Paparazzi (2004)

The present climate of gossip tabloids in this country have created the need for paparazzis. Those ubiquitous parasites seen all over the place, taking pictures of celebrities either adoringly, or at their worst, depending on the agenda of the publications they sell their pictures to. If someone is loved, we'll get to see them ad nauseam, at their best "goody-goody" selves. But if they fall out of grace, or will not cooperate with these vermin, every nasty little detail from their lives will be front page fodder for people buying those trashy magazines.

This is the premise that Paul Abascal presents in "Paparazzi". Working on Forrest Smith's screen play, the director show us how an actor, Bo Laramie is the victim of a group of photographers that follow him and his family from openings galas to daily situations that will be turned into sensational articles for the naive to read.

Basically, the film is Bo's revenge on the same people that cause an accident that leaves his young son in a coma and his wife in a critical condition. In fact, most of the comments submitted to this forum have been negative. While the film doesn't show anything new, it is not as bad as some commentaries make it out to be.

Cole Hunter, as the movie star, Bo Laramie, has some good moments. Dennis Farina plays the detective that comes to investigate Bo's claim about the accident. Tom Sizemore, Daniel Baldwin and Tom Hollander are seen as three of the pest photographers intent in ruining the star's life.

There are two cameos by Mel Gibson, the producer of the film, and by Chris Rock, that are a surprise in that they appear out of nowhere.

Fmovies: Don't expect too much, the main characters acting ... well, lets call it medium. I liked the cameo of Chris Rock and I also enjoyed the Peter-Falk-Columbo-Detective snooping around and investigating. The no-1 bad guy (Tom Sizemore) did the best job being nasty, antisocial, all up for the money and ... scared. The story is good and entertaining but could go a little deeper, some twists here and there would have spiced it up a little ... it's too linear. The ending is OK, I don't think there will be a Paparazzi 2, but you never know these days :)

All in all a good, enjoyable movie you can watch without overpowering your brain.

I saw it last night. I think this movie is misunderstood.

I want to believe that the reasons behind this movie's dismal reviews in the main have to do with the fact that certain people with certain political leanings WANT to hate it and hate Gibson for the sheer and utter sole reason that he made THE PASSION OF THE Christ, that it has a so-called (and totally off-the-wall -- and wrong!) message of anti-Semitism... and that he made the movie anyway, despite protests from the political Left of Hollywood. Have you noticed that Mel Gibson actually placed his name in the credits of this movie as its producer? I can't think of any other Icon Productions film in which his name is placed at all. Granted, Mel doesn't need the money. As far as money goes, he's set for the rest of his life and the rest of his kids' lives. But he has a passion (no pun intended) for making movies, and he's proving that you can't keep him out of Hollywood, by placing his name in the forefront of the credits of this particular Icon Productions project.

It's a fun movie. First and foremost. That's the point of having so many uncredited cameos, most prominently Mel Gibson as an Anger Management patient sitting in the doctor's office scribbling away in the 5 workbooks piled up in his lap.

Secondly, this is a western set in modern society. Whatever you might think of westerns as a genre, PAPARAZZI is for the most part Gregory Peck's THE BRAVADOS with a Hollywood film-making setting. Westerns have long been a staple of the family for Hollywood film-makers since its beginnings. Also, Gibson has himself stated that in prepping BRAVEHEART for filming, he watched -- among other movies -- Gregory Peck's THE BIG COUNTRY. I think Gibson is a fan of Peck's as well as a huge movie buff in his own right; and PAPARAZZI is a tip of the hat to westerns in general. Also, add to the fact that the main character of PAPARAZZI hails from Montana.

Lastly, believe it or not, I think this movie is oriented to the family. Not only does this movie have Mel Gibson in a cameo, but also Vince Vaughan and Matthew McConaughey. It also features Chris Rock who appeared with Gibson in LETHAL WEAPON 4, as well as Fay Masterson who was in Gibson's directorial debut THE MAN WITHOUT A FACE.

This movie isn't on the scale of BEN-HUR or THE BIG COUNTRY. This movie is what it is... fun. I applaud Mel Gibson and crew for delivering the goods.

Paparazzi fmovies. One of those movies that your not expecting a whole lot from, but you go because the trailer is cool.

We enjoyed the movie because it didn't have any down time and stayed as close to being an "action" movie as the plot allowed. A nice little twist at the end moved the ranking up a notch.

The bad guys were believable , but a little more "Baldwin" would have been nice.... Not an award winner by any means. You do leave feeling good because the movie was fast paced and no dull moments. Pretty good value for your dollar, a long as you don't spend $20.

Better to wait for the DVD Rental or watch as part of a Drive -In "3-Pack).

I found the movie hearkening back to the revenge thrillers of the '70s and '80s.

It moves from point A to point B with little to no surprises, but it's still an enjoyable film. The film actually lived up to the trailer, which made me want to see it.

Cole Hauser carried his role of Bo Laramie well.

Tom Sizemore oozed the right amount of SCUMBAG for the role, but that comes as no surprise to me.

My only real problem was the rather blatant lobotomy they gave Dennis Farina's character. Any detective worth his salt would've instantly made Laramie the prime suspect when the photographers who nearly killed his wife and son turn up dead.

Probably wouldn't buy it on DVD, but I'd definitely see it again.

This movie was actually okay. Cole Hauser is always awesome and everyone else's acting was good as well. The plot might seem far-fetched to us ordinary citizens but stuff like this actually happens and it was an original idea as well...not some crap remake or endless sequels that have plagued us these past 2 years. The action was adequate and not over-done and it really got me hyped into making sure he obtained his revenge. I also liked the ending a lot and I left the theater completely satisfied.

Final Judgment:

Movies - Yes (but probably could wait for on rental)

DVD - A strong possibility

Rental - Absolutely!