70
Metascore
30 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 90Washington PostRita KempleyWashington PostRita KempleyThe Paper perfectly captures the hubbub of the nation's newsrooms.
- 88Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertIt's very perceptive about the relationships among its characters - how they talk, how they compete, what their values are. And Howard has cast the movie with splendid veteran actors, who are able to convey all the little quirks and idiosyncrasies of real people.
- 80EmpireIan NathanEmpireIan NathanOld-fashioned comedy with superb performances and insightful glimpses into the world of newspaper journalism.
- The chaos, the confusion, the ongoing struggle between personality and purpose, The Paper really gets the beat, gets how a paper comes together and the beat at which that happens.
- 75Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanEntertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanKeaton is at his most urgent and winning here. His fast-break, neurotic style — owlish stare, motor mouth — is perfect for the role of a compulsive news junkie who lives for the rush of his job.
- 70VarietyTodd McCarthyVarietyTodd McCarthyA rambunctious look at a struggling New York tabloid, "The Paper" is Paddy Chayefsky lite. With every member of the all-star staff battling personal life crises as they race to put the next edition to bed, Ron Howard's pacy meller can't help but generate a fair share of humor, excitement and involvement.
- 60The New York TimesJanet MaslinThe New York TimesJanet MaslinBeyond letting its characters talk fast, use jargon and interrupt each other, "The Paper" misses most of the genre's real flavor. Its progress is methodical and sane.
- 60Time OutTime OutA perennial innocent himself, Howard responds to the blunt professionalism of the hack pack with as much enthusiasm as Billy Wilder and Howard Hawks before him - but spoils it by insisting that somehow the tabloids have integrity. He likes his sincerity straight.
- 60TV Guide MagazineTV Guide MagazineDirector Ron Howard attempts the Great American Newspaper Picture and mostly pulls it off. The film's greatest weakness is that he and screenwriters David and Stephen Koepp (the latter a journalist himself) love those scrappy newshounds too much; THE PAPER doesn't even try for the appropriately acid bite of, say, any version of THE FRONT PAGE.
- 50Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranLos Angeles TimesKenneth TuranThe Paper never stops for breath long enough to be dull. But all this tumult also leads to a feeling of shellshock, of having every contrivance not nailed down thrown at the audience. Part of the problem is that many of these subplots, like Henry’s marital difficulties, are no more than Hollywood serious, dealing with adult situations in a bogus way that would be better avoided.