Paperback Hero

Well, finally I have had the pleasure of watching "Paperback Hero", and I like this movie a lot. At first some of the characters may seem a little superficial and stereotypical, but soon you'll learn that there is a lot more to all of them than what first meets the eye, and the actors are all doing a great job in making the complexity of their individual personalities shine through. The story is cute over all, and the movie holds some great laughs as well. Paperback Hero is one of your typical romantic comedies, but it leaves you with a warm, happy feeling inside!

I have rated this movie 9 of 10.

Paperback Hero was repeated last night on TV and having watched it last night after seeing it at the cinema years ago when it was first released my wife and I found ourselves enjoying it even more than we did the first time around.

I found Bowman's direction to be particularly compatible with the script he had written: the way in which he composed the camera shots, the pace in which the film unrolled as well as the composition of each scene which left this viewer lingering over each segment rather than mindlessly being rushed through as so often happens with Hollywood fare.

Other commentators have written that they found Bowman's script ragged in spots and I'm sure this is a very valid comment but I was carried along to such an extent by the movie's visuals and by the totality of what was happening on the screen that I didn't notice whether or not the script was seamlessly unrolling.

If you haven't seen this film you owe it to yourself to do so-if you have seen it you owe it to yourself to see it again.

This is a fantastic movie and is very special to me and lot of my friends as the pub used in the movie is the "Nindi Gully" Pub, in outback Queensland, where we spend New Years Eve most years, the place comes alive with the roaring utes and New Year spirits! I think this movie is a great romantic comedy- the actors did a superb performance and it wasn't like all those other Australian movies which make us look bad, sound bad and have no tact. I recommend this movie to anyone who wants a good laugh. A great movie and a credit to Australia.

I really wanted to like this movie - it was a cute little aussie yarn about a truck driver (Jackman) who writes trashy romance novels under his friend's (Karvan) name, who have to travel to Sydney to promote his first book, where they fall in love. Unfortunately, the plot was confusing at times, and I wasn't always sure exactly what was going on. Hugh Jackman and Claudia Karvan was very good together, but they fit together so well they seemed more like brother and sister than friends falling in love. Despite that, it had its heart in the right place and was pretty fun to watch.

The acronym K.I.S.S., meaning Keep It Simple Stupid came to my challenged mind while I watched Paperback Hero, the latest Aussie film on show.

And this isn't a criticism of the film. Paperback Hero is simple. It's a pleasurable comedy romance which stars Aussie would be pin up Hugh Jackman and the always loveable Claudia Karvan. It is kept simple, especially the style of acting, and that's its charm.

The plot isn't complicated by anything much more complicated than a smiling dog. Paperback Hero is sweet and unaffected just as films should be, every now and then.

Jack in Paperback Hero has written a women's novel but being a tough truckie doesn't want to put his name to the book. He uses his old mate Ruby Vales name (Claudia Karvan) but doesn't tell her.

Australian bush comedies often end up being somewhat embarrassing lampoonings of our precious heritage. Paperback Hero has stock bush pub characters but somehow manages to avoid making them seem ridiculous even if the film is a comedy.

A lightness of touch from new director Antony Bowman allows Paperback Hero to exhibit our more strident rural identities without causing a cringe. He should have a good handle on the plot though. He apparently wrote the novel upon which the film is based.

The language is often colourful but is uttered in the natural way we know is correct. The plot does get a bit fuzzy, especially with regards to Ziggy, but that's more than compensated for by big natural smiles from two very appealing lead actors.