well made and perfectly acted

Is it better to be right or first? That familiar question is at the forefront of “The Paper”, a reteaming of Ron Howard and Michael Keaton after both started their movie careers with “Night Shift”. Here, they have quite a bit to say about Newspaper reporters, the biggest of which is something readers often forget- that they’re also human.


Keaton stars as Henry, an editor for the fictional tabloid paper called “New York Sun.” He and his cohorts have just been scooped on the murder of two white businessmen in a black neighborhood. Everyone believes the crime is racially motivated and when two black teens are arrested for it, it certainly looks that way. But one of Henry’s reporters has heard different information- that this arrest is all for show and the kids are innocent. They have 24 hours before going to print again and Henry wants to get it right.


Much of the action takes place within the hustle and bustle of the newsroom, which Howard stages with fast-paced energy. There is a jocular camaraderie between Henry and his writers and editors- time is spent crafting sensationalist headlines and leads, some so ridiculous they even spend their daily meetings making fun of them. There are arguments and observations about how a big city paper is usually run, but mostly it comes packaged in something that feels like a pilot for some witty sitcom.


The supporting characters are definitely there. Like Randy Quaid’s McDougal, a columnist who broke a transit story and now is so fearful of reprisal he carries a gun with him. Or Glenn Closes’ managing editor Alicia Clark, who usually greets Henry with a “You son of a bitch”, and argues with him constantly about costs. These two will come to blows later over whether or not to go to press with a wrong headline, which leads to one of the most absurd looking fist fights you’ve ever seen.


The film is also good at pointing out the costs of the job. Robert Duvall plays another of the paper’s editors, a surly chainsmoker with prostate cancer. He’s given his life to the round-the-clock pursuit of journalism and all it’s given him in return is a broken marriage, estranged daughter, and nights of wiling away drinking.


And Henry, out all night til 4 in the morning dotting i’s, crossing t’s, and running down any lead to get them on record, seems close to joining him. He has a pregnant wife (Marisa Tomei), a reporter once herself, who has come to the realization that her life will never be the same. What hurts more is that Henry’s probably will, which makes her fearful that parenting may come down to her and her alone.


Keaton anchors this all very well- his fast-talking sarcasm is perfectly suited to this news junkie who lives for the rush of the job. He’s cast as the film’s moralistic center while Close becomes a more iron-fisted foil. Most of the fireworks come between these two but Duvall, Quaid, and Tomei do nice work crafting compelling, engaging people.


Everything comes to a head in the end from whether or not the paper gets it right to whether or not Henry can save his personal life. A character played by Jason Alexander takes things in a goofy direction and a scene involving grilling a cop for information isn’t so far off from that either. But overall this is solid muckraking, done with humor and with an eye on holding up journalistic integrity.