PAPER MAN - DVD review

If you are about a middle aged man-child finally forced to confront adulthood, you just might be an American independent film.

If you are about two damaged souls who strike up an extremely unlikely friendship and heal their trauma through their newfound connection, you just might be an American independent film.

If you feature quirky characters who act quirky just for the sake of quirk, you just might be an American independent film.

You also just might be "Paper Man" (2009), the feature-length debut from the writer-director team of Kieran and Michele Mulroney, a film that features an impressive cast but fails to deploy them in any useful manner.

Richard (Jeff Daniels) is a 40-something struggling with writer's block (… and just might be an American independent film) so he and his brilliant surgeon wife Claire (Lisa Kudrow) decide it would be a good idea for him to spend some time alone in a vacation house in Montauk, NY. It soon becomes apparent that writer's block is the least of Richard's problems as his marriage is crumbling and the furniture is driving him nuts.

But fortunately Richard is never alone, not even in this tiny oceanside town, because his childhood friend Captain Excellent (Ryan Reynolds) is always by his side. Perma-adolescent Richard has never outgrown his imaginary friend who always stands ready to lend a hand, though it's not clear exactly what the muscle-bound hero's powers actually are. He's able to help Richard move the sofa to the backyard (‘cause that's a quirky thing to do) and can deliver the occasional speech about his own Captain Excellence that inspires Richard: "I'm bolstered!"

Bolstering isn't enough, though, as Richard can't get past the first sentence of his new novel. Fortunately, while riding a poorly-oiled child's bike, he encounters sullen teenager Abby (Emma Stone) and asks her to babysit for him even though he doesn't have a child, a fact Abby accepts blithely on her first trip to Richard's home rather than screaming "PERV!" and immediately running away. Because the script demands it (and for absolutely no other plausible reason), these disparate characters bond by sharing their mutual stories of loss. Claire drops by on weekends and proves to be unbelievably (really… unbelievably) tolerant of all of Richard's eccentricities and poor decision-making skills, a thankless performance that even the charismatic Lisa Kudrow can't breath any life into. The repetitive shot-reverse-shot photography and editing doesn't provide much dynamism either.

If the film offers any surprise, it's that Daniels is completely outacted by Emma Stone. Stone has received many plaudits for her performance in "Easy A" (which I haven't seen) and she has a quiet, intelligent grace that one hopes won't be wasted in a series of quirky outsider roles or Hollywood franchise fodder (she's slotted to play Gwen Stacy in the "Spider-Man" reboot.) As the relatively sedate Claire, she's a bit clueless but otherwise the most plausible and sympathetic character in a film that does everything it can to wring pathos out of every moment.

As for Captain Excellent, well, he's at least more interesting than the self-indulgent, navel-gazing Richard. All play and no work makes Richard a very dull boy.

VIDEO

The film is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer. At least the transfer is very good with surprisingly strong image detail and contrast. Colors are a bit muted but still well-produced. It's a bit dark at times, especially during indoor scenes, but enough to be a significant problem.

AUDIO

The film is presented with a Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track. The audio design is straightforward and all dialogue is clearly audible here. Optional English and Spanish subtitles are provided.

EXTRAS

The disc includes a "Making Of" featurette (13 min.) with interviews with the directors and cast members and a Trailer.

FILM VALUE

If you agree with "People" that Ryan Reynolds is the Sexiest Man Alive, you might want to check out what is surely destined to be his most obscure spandex role. It's also sure to be a trivia stumper when you challenge your opponent to name every super-hero/costumed character Reynolds has ever portrayed. Aside from that, the only other reason to watch "Paper Heart" is for a solid performance by Emma Stone.