This movie is worth watching for Nichole Kidman's performance alone. She is mesmerizing, no matter what they ask of her. Some people miss the point of the movie, it's about being denied the love you need. For these characters, it severely affects their lives. Jack misses his mother and his father is distant. He seems unaware he is looking for a mother in Anita and Charlotte and a father in Ward. The scene with Charlotte peeing on Jack is vaguely reminiscent of a birth, with Jack red, swollen and helpless. Anita takes care of Jack's family but her own two kids that she barely sees are mentioned frequently. Charlotte doesn't spell out how she was raised, but her behavior makes it clear she thinks abuse is love. Ward is drawn to danger in his choice of lovers, made clear by the scar on his face and the song, "that man is dangerous' played when he's choosing a new lover, and Charlotte making it clear that Ward has a dark side that comes out through sex but doesn't necessarily have to do with sex.. The racial storyline isn't as clearcut, for example Ward's coworker Yardley makes love to Charlotte, crossing racial lines, probably because these characters represent affection or parents and their sex shows this type of love is close but unavailable. The movie does take it too far sometimes, but for those who say they don't know what this movie is trying to say, it's all about parent issues and unavailable love and the filmmaker's conclusion is that this need drives people into danger and they can't be saved.

From the minute Macy Gray begins her narration, the story grips you and takes you for an unexpected ride through fascinating character studies intensely portrayed by the entire cast. Based on a true story, this movie touches on the unlikely convergence of two journalists, a death-row groupie, a violent criminal and the innocent people standing on the sidelines. Definitely worth your time!

I had never even heard of this movie before. I'm from the United States, and currently living in Australia - so I don't think we get all of the movies that are released in the United States as this is not the first time I have noticed that. I came across it whilst I was looking for Zac Efron movies. After reading what I was about, I was intrigued to see it. Not to mention the fact that it has an all star cast - it had to be good right? Well it certainly was in my opinion. I found all of the stars did outstanding in the movie. I have to say, I think John Cusack's performance was incredible. Many things came to light during the movie that I found quite surprising. So many twists and turns, and many things that I really did not see coming! This is a great story that will keep you guessing.

Grotesque and Perverted. This is an ugly film that pulls the curtain back on the swamps in the deep south. I'm surprised this caliber of actors agreed to portray these very disturbing acts in this film. The story is narrated by the endeared, long-time, family maid as a true crime story. The events described are the pulpiest of fiction that make Tarantino look like Disney. You have been officially warned. Don't watch this with your family. It will seriously scar them for life.

I thought the actors all put on first rate performances. No demerits. The author, as usual, wrote a 5 star novel. The difficulty I had was feeling that without having read the book I would have left the film with that "wtf" feeling some others expressed. Definitely much better than 1-2 stars.

This movie is melodramatic and slow but intense. Also very comical! The director captured some of the twisted aspects of human nature and socioeconomic class. Spoiler: The prison scene was sooooo funny! Hillary is audacious but very observant. He is “street” because he read Ward and Yardley in a couple of seconds. Spoiler: The apartment scene, before the sex scene, was hilarious! The way Hillary threw the roommate out by the neck and then said, “I’ll call you!” Lollll Spoiler: I love the way the roommate was eating the chips from a bucket and smoking. One day, I may indulge in such a manner :)

The Paperboy is an aggressive effort by Lee Daniels. And, it is a superb film. I can not find fault with anyone in the cast. Macy Gray astounds me, she is so good. I see-saw as it pertains to Matthew Mcconaughey and his acting. But, he is on point in this movie. I am an absolute fan or both Nicole Kidman and John Cusack (see The Raven). And, this movies turned me on to Zac Efron. Honestly, if we were not such a homophobic nation, I believe that this film would have been nominated for all kinds of awards. Lee Daniels does lay it on thick. But, with this type of movie, you almost have to. The characters are believable, as if this was an adaptation of a book written about a factual account of this murder. But, to my knowledge, this is just something that originated from Daniels' mind. And, what an origination it is. I won't go into details about the movie. Just google it and read the synopsis. And, then mosey on over to whatever outlet you purchase your films from and snap this one up. I was able to watch it, a few years ago, for .99 cents on Amazon. And, I was floored by how great the performances were. The writing. The acting. The directing. All fantastic efforts by an even more fantastic cast. This is how movie making should be done. Kudos to all involved.

I've been on a Matthew theme the past few days and this is without question the worst I've seen of his. Long, drawn out, pointless, I don't know what to say beyond that, I really don't know where they were going with this one.