Customer Reviews

The Paper [VHS]

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

A high powered ensemble cast propels Ron Howard's examination of 24 hours in the life of a struggling New York paper. Michael Keaton gives a solid performance as the managing editor who wants to make up for the paper's losing a key story. Robert Duvall plays the cancer-ridden editor who wants a relationship with his estranged daughter; Glenn Close has as pre Cruella Deville moment as the acerbic manager; Marisa Tomei tries for another Oscar as Keaton's wife, but she doesn't quite pull it off; Randy Quaid is the columnist who works with Keaton to save the fate of two wrongfully accused African American teenagers, and Jason Alexander surfaces as a disgruntled victim of the press. All in all, it's frenetic and Howard does a good job of capturing the feel of a newspaper facing a seemingly impossible deadline. The movie is a little too long, but it reaches the expected climax with a few moments of tension along the way.

Is the theme of this film, one of the best films I have ever seen at the only movie I have ever seen eight times in the theater. Yes, I saw ONE movie eight times in the movie theater, but the thing is I never got sick of it. I'm already a bit biased given Michael Keaton is my all time favorite actor, but I love this movie for so many more reasons. The acting by Michael, Marisa Tomei, Robert Duval, Randy Quaid and Glen Glose is just exceptional, and Ron Howards directing is on the mark as always.
There are also some good cameos by the late William Kunstler and Jason Robards. There's also a hillarious cameo by Bob Costas which I won't give away, you've just gotta see it:)

Henry Hackett (Michael Keaton) has a grueling job as an editor at The New York Sun (my guess being it's supposed to be a ficitional verison of The New York Post judging by such front page headlines as "No Parking Except For Me" and "Gotcha") that usually keeps him from his wife nine months pregnant wife Martha (Marisa Tomei) 24/7, so she's pressuring him to get a cushier job at The New York Sentinal (fictional version of The New York Times based on their mantra of "We Cover The World.") Henry of course doesn't want to be out of the action that makes him down Cokes and Tums all day, and finds himself subconsciously sabatoging the interview in the pursuit of finding out the truth behind a grizzly murder and exonerate the two boys arrested for the murder whom he knows in his gut are innocent. The movie takes place during these twenty four hours; from battling with bosses, to fights, to shootings to a father trying to make ammends with his daughter he neglected; this movie shows a day in the life of five people as they try to find the truth behind the murder and the truth about their lifes. Because your whole world can change in twenty-four hours.

Odd film, this. The cast is first-rate and the individual performances good, at times excellent (Close, Duvall, Tomei); the main theme of the story is interesting, as are the sub-plots; Ron Howard's direction is of the high quality audiences would expect; and the settings are authentically New York, appropriate for a "newspaper" flick. So, why doesn't it all work any better than it does?

One reason is that the individual scenes have greater dramatic impact than the complete film does. At times, the scenes appear to have been taken from different films and pasted together into this one.

Robert Duvall's attempts to reestablish contact with his estranged daughter - an angry woman if ever there was one - are both touching and unsettling. The restaurant scene with Michael Keaton and Marisa Tomei presents a detailed, albeit quick, portrait of their complex relationship, although Keaton's out-of-body experience seemed out-of-keeping with the overall tone of the film. The newspaper editorial staff meeting provides opportunity for several of the supporting characters to distinguish themselves. Tomei's solo screen time is excellent and the Keaton/Close knock-down, drag-out fight on the catwalk by the presses is genuinely frightening.

But, the drama in these scenes does not carry over to the film as a whole. Since each of these story elements receives almost equal attention, the main thread of the story - whether or not the paper will effect the fate of the accused man - does not take center stage. With the film's focus shifted to the struggles among the people who think they hold the accused's fate in their hands, the audience does not have an opportunity to empathize with the accused himself.

In the theatre, this lack of empathy can make the whole venture fall flat. Fortunately, with the DVD format, one can re-watch his favorite scenes without investing time repeating the entire film. In this film, the individual performances are sufficiently powerful to warrant that approach.

