Product Details

• Actors: Kyle Howard, Robert Englund, Travis Wester, Chauncey Leopardi, Ethan Glazer
• Directors: Blair Treu
• Writers: Denice K. Rice
• Producers: David Anderson, Don Schain, Wayne Allan Rice
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• VHS Release Date: February 25, 1997
• Run Time: 105 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6304342802
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #68,989 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Gunther Wheeler, fourteen, a city tough-guy from New York moves to a small town called Pleasant Valley. Gunther isn't making very many friends in his new town. Until he meets Allison Robbins a beautiful blond girl his age, the girl of his dreams. Gunther is anxious to score on Allison by taking her out on a date. When Chad, Luke, and Wylie, a couple of neighborhood bullies give Gunther a chance to see Screamin' Banchees, an awesome band, but the tickets for the concert are $150. Gunther doesn't have that kind of money. So the only way for him to get the money is to work as a paperboy with Charlie, Gus, Henry, and Fish which is known as the "nerd herd."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars classic, August 28, 2003

By 

Emily (Philadelphia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Paper Brigade [VHS] (VHS Tape)

They play this movie all the time on Disney, and I never get tired of it. The characters are just so ridiculous and stupid, it cracks me up every time. And the Certifiable guy, oh.... so amusing. This is basically about this guy who has unrequited love for this girl who is (supposed to be, at least) very attractive, but these evil bullies thwart his plans for taking her to some concert by taking over his paper route. so in the end, they all band together to get the bad guys.

classic.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious, yet surprisingly heartfelt, December 26, 2007

By 

Henry-Clyde "cLaSsIc MoViE lOvEr AnD bOoK rEaDeR" (North of Nowhere, South of Everywhere, East of There, West of Here) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Paper Brigade [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Humor is something used every day. It is used in every medium. Sometimes it is wasted, sometimes it is used wisely. There are many forms of humor. The idiotic vulgar jokes, witty one-liners, slapstick, and stupid humor. "THE PAPER BRIGADE" is a prime example of many kinds of humor, mostly witticism, stupid humor, and slapstick. In this particular movie, it all works. That is because this is a comedy. It does have heartwarming moments and bits of romance, but it is, at its heart, a comedy. While all three of these elements - comedy, romance, and heartwarming are used in practically every kids and family movie, this one is different. It is different because of the funny and well-acted characters, the story, and especially the way it all affects the audience.
Gunther Wheeler (Kyle Howard) is a teenager living with his family. They are just now moving from New York City to a suburb. Gunther is a goofy kid that is not at all happy about moving to what is, to him, a small and boring town. The kind of movies where we run into an assortment of different characters are always the most interesting, and "THE PAPER BRIGADE" is no exception. Gunther meets up with the strangest assortment of them all. A dorky group of paper boys - the "Nerd Herd" led by Charlie Parker (Chauncey Leopardi), as well as the town bullies, led by Chad (Travis Wester), and the beautiful Alison Robbins (Kylee Cochran). One of the paper boys, Leonard, is going to be gone for the summer, and Charlie looks to Gunther to fill the position. Gunther declines, obviously hoping to do nothing all summer. But when he hears from Chad that there is going to be a concert in town, he gets an idea to take Alison on a date. However, Chad asks an outrageous price for the tickets, and Gunther needs to find a way to get some money. He decides to accept the still available position as the new paperboy. At first, he has a world of trouble dealing with the typical big dog and eccentric neighbors, such as Crazy Man Cooper (Robert Englund). He manages to find a way to befriend Cooper, and in a hilarious scene, take care of the big dog. But one thing he finds that he never expected: the extremely kind hearted, baseball loving older widow, Mrs. Hansen (Bibi Osterwald), and they form a very close relationship. Unfortunately, even though Gunther pays Chad off for the tickets, Chad is not satisfied. He rounds up his "gang" and Gunther, being afraid of Chad, willingly gives away the paper routes to them. Alison becomes disappointed in Gunther since he would not stand up to Chad and his friends. There is a particularly poignant scene here where Gunther tells Mrs. Hansen that she will have a new paperboy. This is the part of the movie where Gunther figures out what he is, and that he is capable of doing good things for somebody else, especially Mrs. Hansen and his friends. Now, "The Paper Brigade" must get their routes back, and Gunther must reconcile with Alison, all in truly hilarious fashion.
"THE PAPER BRIGADE" is definitely not just a comedy. Most comedies exist just for the sake of laughs. This one does that, and more. Kyle Howard gives a winning and pleasing performance as Gunther. His performance here is very different than his in "ADDRESS UNKNOWN", another one of my favorites. In that movie, Howard was very tense, dramatic, and terrifically compassionate. Here, he is very funny, dedicated, and compassionate as well. This compassion is much lighter in tone, but just as heartfelt and meaningful. At the beginning, Gunther is, essentially, just a loser. However, he starts to change once his family moves. He gets a job, which forces him to get out of the house and interact with people. He likes Alison, proving that there is somebody for everybody, and he meets Mrs. Hansen. Meeting Mrs. Hansen is probably the best thing he ever did. Gunther finds it within himself to almost instantly befriend and care for Mrs. Hansen, just like he discovers that she actually returns his friendship and care. That is really the reason why he helps his friends get their routes back, and is also the reason why he takes Mrs. Hansen to the baseball game - to prove to himself and to others that he is not a loser. He does care more for others than himself, and he wants everyone to know how he has changed.





