Another 2012 Cannes Palme’ dOr competitor has delivered their trailer for national release. The Paperboy is based off the 1995 novel of the same name written by American author Pete Dexter and both are based off of a true story. Charlotte Bless, portrayed by Nicole Kidman, comes rolling into reporter Ward James (Matthew McConaughey) and his younger brother’s (Zac Efron) lives because she needs help exonerating her love, Hillary Van Wetter (John Cusack). Wetter is on death row for murdering a local sheriff. The catch, Charlotte and Hillary (yes, when she refers to that name in the trailer it’s to John Cusack, I was confused at first too), have never met. She starts writing him letters, falls in love with him and believes the two are destined to be married. Clearly, more than a few characters in this movie could be characterized as bizarre, and that’s being modest.
Kidman seems out of her element, but in a good way. Cusack looks creepy as hell. McConaughey is McConaughey, you have to see the movie to see which Matthew shows up; the legendary Dazed and Confused guy or the Fool’s Gold guy. Efron is hot, which everyone knows, thus showing him dancing in tighty whities in the trailer (Buzzfeed also took note) will lure in the ladies. He’s another one that can either show up or completely miss. Either way, he’s deliciously good to look at. The film seems gritty, sexy, dirty and a little scary of what will happen in the end — granted this is all with a miniature 2:31 minute preview. The picture also features David Oyelowo (The Help), Macy Gray (singer/actress/shameless self-promoter, remember this?), and Scott Glenn (Training Day, Bourne Ultimatum).
The film has been almost 10 years in the making between Dexter and Spanish director Pedro Almodovar. But at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, Millenium Films picked up the U.S. distribution rights and American director Lee Daniels (Precious) took over. Not surprisingly, the film has received mostly positive reviews thus far. But you judge for yourself when it hits theaters October 5, 2012.
See the trailer below:
Official synopsis:
Ward Jansen (Matthew McConaughey), a reporter for The Miami Times hires his brother Jack (Zac Efron), a recent college dropout, to drive him and his writing partner, Yardley Acheman (David Oyelowo) as they investigate a case in a small Florida town.
Charlotte Bless (Nicole Kidman), a strange, beautiful woman who writes to prisoners on death row and falls in love with them, has convinced Ward and Yardley that Hillary Van Wetter (John Cusack) was wrongly convicted of killing a sheriff who stomped Wetter’s handcuffed cousin to death. As the investigation unravels, it becomes clear to the brothers that there’s more to the story than they first believed, and they soon realize they’re on a journey filled with betrayal. Based on the novel by Pete Dexter.
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