Monday 22 April 2013

The Paperboy (2012)

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Cusack plays: Death row inmate Hillary Van Wetter

Here I am making my yearly return to my blog to post the latest Cusack film review. And Blogger has changed and looks different, argh. But anyway -

The Paperboy, based on a 1990s novel of the same name, is a warm film. Not warm in a a family friendly Christmassy huggy way, but warm, like sticky and hot, dripping with sweat. I went to see it on one of those evenings in Edinburgh where it was snowing every night so it felt odd sitting there in my wellies while Zac Efron pranched about in his pants in a sweaty Southern 1960s summer. If Zac Efron in his pants is something that interests you, seek this film out immediately - it happens a lot.

The plot - The titular paperboy refers to Efron, college drop out delivering papers, while Matthew McConaughey is his investigative reporter older brother who returns to town to look into the case of death row inmate Cusack, a bad guy for sure, but did he really do the murderous crime? While banged up he has begun a letter writing romance and pledged marriage to trashy Nicole Kidman. The film follows the efforts to exonorate Cusack while Efron falls hard for Kidman.

This film seems to have received seriously varied views suggesting its an acquired taste - and dependent on how much you like the trashier bits (eg Kidman peeing on the jellyfish stung Efron, Kidman and Cusack dirty talking across the prison visiting room) and alligators being sliced open and their guts flying everywhere. Me? I sort of enjoyed it, but am not in a rush to rewatch.

Ned Bellamy pops up again, which must surely now make him Cusack's most frequent co-star. Next in the challenge? Imdb suggests we are in for a ropey looking thriller and Cusack playing another murderer..