"The Paper" is a movie about one day in the life of the metro editor of a New York City daily newspaper. Michael Keaton plays Henry Hackett, at the fictional New York Sun. His position equates to the city editor of most daily papers. The Sun isn't the "the" paper of prominence in the Big Apple. It is one of several papers in competition in the city. Hackett this day has an interview appointment at The Sentinel (also fictional), which is "the" paper of prominence. This is billed as a comedy and drama, but it's completely lacking in comedy. It has some drama, but it's constantly peppered with angst and harried people dashing about.
While the story is interesting, it's grossly exaggerated. It implies that this is reality on a daily basis - at least of this newspaper and others like it. If that were the case in real life, all of the Hackett's in the world wouldn't' last much beyond a month in their jobs before being carted off to the looney bin. But, not only him - others as portrayed by some of the cast besides Keaton. Most notably would be an assistant managing editor as portrayed by Glenn Close. Her Alicia Clark is a high-strung character who is often pitted against Hackett in paper decisions. She's got the management knack, but doesn't come from a journalism background.
Clark is the picture of the newspaper boss trying to outdo the competition with the sensational approach. And, director Ron Howard spices this film up by having Clark in an extra-marital affair. It's even so wacko that she pops for expensive hotel rooms for her affairs during daytime business hours. And then, to get paid more to cover her expensive habit she tries to squeeze a pay raise out of the managing editor with 18 months still left on her current contract. When he doesn't budge, she goes over his head to the publisher owner who really floors her.
Robert Duval is the managing editor, Bernie White, and Jason Robards has the small part as the owner, Graham Keighley. Duval's character is the estranged father who long ago put his job - with its philandering, above his family and lost his wife and daughter. As Bernie's health is declining, he longs to make up with his daughter. But he can't even do that, and he finds out she was married, and then going outside her home, he sees that she is a mother and that he's a grandfather.
A number of other cast members have notable roles in this picture of mayhem. Marisa Tomei plays Martha Hackett who is about to have their first child. Randy Quaid is a columnist, Michael McDougal, who carries a loaded revolved around for self-protection against the city's transportation manager who is out to get him. Jason Alexander plays that guy, Marion Sandusky. Lynne Thigpen is Janet, Henry's secretary and right-hand woman.
The plot is ballistic, with disputes and harried staffers trying to break the true story behind a gruesome street murder of two Arizona businessmen. Two innocent Black teens were arrested after they happened by the car with the two dead out-of-towners in it. Then there's a brawl in the press hangout bar, a gunshot and wounded Alicia Clark, an ambulance call for Martha Hackett whose baby is coming early, and more.
Such a crazy, frenetic and frantic day in a city editor's life might happen once in a while. Like, once a year. But as routine, or even frequent, very few Hackett's would survive for long. And the picture of the crazy newsroom in this film is highly exaggerated. Such a den of mayhem would drive all of the employees crazy in time. Although I never worked for one of the New York papers, I did work at three daily newspapers in my journalism years. I was a reporter and later an editor. One was an international paper and the other two city papers that had city editors. All had newsrooms that were nothing like that of the Sun in this film.
Some older movies of the 1930s showed newspaper competition with harried newsrooms. Those were in the days when American city newspapers were very competitive and tried to beat the competition with sensational headlines, stories and photos. Yellow journalism still flourished.
But, a number of good movies have been made that show the inside of daily newspapers more realistically. "Teacher's Pet" of 1958 is one, with Clark Gable and Doris Day. Another is "All the President's Men" of 1976 with Dustin Hoffman, Robert Redford, and Jason Robards. A very good TV series that showed the newsroom of a Los Angeles daily paper was the Lou Grant show of 1977-82.
This movie tries to be somewhat sensationalist in its own way - in its very plot. The cast are all good, but too much of this film stretches reality - the gun-carrying journalist, for instance, in 1994 New York City. The daytime adultery of the Close character in expensive hotel rooms. Some fans of the various cast members may enjoy the film. Journalists will probably be split. The movie got generally good reviews, and while its domestic box office was nearly double its budget, that wasn't enough to cover the cost (at about 50% producer's share) until a little profit came with overseas sales.
