Review of Paper Man

Paper Man (2009)
6/10
not at all what I expected - but worth the watch
7 June 2014
I had no idea this film - Unlikely Hero - even existed until I saw it on the shelf in my supermarket, it looked funny, it said it was hilarious so it was Netflix'd. Well, firstly, it wasn't hilarious. I'd not even say it was a comedy but it was very good. I think Paperman is a better title, to be honest.

The incredible Jeff Daniels stars in this dark, melancholic, psychological film as the author who has hit writer's block and is battling depression and other issues, including the fact that he still has his imaginary friend, in the form of superhero Ryan Reynolds. Emma Stone is the brilliant, unlikely friendship he meets on his sabbatical to write in an out of the way town, and the complexity of both their lives, their joys, pains and despair is what the film is about. The film leaves a lot to the imagination, doesn't explain a lot and leaves an awful lot of questions unanswered. It's not a particularly satisfying film, in that it seems to end in a way that you wouldn't write yourself, there's no denouement or happy ending, just ... well watch it and see.

Whilst not satisfying in terms of plot, there is a lot of commend this film for. Namely the performances of the actors, it is funny in a dark and dry sort of way, and it does deal with some rather tough subjects. It is enjoyable, if for the adventure of discovery that it takes you on. Having not known anything about it I found it a rather pleasant film-watching experience. I'm not sure who I would recommend this to, but I wouldn't not recommend it as it was a good piece of independent (Sundance) film.
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