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Paper Man DVD Review - www.impulsegamer.com -

Feature 4.0
Video 6.0
Audio 6.5
Special Features N/A
Audio 4.0
Distributor: Sony
Running Time: 110
Classification:
 M15+
Reviewer: Simon Black

4.0


Paper Man

Suffering a fairly potent bout of writer’s block, middle-aged novelist Richard Dunn (Jeff Daniels) is carted off to the countryside by his wife (Lisa Kudrow) and left there over the summer as an attempt to get his inspiration flowing again.  Along for the ride is Richard’s imaginary friend Captain Excellent (Ryan Reynolds), a flashy blonde Prometheus who embodies many of the characteristics Dunn wishes he himself could possess. 

During the course of his tedious exercises in ‘charming’ self-indulgence Dunn encounters Abby (Emma Stone, Easy A), a 17-year-old girl who also projects her insecurities in the guise of a sassy imaginary companion (Kieran Culkin).  An unlikely bond forms between the pair and... the movie ends up exactly where you think it will.  Valuable lessons are learned, crises of the past confronted and a good time is had by all.  Except, that is, the viewer. 

Despite a promising premise and a number of strong performances, particularly from Stone and the always-engaging Culkin, Paper Man never really gets going and its plot ends up in a confused muddle of clichéd and unconvincing resolutions.  Plus, for a comedy, it isn’t particularly funny, a factor which proves something of an impediment to any real enjoyment.  Reynolds tries his darndest to wring some levity from the fairly silly script and Daniels is convincing enough, though we never truly to warm to his character and wish he’d grow up rather than endlessly indulging in his childish penchant for make believe. 

The film hasn’t hurt the careers of co-directors Kieran and Michele Mulroney, with the pair commissioned as screenwriters for Guy Ritchie’s impending Sherlock Holmes 2.  There’s little magical about this current outing however, and it proves a largely listless, sodden and uninspiring directorial debut for the pair. 

Audio & Video

The 16:9 rendering is a little soft, though Daniels’ ugly mug was hardly tailer made for HD so this is a probably a good thing.  The English 5.1 soundtrack was probably a tad unnecessary, but the temperate score sounds great in surround and overall the audio quality is excellent. 

Special Features

None.






 
 



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