The Paperboy
Millennium Entertainment | Release Date: October 5, 2012 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
45
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 38 Critic Reviews
Positive:
13
Mixed:
14
Negative:
11
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
The GuardianPeter BradshawSep 29, 2012
Nicole Kidman gives her best performance since "To Die For." Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthySep 29, 2012
In the spirit of the venture, the entire cast gets down and comes off all the better for it. Both Efron and McConaughey get very messed up physically, and both actors seem stimulated to be playing such flawed characters. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeWesley MorrisOct 11, 2012
I've never seen a movie like this. Not on purpose. Daniels isn't saying he's tasteful. He's just saying that his tasteless trash is as deserving of our attention as the tasteful trash we feel like we have to see. The whole thing's a crazy fantasy, like watching a porno dream it can win the Oscar. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerSteven ReaOct 11, 2012
The Paperboy is over-the-top every which way you look. Read full review
75
USA TodayClaudia PuigOct 7, 2012
Gator-filled swamps, an ultra-grungy murderer, racial undertones and a sexually charged atmosphere make up the tense and lurid world of The Paperboy. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertOct 3, 2012
The Paperboy is great trash, and as Pauline Kael told us, the movies are so seldom great art that if we can't appreciate great trash, we might as well not go at all. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesBetsy SharkeyOct 4, 2012
There is such unflinching passion in the piece that The Paperboy deserves to be seen even though it can feel almost as flawed as its characters. Read full review
70
Boxoffice MagazineAmy NicholsonOct 3, 2012
This is a curio that demands to be seen. Read full review
70
Village VoiceJonathan KieferOct 2, 2012
When not contriving to get Efron out of his clothes, The Paperboy gropes for familiar movie language of its period setting: Soul music swells up excitedly over a jumble of jerky zooms, befuddling cuts, and spatial vagueness. But sometimes hot messiness has its charms. Read full review
70
TimeMary CorlissSep 29, 2012
All the actors rise or bend to the challenge, giving juicy performances and seemingly having a fine old time. Read full review
67
Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanOct 3, 2012
Much of what happens in The Paperboy is so luridly bizarre you can't quite believe what you're seeing. Read full review
63
Rolling StonePeter TraversOct 4, 2012
This hot mess got booed by the snobs at Cannes, but there's no denying its profane energy. Read full review
63
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliOct 3, 2012
There are some splendidly over-the-top performances - chiefly those of Nicole Kidman and John Cusack, both cast against type - but the biggest narrative hole lies at the center. The lead character, played by Zac Efron, is dull, uninteresting, and poorly conceived. Read full review
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