Due to Deadpool airing in 2016, and its second installment in 2018, we’ve become well-versed in Ryan Reynolds‘ signature sarcastic anti-hero style that pairs crude humor with breaking the fourth wall. Currently, we await Deadpool 3, for which filming is reportedly going ahead despite the Writers Strike. When reviewing Reynolds’ superheroes, we even often fondly look back to the disaster that was Green Lantern, the poorly conceived movie starring Reynolds alongside Blake Lively. Yet, there is another oft-forgotten movie in which Reynolds plays another superhero to add to his eclectic collection. Alongside Ryan Reynolds stars Succession‘s Kieran Culkin, Lisa Kudrow, Jeff Daniels, and even Emma Stone near the beginning of her career. Released before the Deadpool and Green Lantern heroes flew into our orbits, the film in question is 2009’s Paper Man, known as Unlikely Hero in some regions. This unlikely superhero movie, centering on the relationship between Emma Stone and Jeff Daniels, quietly leaves an impression for ages afterward.
Sometimes superhero movies follow a very well-trodden and predictable formula. Marvel has vastly diversified its movies in the past several years, but there have been times when villains were forgettable, and storylines were repetitive, among other problems. However, Paper Man follows its own unique path. Written and directed by Kieran and Michele Mulroney, the movie follows Richard (Jeff Daniels), a struggling writer who often looks to his imaginary friend Captain Excellent for help and advice. Captain Excellent is a caped muscular hero with bleached hair played by Ryan Reynolds. After his wife Claire (Lisa Kudrow) helps him to temporarily move to Long Island with the aim to combat his writer’s block, Richard meets Abby (Emma Stone), with whom he forms a (mostly) father-daughter type of relationship. The twist is that Abby also still hangs onto her imaginary friend Christopher (Kieran Culkin), mirroring Richard’s need for reassurance and company.
Often listening in the background, reacting to the situations Richard finds himself in, and guiding his responses, Captain Excellent acts as a Jiminy-Cricket-type of personal conscience — albeit a more berating and harsh one. Ryan Reynolds is apt at bringing to life this larger-than-life hero character, one who acts the part of both arrogant hero and mediating friend seamlessly. He also brings his signature sarcastic wit, which would be fully fleshed out a few years later in the Deadpool movies.
Paper Man presents the imaginary friends as a way for the characters to indirectly deal with their problems; to have a metaphorical comfort blanket, and an outlet for unresolved and difficult emotions. Captain Excellent is not usually sweet and supportive: sometimes mocking, and often judgmental, he is like the best and worst parts of one’s psyche, acting in a way which is both protective and repressive.
A Younger Emma Stone Gives An Impressive Performance
Before Easy A, but not long after the influential Superbad, in Paper Man, Emma Stone was still quite early on in her acting career. As one of the main characters, she demonstrates shrewdness and softness in equal measure which accompanies an intelligent wit and overall embodies a self-possessed and capable teen. She also disrupts Richard’s rut, leading him to be more daring and open-minded, highlighted by the metaphor of taking whatever old vegetables are lurking at the back of his fridge and rather than throwing them away, turning them into nutritious, life-affirming soup.
Emma Stone always has integrity as an actor, and it is so deftly displayed here. She is wise beyond her years, witty without being coquettish, and clever without being smug. It is easy to understand why Richard wants to spend time with her character, and how she inspires him. At one point she opens up about the painful experience of losing her twin, and by confiding in one another, it becomes apparent what hurdles and traumas they are using their imaginary friends to shield themselves from. As they gradually help each other to confront their problems, they can say goodbye to these figments of their imagination and face reality.
Suspend Your Disbelief and You’ll Be Rewarded
It goes without saying that some of the plot becomes a bit unbelievable, without having the self-awareness to back it up. It would seem concerning in the real world if a middle-aged man befriended a teenage girl, and also invited a group of teenagers to a house party, as happens at the climax of the movie. The start of his friendship with Abby could easily be read in an inappropriate or creepy light; he asks her to babysit for children that don’t exist, meaning that she, a lone teenager, arrives at his house where there is no one else present. However, she seems to be on board with babysitting for nobody whilst he is out, and they enter into an odd agreement.
Of course, if this were real life, the relationship would be fraught with difficulties. One would want to urge teenage Abby to proceed with great caution, remaining wary of Richard’s motives — although, of course, it should not be her sole responsibility to stay safe, as adult Richard should always act with care towards one who is essentially a child. There is in fact a rocky start to their friendship when he is drunk and makes her feel uneasy, resulting in her justifiably hitting him over the head with a book. However, in this fictional world, for the most part, they healthily accept one another’s quirks and oddities, and inspire each other to move forward in their lives. It is refreshing to see a relationship that platonically transcends an age difference, and maybe it is this unexpected relationship itself that helps the characters to grow.
Furthermore, the imaginary friends themselves may seem strangely juvenile, and a practice unlikely for an adult and an almost-adult to engage in. Culkin and Reynolds’ characters are vivid to the extent that they seem to suddenly appear against their creators’ will, surprising and often annoying them as if independent. As if to underscore how unusual it is for a fully grown adult to still have his childhood imaginary friend, and to mirror any initial apprehensions the audience may have, his wife Claire checks hesitantly whether he has “brought” him with them. However, seeing Captain Excellent pop up unexpectedly, to berate Richard for making unwise decisions, cleverly sheds light on Richard’s state of mind. Both the imaginary friends of Richard and Abby offer a wholly creative take on what it means to come of age, even if you’re already a grown-up, and how to finally take responsibility for yourself, being confident in your own choices.
When Captain Excellent and Christopher do eventually meet, despite the implausibility of them co-existing whilst the ones imagining them are sleeping, it ties the story together and throws its overall meaning into sharp relief. We all deal with hardships in our own secret ways, and we can learn from one another how to take the next step forward.
Paper Man is available on Amazon Prime to stream now.
Editor’s Note: Paper Man includes a brief scene featuring suicide.
This content was originally published here.