Also Recommended: "THE BUTTERCREAM GANG" (1992), "THE SANDLOT" (1993), "THE BUTTERCREAM GANG: THE SECRET OF TREASURE MOUNTAIN" (1993)", "ROOKIE OF THE YEAR" (1993), "ADDRESS UNKNOWN" (1997)




THIS REVIEW IS DEDICATED TO ANYONE, LIVING OR DEAD, INVOLVED IN THE MAKING OF "THE PAPER BRIGADE".

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy THIS version. Beware of "imitations", July 9, 2010

By 

Mr. Bill "Bill" (Cleveland, OH USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Paper Brigade [VHS] (VHS Tape)

It seems that this VHS version called "THE PAPER BRIGADE" is currently the ONLY version that is "complete" as the movie was originally made. I have NO IDEA WHY an edited version of a PG movie was released on DVD and later VHS versions and titled "GUNTHER &" The paper Brigade. This movie is only 90 minutes long which is a "normal" running time for such a movie. The idea of removing almost 15 minutes from these newer versions is idiotic to say the least. If you want to see the ORIGINAL UNCUT version, BUY THIS ONE. Lets try to get an UNCUT DVD version from the manufacturers. They are doing us a disservice by editing a good movie, for no good reason.
Now for the review:

I wish that the newspaper industry in many cities and towns, would consider the values that this movie displays. Sadly in cities like mine, having newspaper "boys" OR girls is a thing of the past. Adult carriers that are "private contractors" simply throw the papers from a passing car or truck. They mail you a bill to pay and there is a delivery charge as well. The service is impersonal, the paper lands "wherever". The idea of delivering it on a porch, dropping it "in a slot" or tossing it into the business man's briefcase is basically unheard of. This movie makes you long for a time when such things were possible. A kid could find an honest way to earn money and get tips for good service. It taught good business and responsibility and good manners. It gave a kid exercise and he/she got to know the neighbors and neighborhood. Elderly people might even hire them to cut lawns rake leaves or do other odd jobs. I know this sounds like Mayberry but things were like this once.

What you see here is something that most kids face, today. Being the new kid in town; not knowing anyone; Wanting to make friends and be popular. Having to face bullies. Finding the money to buy stuff and entertainment and hopefully treat someone that you find "special". Learning that sometimes the people that seem the most "unpopular" are the ones you can depend on the most and are the ones worth having as friends. Everyone is "wierd" in one way or another, but being different is not necessarily a bad thing.
The idea here is to learn about other peoples differences and try to make friends and fit in. Try to do it in an HONEST way. Above all, people like others that are honest and sincere.
I would love to see the days of the "Paperboy" return. True "customer service" is getting hard to find. I would much rather give a tip to a kid who is hardworking and honest, than someone who cares very little about the customer or about his job in general. This movie speaks of a time that I hope we havnt lost completely.