The Paper (1994)

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Henry Hackett	Michael Keaton	½
Bernie White	Robert Duvall	½
Alicia Clark	Glenn Close	½
Martha Hackett	Marisa Tomei	½
Michael McDougal	Randy Quaid
Graham Keighley	Jason Robards
Marion Sandusky	Jason Alexander
Paul Bladden	Spalding Gray
Susan	Catherine O'Hara
Ray Blaisch	Clint Howard

Review

Ron Howard's The Paper is probably the most detailed and passionate portrait of life in the newspaper business ever to be captured on film. This makes the film valuable and interesting, and it also keeps the at times stereotypical characters vibrant and believable. The acting here is a mixture of down to earth and quirky, but with such fine cast, they largely pull it off without stretching too much. Howard directs at a lightning pace, which borders on being exhausting but is mostly engaging. There are a handful of delightful, level-headed scenes that give the film a wonderful, everyday-feel. Unfortunately, the ending is a bit too convenient and slick. A few scenes (such as the ones involving Jason Alexander and the Keaton/Close "chick fight") seem out of place and scripted, but they don't rob the film of its entertainment value. Duvall, Keaton and Quaid all deliver fine performances, while Glenn Close overacts her part into semi-ridicule.