The Paperboy

2012 1h 47m EN

😐

5.5

MID

🥫

45%

ROTTEN

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

5.7

IMDB

★5.5TMDB · 826🥫45%Rotten Tomatoes●45Metacritic★5.7IMDB · 41,550

ThrillerDramaMystery

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A reporter returns to his Florida hometown to investigate a case involving a death row inmate.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Zac Efron
Jack Jansen
Matthew McConaughey
Ward Jansen
Nicole Kidman
Charlotte Bless
David Oyelowo
Yardley Acheman
Macy Gray
Anita / Narrator
John Cusack
Hillary Van Wetter
Scott Glenn
W.W. Jansen
Ned Bellamy
Tyree van Wetter

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Lee Daniels
Writers: Lee Daniels, Peter Dexter
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 11% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 14 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CAST

Did you know

201+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Lee Daniels, shot by Roberto Schaefer. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Mario Grigorov. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Joe Klotz shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Zac Efron and Matthew McConaughey and Nicole Kidman carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt1496422 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Lee Daniels directs. Roberto Schaefer behind the camera. Mario Grigorov scores. Joe Klotz cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 11% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
2Released 14 years ago.
3201+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
4Directed by Lee Daniels, shot by Roberto Schaefer. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Mario Grigorov. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Joe Klotz shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Zac Efron and Matthew McConaughey and Nicole Kidman carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt1496422 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 11 themes, including "prison", "florida", "death row", "everglades".

The technical file

Cinematography: Roberto Schaefer
Original score: Mario Grigorov
Editing: Joe Klotz
Production design: Daniel T. Dorrance
Costume design: Caroline Eselin
Makeup / hair: David Blair
VFX supervisor: Peter Berky
Sound: Robert Fernandez
Runtime: 107 min · 1h 47m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $12,500,000
Box office: $1,353,868
Return: 11% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Paperboy (2012)
Rotten Tomatoes: 45% 🥫 Rotten
Metacritic: 45/100
IMDB rating: 5.7/10 · 41,550 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

5 wins & 12 nominations total

Also by

Lee Daniels

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Andres Gomez2013-01-21
★ 6/10
Hugely disturbing. Performances and direction are quite good, IMHO, just the story is creepy and disgusting.
HaremCinema2026-03-21
Reviewer Andres Gomez is being far too kind in his description of this filth as 'hugely disturbing', 'creepy' and 'disgusting'. It is far more vulgar than that. Kind of a SPOILER coming right now! This cesspit of a movie sent me running away when Nicole Kidman bestrode Zac Efron at the beach and urinated on him. After fighting off a gaggle of other young gals that also wanted to pee on Mr. Efron...Why would anyone make such filth? I have more to say about the Paperboy but it would offend me even more to infect you with more of this steaming garbage. I would strongly suggest that you do not watch this. Matthew McConaughey what brought you to this depth? I'm very disappointed in you sir. Please make better choices.

Production companies