The Paperboy

The Paperboy: Wow, this is a mess. Matthew McConaughey, Zac Efron, Nicole Kidman and John Cusack all participate in this strange, plodding 1960s period piece about a reporter looking into the case of a convicted killer in the deep South. While there are some good performances here—especially Cusack as a creepy, sickening person on all levels—director Lee Daniels made a bad choice in trying to make much of the movie look like the Zapruder film. It looks OK for about five minutes, but quickly becomes tough on the eyes. Kidman works hard as a strange woman who falls in love with Cusack and agrees to marry him through letters. Her hard work is mostly a waste. The two share a prison sex scene where they aren’t touching each other. That particular scene probably didn’t need to be filmed. I’m kind of unhappy I saw that scene. Actually, I’m kind of unhappy I saw the whole movie. It’s a total waste of good talent.