my favorite kind of movies. Take a weird person and explore their weird lives and at the same time say some profound stuff about common aspects of life. If they can pull this off with great actors and something fun to latch onto, then it's usually gold. This film is abo... read moreut loneliness. It's about people with nobody, who still talk to imaginary friends and don't really know how to interact with others. Jeff Daniels shines again.
  • lewiskendell
    January 22, 2011
    lewiskendell
    "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 fr... read moreustrated 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 not bad at all.
  • fb733768972
    November 9, 2010
    fb733768972
    Ok, Paper Man is nothing short of an average story, but it pulls you into it, and creates a very motivational atmosphere that you just do not wish to leave. Ryan Reynolds plays an imaginary superhero thought up by the undeveloped mind of Jeff Daniels character. This is a very ave... read moreragely scripted movie, but the emotion and believable premise is all present. Paper Man, is by no means great, but a nice film to just sit back and enjoy once.

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Critic Reviews

Ian Buckwalter
July 18, 2010
Ian Buckwalter, NPR

Aided by subtly wounded performances by Daniels and Stone, and a surprisingly affecting comic turn from Reynolds, Paper Man makes up for many of its shortcomings with an abundance of heart. Full Review

Roger Moore
June 30, 2010
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

The manipulations characters act out with each other are realistic, even if the overlong and not-nearly-twee-enough comedy built around them isn't, making for a movie whose script may have had more me... Full Review

Cliff Doerksen
May 28, 2010
Cliff Doerksen, Chicago Reader

A big Twinkie stuffed with indie-film cliches and glazed with chiming emo guitars. Full Review

Mick LaSalle
May 20, 2010
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

What we have in this film is a whole lot of nothing, and the little that's there is irritating. Full Review

Peter Rainer
May 7, 2010
Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor

We don't even get a real sense of what kind of writer Richard is, or even if he's any good. It does make a difference, after all, if the novel he can't write is worth writing. A bigger question: Was "... Full Review

Lisa Schwarzbaum
April 28, 2010
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly

Ignore the story of Paper Heart ... Concentrate instead on the delightful performances. Full Review

Stephen Holden
April 23, 2010
Stephen Holden, New York Times

An intelligent, meticulously constructed, well-acted movie that has been written to death.

Lou Lumenick
April 23, 2010
Lou Lumenick, New York Post

Paper Man is far from perfect, but it holds your interest as a character study because of strong performances by Daniels and Stone. Full Review

John Anderson
April 23, 2010
John Anderson, Wall Street Journal

Married screenwriters Kieran and Michelle Mulroney, who are making their directorial debut, try to wed the peculiar to the poignant and they are irreconcilable. Full Review

Robert Abele
April 23, 2010
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times

The quirk-laden indie Paper Man brings together a novelist who won't grow up with a sullen teenage girl for mutual wallowing, eccentric high jinks and life lessons but, unfortunately, little reason to... Full Review

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