I'm not commentng on the movie. It's a great flick. Keaton is awesome, probably one of his better performances. Quaid, Duvall, Close, Robards and Tomei are all terrific as well, as is Howard's direction. My problem is with Amazon's description. They list it as being available in Widescreen format. It's not. It's the same version you can buy at Wal Mart for $5.00. I bought it under this pretense and not only did I get the same full screen version I already had, I had to pay shipping to return it.

Ron Howard isn't the most dynamic of directors -- his style is pretty vanilla and he hasn't picked the greatest projects in the world (i.e. Ransom) but he was right on the money with The Paper. While he tends to cram a little too much into one day -- nobody has that exciting a day -- you have to give him a bit of artistic license -- it is a movie after all.

Michael Keaton is well-cast as the big city paper editor with too much on his plate. He can do the manic side of his character (see, well, any movie he's ever done) and he's also up for the serious stuff too. Obviously, he must enjoy playing a journalist as he did a great job as one in Live From Baghdad as well.

The cast is what makes this film work so well. Aside from Keaton, the other real stand-out is Randy Quaid as a fellow reporter and friend. For years now, Quaid as been typecast in dumb guy roles. It so refreshing to see him actually play an intelligent, street savvy reporter in this film. He gets all the great lines and steals all the scenes he's in. The film really kicks into gear when he and Keaton team-up to blow the lid off of a high profile story. I'd love to see these guys do another film together.

While the film does get a tad on the preachy, idealistic side, it still is a very entertaining look at working on a major newspaper in New York City. It's a shame that the DVD is such a letdown. No extras and pan and scanned. Ugh. However, Opie seems to be revisiting his films on DVD with new special editions (i.e. Splash, Ransom). Hopefully, this one will get the deluxe treatment.

The picture is great, but the sound is a little off. In order to hear what is being said, you must turn the sound up really loud and then it becomes too loud to enjoy, but turning the sound lower means the dialog is muffled and it is hard to understand what they are saying. Otherwise, it seems to be in good shape.The Paper

My daughter just purchased this for me from amazon. I love this movie. However in description above under product details it says full screen and wide screen yet format is 1.33/1 which is full screen! I had already unwrapped so too late to send back and that description got her because she knows I only like my movies in wide screen. Someone at Amazon should fix this error.

A very entertaining movie, with sit on the edge of your seat suspense. Done much like the old TV series "St Elsewhere", with the cutting back and forth between characters, that has become so popular today. In 1994 it was more cutting edge. "City of Hope" was also in this style, although with much more substance. A lot gets packed into 24 hours in the life of these people. I particularly enjoyed Randy Quaid's character here. Many of the others seemed to be playing types, rather than real people, but for this kind of script, with no pretensions of meaning, that's OK. It was action-packed, never a dull moment. I did thing Spalding Grey not good, as I think he has been in everything I've seen him in, which is odd, as his stage show was nothing short of fabulous. A great talent will be missed. Perhaps the film medium was just not suited to him. There was also a continuity break in the scene where Marisa Tomai is having a drink with some guy. Sometimes the lime slice is on her glass, sometimes not, the level of water keeps changing, and also the angle of the lime slice when it is there. And I think the reporter with back problems and his chair should have hit the cutting room floor.

This Ron Howard Film is so good and so fun to watch that you don't realize how long it is. Time is a virtue here. This great casts Glenn Close, Robert Duval, Randy Quaid, Marissa Tormei, and others who are good at their craft. Keaton works for a certain newspaper and likes his job. A lot of fun here from Keaton. I think it is one of his best roles ever! Don't miss this great film. I own this one. A Great film by Howard.

I realy enjoyed this film with it's funny poigant look at life, work, love and making it all work. Michael Keaton realy outdoes himself in a funny but demanding role as a workaholic metro editor for a Newspaper who is prssured by his pregnant wife to take a cushier desk job at a rival newspaper, and at the same time going head to head with a no nonsense managing editor played by Glen Close on a story about two black youths who he beleives are innocent in a double murder that could start a race war. The movie moves from comedy to drama back to comedy that it keeps your attention for nealy two hours. And how often you see great acting talent like this film showcases. Robert Duvall, Randy Quaid, SEINFELD'S Jason Alexander and the late Jason Robards. The Paper Is a great film filled such intensity it's impossible to overlook this film.