Paper Man
Metascore
37 out of 100

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 15 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 15
  3. Negative: 5 out of 15
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  1. Boxoffice Magazine
    Reviewed by: Pete Hammond
    40
    Too introverted and gimmicky for its own good.
  2. Christian Science Monitor
    Reviewed by: Peter Rainer
    42
    Was Paper Man worth making? Captain Excellent and I would probably differ on that one.
  3. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Lisa Schwarzbaum
    67
    Concentrate instead on the delightful performances. A thespian shoutout goes to Reynolds (his hair bleached bright yellow for the gig) for his jaunty way with a cape, tights, and the hands-on-hip poses of superherodom.
  4. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Robert Abele
    30
    Every time Kudrow exits the picture, imagining her fed-up character's life away from the twee therapeutic noodlings of Paper Man makes for its own time-killing retreat from dull indie-film reality.
  5. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Joe Neumaier
    40
    Overly analytical, cutesy comedy-drama.
  6. New York Observer
    Reviewed by: Rex Reed
    25
    Instead of the feel-good comedy they intended, you are left with the suspicion that the movie is really about a man suffering from an undiagnosed mental illness for which there is no cure.
  7. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Lou Lumenick
    63
    Far from perfect, but it holds your interest as a character study because of strong performances by Daniels and Stone.
  8. NPR
    Reviewed by: Ian Buckwalter
    64
    Aided by subtly wounded performances by Daniels and Stone, and a surprisingly affecting comic turn from Reynolds, Paper Man makes up for many of its shortcomings with an abundance of heart.
  9. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Mick LaSalle
    25
    What we have in this film is a whole lot of nothing, and the little that's there is irritating.
  10. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Kirk Honeycutt
    30
    Paper Man is a bad idea, and the film, despite a few brave and good performances, never recovers from awkwardness of its premise.
  11. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Stephen Holden
    30
    Written and directed by the husband-wife team of Kieran and Michele Mulroney, Paper Man is so unsure of itself that its symbolic edifice feels like a desperately erected defense system.
  12. Time Out New York
    Reviewed by: Eric Hynes
    40
    Fine performers can’t salvage a toxically precious script, though Stone (Zombieland), with her disarming poise, makes a go of it.
  13. Variety
    Reviewed by: Andrew Barker
    40
    The picture's biggest stumbling block is its superhero hook.
  14. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Michelle Orange
    40
    An artist-in-crisis piece run through a drab but quirk-conscious indie processor, Paper Man is everything a film like "Lost in Translation" fought not to be.
  15. Wall Street Journal
    Reviewed by: John Anderson
    50
    Quirky. Wacky. Offbeat. Outré. The words that come to mind regarding Paper Man might prompt you run in the opposite direction. And perhaps you should, except for the performances of Jeff Daniels and Emma Stone.

User Reviews

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User Score
6.8 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 11 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 2
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 2
  3. Negative: 0 out of 2
  1. jimmytancredi
    5
    There were moments that just sparked an amazing will to stop the movie, with no connections situations, dialogues, and sometimes appalling "abnormalities" narrated carelessly (Ryan Reynolds's character is a super-hero and the protagonist's imaginary friend made by Jeff Daniels). But you know those rare cases where it is worth an hour of looking bad movie to be presented with a totally wonderful? That's exactly what happens in "Paper Man." The relationship between the characters of Jeff Daniels and Emma Stone (pride) becomes so sincere that transforms the story into a drama full of sensitivity. Just thought a pity that the couple Kieran Mulroney and Michele Mulroney have not demonstrated the necessary skill to develop a better structure of the script.… Full Review »
  2. nascent
    5
    Interesting, off-beat drama-comedy. But awkward writing, plot and fairly cheesy scenes let it down. However, occasionally funny, well cast, and endearing character relationships.… Full Review »
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