[7]

Lee Daniels (Precious, The Butler) directs this moody piece about a college dropout who helps his older brother investigate the murder of a police officer. The convicted killer’s girlfriend joins the investigation to help prove his innocence. Zac Efron and Matthew McConnaughey play the brothers and Nicole Kidman plays the girlfriend — each of them showing range and abilities you haven’t seen from them in any movies prior. That’s the best thing about The Paperboy. The cast really soars and surprises here. Efron shows he’s more than just a pretty face, while McConnaughey is playing a self-loathing homosexual and Kidman is a trashy nymphomaniac. Then there’s John Cusack as the convicted killer. This is probably the best I’ve ever seen Cusack — sweating, spitting, malevolent. There’s one scene with all the actors visiting Cusack in prison, and Cusack makes all of them watch while Kidman literally gets him off. Daniels was probably able to collect this impressive cast because it asks things of actors they simply don’t get to do very often. Hell, in another scene, Nicole Kidman has to squat and pee all over Zac Efron after he’s stung by jellyfish. I bet Kubrick never asked her to do that. (And he’s probably kicking himself for it.)

I’d maybe like to have seen more emotional impact from certain moments, but Daniels is big on avoiding sentimentality (Monster’s Ball, which he produced, is a masterclass on the issue). The last half of the movie gets more personal than procedural, revealing a few dark but pleasant surprises. Macy Gray turns in a memorable supporting role as the brothers’ maid and maternal influence. Scott Glenn and David Oyelowo are also along for the ride.