This is an adult film that is passable for a rainy day, especially if one's a little tired. It doesn't demand a lot of attention. And there's no comedy to keep one awake. The best line of the film indicates how lame the comedy is. Duvall's White says to Keaton's Hackett, "Don't ask marital advice from a guy with two ex-wives and a daughter who won't speak to me."
While the story is interesting, it's grossly exaggerated. It implies that this is reality on a daily basis - at least of this newspaper and others like it. If that were the case in real life, all of the Hackett's in the world wouldn't' last much beyond a month in their jobs before being carted off to the looney bin. But, not only him - others as portrayed by some of the cast besides Keaton. Most notably would be an assistant managing editor as portrayed by Glenn Close. Her Alicia Clark is a high-strung character who is often pitted against Hackett in paper decisions. She's got the management knack, but doesn't come from a journalism background.
Clark is the picture of the newspaper boss trying to outdo the competition with the sensational approach. And, director Ron Howard spices this film up by having Clark in an extra-marital affair. It's even so wacko that she pops for expensive hotel rooms for her affairs during daytime business hours. And then, to get paid more to cover her expensive habit she tries to squeeze a pay raise out of the managing editor with 18 months still left on her current contract. When he doesn't budge, she goes over his head to the publisher owner who really floors her.
Robert Duval is the managing editor, Bernie White, and Jason Robards has the small part as the owner, Graham Keighley. Duval's character is the estranged father who long ago put his job - with its philandering, above his family and lost his wife and daughter. As Bernie's health is declining, he longs to make up with his daughter. But he can't even do that, and he finds out she was married, and then going outside her home, he sees that she is a mother and that he's a grandfather.
A number of other cast members have notable roles in this picture of mayhem. Marisa Tomei plays Martha Hackett who is about to have their first child. Randy Quaid is a columnist, Michael McDougal, who carries a loaded revolved around for self-protection against the city's transportation manager who is out to get him. Jason Alexander plays that guy, Marion Sandusky. Lynne Thigpen is Janet, Henry's secretary and right-hand woman.
The plot is ballistic, with disputes and harried staffers trying to break the true story behind a gruesome street murder of two Arizona businessmen. Two innocent Black teens were arrested after they happened by the car with the two dead out-of-towners in it. Then there's a brawl in the press hangout bar, a gunshot and wounded Alicia Clark, an ambulance call for Martha Hackett whose baby is coming early, and more.
Such a crazy, frenetic and frantic day in a city editor's life might happen once in a while. Like, once a year. But as routine, or even frequent, very few Hackett's would survive for long. And the picture of the crazy newsroom in this film is highly exaggerated. Such a den of mayhem would drive all of the employees crazy in time. Although I never worked for one of the New York papers, I did work at three daily newspapers in my journalism years. I was a reporter and later an editor. One was an international paper and the other two city papers that had city editors. All had newsrooms that were nothing like that of the Sun in this film.
Some older movies of the 1930s showed newspaper competition with harried newsrooms. Those were in the days when American city newspapers were very competitive and tried to beat the competition with sensational headlines, stories and photos. Yellow journalism still flourished.
But, a number of good movies have been made that show the inside of daily newspapers more realistically. "Teacher's Pet" of 1958 is one, with Clark Gable and Doris Day. Another is "All the President's Men" of 1976 with Dustin Hoffman, Robert Redford, and Jason Robards. A very good TV series that showed the newsroom of a Los Angeles daily paper was the Lou Grant show of 1977-82.
This movie tries to be somewhat sensationalist in its own way - in its very plot. The cast are all good, but too much of this film stretches reality - the gun-carrying journalist, for instance, in 1994 New York City. The daytime adultery of the Close character in expensive hotel rooms. Some fans of the various cast members may enjoy the film. Journalists will probably be split. The movie got generally good reviews, and while its domestic box office was nearly double its budget, that wasn't enough to cover the cost (at about 50% producer's share) until a little profit came with overseas sales.
This is an adult film that is passable for a rainy day, especially if one's a little tired. It doesn't demand a lot of attention. And there's no comedy to keep one awake. The best line of the film indicates how lame the comedy is. Duvall's White says to Keaton's Hackett, "Don't ask marital advice from a guy with two ex-wives and a daughter who won't speak to me."