As kids a lot of us had imaginary friends who helped entertain us, keep us in good spirits and get through tough times. For most of us, by late adolescence, imaginary friends are a thing of the past that we laugh about. But for one novelist named Richard (Jeff Daniels), his imaginary superhero best friend named Captain Excellent (A bleached blonde Ryan Reynolds) has stuck around long into adulthood. Richard takes sanctuary in a small town by himself to focus on writing his newest book and on a trip to the local store; he ends up following a local girl named Abby (Emma Stone) on her way home. Making up a story about needing a babysitter leads into the awkward friendship that will blossom throughout the movie between the two “damaged” individuals. Richard and Abby come to confide in one another and develop a father/daughter type of relationship as Richard deals with his failing marriage and Abby with the loss of her twin sister.
Like many things, the cover of the film is what initially brought me in to watch this 2009 independent film. Let’s face it, a bleached blonde Ryan Reynolds dressed up in a blue, red and yellow superhero costume is something that’s going to spark a lot of peoples’ interest. The acting in the film is incredible with Lisa Kudrow playing Richard’s wife Claire and Kieran Culkin playing Emma’s friend Christopher. The actors balance the perfect amount of comedy into characters that are often sad and socially awkward. The film itself you would imagine to have a lot of comedy, but really there are only a few “laugh out loud” moments. Most of the comedy comes from the clumsiness of their relationship as they try to connect with each other even through their age difference. Oh and of course there’s the ridiculousness and sheer comedy gold of Captain Excellent and his talks with Richard.
There are moments in Paper Man when you really don’t know how things are going to play out for these characters, which makes this movie as good as it is. Sometimes you feel like Richard and Abby have a real chance at happiness and living normal lives, but sometimes you can’t help but feel like they’re really not going to make it. Paper Man was something I didn’t expect to like as much as I did and was absolutely glad that I watched it. If you’ve ever been a teen who has gone through a trauma you can connect with Abby. If you’re an adult who has dealt with failure and mediocrity you can connect with Richard. Paper Man really has characters that everyone can emotionally connect to in some way. If you never listen to another of my recommendations again, watch Paper Man. I’ll stake my reputation on it!
