The Paper

 3.5/4

Starring: Michael Keaton, Marisa Tomei, Glenn Close, Robert Duvall, Randy Quaid, Spalding Gray, Jason Alexander, Lynne Thigpen, Catherine O'Hara

Rated R for Strong Language

What's great about "The Paper" is that it is so delightfully old-fashioned.  The way the film is fashioned makes you think of those 40s style comedies that starred Katharine Hepburn and Jimmy Stewart (save for the plentiful profanity, which would never have gotten past the Hays Code).  Nearly everyone with more than token screen time gets their own storyline.  And it has plenty of good cheer; it takes place in the version of New York City that people imagine in their dreams.

It would be dishonest to say that "The Paper" doesn't have a plot, but it's not the sole focus.  The story that Henry Hackett (Keaton) is trying to write is simply the story he is covering.  Yesterday it was something else, and tomorrow it will be another.  Today, he's covering a recent double murder for which the cops think the kids they arrested for it are actually innocent.  It's a great story, but he has to prove it.  Meanwhile his wife Martha (Tomei) is ready to give birth any moment and is pressuring him to accept an offer from a snobby rival paper.

Director Ron Howard has structured his film in a way that the movie isn't so much about whether or not Henry will get the quote he needs, but what it's like to work at this paper.  You can pretty much picture what the sequel would be.  Different story, of course, but the same shenanigans.

Michael Keaton is the perfect actor to lead us through this world.  Henry Hackett a guy who is very smart, very fast, and able to charm just about anyone.  He cajoles, convinces, whines, whatever he needs to do to get what he needs.  He's also always on the go, needing all the Cokes he guzzles to keep functioning.  He never stops to explain his missed dates or why he needs to go here or there.  He doesn't have time, or at least thinks he doesn't.

Keaton is surrounded by a gifted supporting cast of fellow journalists, who may not be as manic has Henry, but who are, in their own way, just as close to crazy.  Glenn Close plays the editor who knows that everyone views her as a money grubbing bitch and has made peace with it, even though she doesn't like it.  Robert Duvall plays an old timer whose cancer diagnosis has caused him to reflect on what he gave up for his paper and seeks to reconnect with his estranged daughter.  Randy Quaid plays a goofy columnist who frequently ends up sleeping on Henry's office couch.

"The Paper" isn't a laff riot, nor is it trying to be.  It's not that kind of comedy.  It's a lighthearted look at journalism, the big city, and modern American life.

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