Paper Man (2009)

A washed-up writer forms an unlikely friendship with a teenager from Long Island.

Directors:

Kieran Mulroney, Michele Mulroney

Writers:

Michele Mulroney, Kieran Mulroney

Stars:

Jeff Daniels, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Lisa Kudrow	...	Claire Dunn
Jeff Daniels	...	Richard Dunn
Ryan Reynolds	...	Captain Excellent
Emma Stone	...	Abby
Kieran Culkin	...	Christopher
Hunter Parrish	...	Bryce
Eric Gilliland	...	UPS Guy
Louis Rosario	...	Bryce's Posse
Conrad Wolfe	...	Bryce's Posse
Arabella Field	...	Lucy
Chris Parnell	...	Peter
Brian T. Finney	...	Mike
Brian Patrick Russell	...	Dave (as Brian Russell)
Jill Shackner	...	Sophomore Girl
Violet O'Neill	...	Makeout Girl

Storyline

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.

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Plot Keywords:

author | writer | superhero | ocean | atlantic ocean | 

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Taglines:

A little imagination goes a long way

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and a scene of sexuality

Did You Know?

Trivia

This is the 2nd movie in which Jeff Daniels plays a character with the last name Dunn. In Dumb and Dumber (1994) he plays Harry Dunne.

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Goofs

Claire closes the car window after Abby approaches her. In the next shot when she drives away, you can see the window half open (1:33:00).

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Quotes

[first lines]
[Richard and Claire arrive by car to a house]
Richard Dunn: Pictures didn't do it justice.
Claire Dunn: Oh!

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Crazy Credits

Captain Excellent makes a final appearance as the end credits begin.

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Connections

Featured in The Rotten Tomatoes Show: Kick-Ass/Death at a Funeral/The Joneses (2010)

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Soundtracks

No Fun At Parties
Written by Chandler Travis
Performed by The Incredible Casuals
Courtesy of Eat Records

User Reviews

pleasantly surprised

The first time I played this movie I fell asleep right after it started and almost didn't replay it the next day because what little I remember of it wasn't too impressive. I would have missed one of the better movies I've seen in some time.

Like a lot of indie films it wasn't cookie cutter Hollywood but also unlike a lot of indie films it had some real acting talent. I had seen Emma Stone in Easy A for the first time and enjoyed her in that role but didn't see any exceptional talent so I was really amazed at the performance she gave in this movie as it was a much deeper and complicated role. You don't realize how good she is until you've seen the whole film and finally understand the undercurrent that has been present throughout. Jeff Daniels is a veteran actor and it was hard to tell at first if he was filling his role but as the film progresses you realize that Richard is a flawed man and has been for a very long time and it has reached a point where it can't continue and Daniels was Richard. The three remaining characters were really only set dressing but they were instrumental in helping flesh out who Richard and Abby really were.

Richard, a 40ish writer who has what appears to be writers block meets 17 year old Abby, a not too typical teen. There is an almost instant mutual attraction that develops into a unique friendship that is decidedly not sexual.How this friendship develops and how it affects the rest of the characters is what made this movie so enjoyable. See for yourself. Daniels and Stone were excellent together.

This film does require a little effort. There are no throw away scenes so if you don't stay with it and pay attention you will have wasted the effort that the writers and actors put into it and probably won't appreciate it. If you have a short attention span or are hooked on Hollywood then don't bother with this one.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 May 2014 (South Korea)

Also Known As:

Paper Man

Filming Locations:

Holbrook, Long Island, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,613, 25 April 2010

Gross USA:

$13,514

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$13,514

Company Credits

Production Co:

Artfire Films, Entertainment 360, FilmColony

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1