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Health & Fitness

MOVIE REVIEW: 'The Paperboy'

Hillary Van Wetter is on death row for the murder of a State Trooper. It seems to be a bang bang case, except in the eyes of Ward Jansen.

The Paperboy is a twisted, thriller of a film, that takes the viewer on quite the journey.

Based on the novel by Pete Dexter, the film focuses on a group of reporters, seeking to uncover the truth in one of the South's most gruesome murders.

Matthew McConaughey plays Ward Jansen, the oldest of W.W Jansen's sons. his father is the owner of a small but well renowned Florida newspaper. Upon his return home from his many travels, Ward becomes immersed in finding out the truth in the case of Hillary Van Wetter (John Cusack) who has been convicted of murdering a State Trooper, and is awaiting the electric chair.

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Ward teams up with a reporter named Charlotte Bless, who's favorite pasttime is writing to prison inmmates, Van Wetter in particular. She has been writing to Van Wetter for quite some time, and believes he is innocent. Together, Bless and Ward Jansen set out to clear Van Wetter's name, but not without many, many bizare occurances lerking around every corner.

The team recruits Ward's younger brother Jack, played by Zac Efron to escort them around as they search for answers, and a man named Yardley Achemen played by David Oyelowo.

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The film is set in the late 60s and has the struggle of racism heavily embed into it. The entire picture is narrated much after the events have occured, by Macy Gray's character who serves as the house maid to the Ward family.

On the outside looking in, the story is straight forward enough to understand, and comprehend. However, at a second glance, director Lee Daniels does a wonderful job of making the story as complicated as possible.

The film has a number of scenes that contribute next to nothing to the overall theme and plot and often leave the viewer asking why the scene was even necessary. We learn a great deal about the characters as the film progresses, some of which seem to connect the dots and eventually lead to nowhere.

The acting was a little dry, but the cast seemed to bring an interesting flow and dynamic to the film. The way in which they all interact is unlike anything you will see in any film this year. Zac Efron somehow worked it into his contract for the movie, that he needed to be in his underwear for the majority of the film, so ladies will not be disappointed. His acting is actually spectacular in small spurts. Macy Gray gave an equally as good performance. Cusack and Kidman, simply played characters that almost didnt suit their style. 

The ending of the film was quite abrupt and may even leave you wondering if it is truly the end, as it did to me. This being said, the ending does surprise, so stick it out, if you do choose to see the film.

Overall, an extremely interesting movie to say the least. Not horrible, but there certainly wont be any Oscar buzz about the film as a whole.

I give it 2 patches out of 5.

The film is rated R and showtimes are: 12:00 | 2:40 | 5:10 | 7:50 at the

For more information, call (949) 831-0446 or visit regencymovies.com

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