The Paper

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The Paper

R

Released Mar 18, 1994

1h 50m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

89%

Tomatometer

37 Reviews

66%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Henry Hackett (Michael Keaton) is an editor at the New York Sun, a tabloid paper facing financial cuts. His pregnant wife, Martha (Marisa Tomei), pleads with him to get a more respectable job so he can spend more time with his family. Hackett is considering an offer from another paper, with fewer hours and higher pay, when he gets his hottest story in years. When this scoop leads to a burst of violence and a conflict with his new boss, Alicia (Glenn Close), he faces a startling moment of truth.

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Critics Consensus

Fast and frenetic, The Paper captures the energy of the newsroom thanks to its cast and director on first-rate form.

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Jason Bailey

Flavorwire

The inside-baseball feel of the newsroom material (co-writer Stephen Koepp did time in the trenches) is what makes 'The Paper' sing.

May 3, 2016

Full Review

Owen Gleiberman

Entertainment Weekly

Rated: B

Sep 7, 2011

Full Review

Nell Minow

Movie Mom

Rated: 4/5

Sep 30, 2004

Full Review

Jeff Simon

Buffalo News

A smart and entertaining movie, not an important one.

Rated: 3/5

Feb 29, 2024

Full Review

Eleanor O'Sullivan

Asbury Park Press (NJ)

A brilliantly brittle and funny movie about a New York tabloid.

Rated: 3.5/4

Feb 29, 2024

Full Review

Akos Peterbencze

Vulnerable Man (Medium)

Ron Howard’s film is full of cynical and arrogant humor. But at its core, it conveys what it means to be a journalist.

Jul 22, 2023

Full Review

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Andy V

Loved it - just watched in 2024 a full 30 YEARS after it was released and I was left thinking, Man they don't make em like this anymore, so good....perhaps it was the great acting, story telling and directing. ONE CHANGE I WOULD HAVE MADE: My only issue was at the ending - I didn't think (*spoiler*) Henry's reaction to the headlines was realistic enough, I mean my eyeballs would have been jumping out of their sockets because for all he knew up until that point it was Gotcha....so Ron: it would be a little more realistic if, when Henry enters the hospital room, Martha doesn't hold up the paper with the headline, but instead is just all smiles like she was, and only after he has a warm embrace with her and kisses her, etc...does he see the paper (maybe on the floor) and then Holy Crap! Whaaa....???!! And you see his face reflect for 2 seconds and you know he's thinking like what must have gotten into Alicia for her to turn that around...shrugs...like oh well, that was yesterday... and then gets into the bed with Martha and we see the clock, etc and listening to the news headlines. Ahhhhh. But what a movie.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/14/24

Full Review

Horror fan 4

Great performances all around. I really thought Keaton's performance was the standout. Ron Howards direction was superb. Timothy Treakle

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

07/17/24

Full Review

Burt R

A disappointing ineffective use of an extraordinary cast, except for Clint Howard who was outstanding in the role of featured context character.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

07/14/24

Full Review

Michael W

This news movie was great. Michael Keaton, Glenn Close, Marisa Tomei, Robert Duvall, Randy Quaid, and the rest of the cast did a great job in this movie. The plot of the movie was dramatic and thrilling. It's about getting the facts right to prove a story is true and not screwing it up. If you haven't seen this movie yet, check it out sometime. It's a must see.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

07/14/24

Full Review

Kim P

Cast was great, story was mediocre TV level.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

07/10/24

Full Review

Dunbar D

This is a criminally underrated movie. Entertaining, heartwarming, fantastic writing with an all star cast. Certainly a product of its time but still holds up. As far as ensemble movies go this one does an incredible job balancing tons of characters with a breakneck tempo. Just a blast to watch. They don't make movies like this anymore… and they should.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

04/06/24

Full Review

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Ron Howard

Director

Michael Keaton

Henry Hackett, Metro Editor New York Sun

Glenn Close

Alicia Clark, Managing Editor New York Sun

Robert Duvall

Bernie White, Editor New York Sun

Marisa Tomei

Martha Hackett

Randy Quaid

Michael McDougal

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Synopsis

Henry Hackett (Michael Keaton) is an editor at the New York Sun, a tabloid paper facing financial cuts. His pregnant wife, Martha (Marisa Tomei), pleads with him to get a more respectable job so he can spend more time with his family. Hackett is considering an offer from another paper, with fewer hours and higher pay, when he gets his hottest story in years. When this scoop leads to a burst of violence and a conflict with his new boss, Alicia (Glenn Close), he faces a startling moment of truth.

Director: Ron Howard
Producer: Brian Grazer, Frederick Zollo
Screenwriter: David Koepp, Stephen Koepp
Distributor: Universal Pictures, Argentina Video Home
Production Co: Universal Pictures, Imagine Entertainment
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 18, 1994, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 28, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $36.6M
Runtime: 1h 50m
Sound Mix: Stereo, DTS

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