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Back Shelf Beauties
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Paparazzi 20th Century Fox did not screen Paparazzi for critics in DC, or anywhere as far as I know, which makes them a bunch of girlie men. Why were they so afraid? It's not THAT bad. Cole Hauser stars as Bo Laramie (OK, that's a cheesy character name, but we can let it slide) - a rising movie action hero just starting to gain the wealth, notoriety, fame and attention that come with success. Sadly, he doesn't like all of the attention, at least the attention he can't control. One paparazzi photographer, Rex Harper (Tom Sizemore), and his posse of pals, all of whom work for a fictional tabloid named Paparazzi, lure Bo into attacking Rex, which results in some therapy for our actor stud and a sizable financial settlement. Not content to let it go, Rex makes it more personal as he relentlessly hounds Bo. One night, things go too far and the gang causes a horrible car accident that leaves Bo's beloved little boy, Zach (Blake Michael Bryan) in a coma, and his wife, Abby (Robin "I hope she's not married because I am in love" Tunney), in severe pain. Of course, the paparazzi decide to take a bunch of photos showing the family bruised, beaten, and possibly dead, before calling 911, and Bo isn't very happy about it. He decides it's time for payback. Will Bo get revenge on these villainous photogs? Paparazzi has some over-the-top two-dimensional characters and misses some obvious chances to enhance the story (or at least make it more interesting), but the movie is campy fun the audience can enjoy. We're already primed to hate the paparazzi as scum sucking bottom feeders, so the story makes Bo Laramie a hero in our eyes as if he was some avenging angel doing it for his family and all actors who have to deal with the unwanted, invasive attention. However, we shouldn't lose sight of our hero's illegal actions, and exploration of that angle by writer Forrest Smith and director Paul Abascal is lacking. There were several ways this could have been accomplished, and his guilt or innocence in the death of several paparazzi is left hanging, when it could have been dealt with in one minor, audience pleasing scene at the end. Abascal and Smith's failure to do so makes Paparazzi a B-level film instead of one that is more challenging or memorable, which is a shame since they show some ability and intelligence throughout the movie. Smith provides some hilarious dialogue about the paprazzi's pursuit of other stars that is funny for anyone who has followed actors' crusades against the business, and Abascal does a wonderful job capturing the action and keeping the film appropriately paced and at the right tone throughout. Several scenes had me laughing because you want the bad guys to get their comeuppance, and the way it happens was interesting. Also, the movie has a few surprise cameos that help lighten the mood. Because his character's rapidly escalating hate of Laramie is never explained well enough, Sizemore's performance is a scene chewer, but he is good at making Rex a detestable figure. He's an evil bad guy willing to stop at nothing, even if his methods are a bit beyond reality, and Sizemore relishes it. Hauser is believable as an actor (big stretch there), and he channels moral outrage effectively enough for the audience to start rooting for him. It has its flaws, but Paparazzi is a good guilty pleasure. 2 Waffles (Out Of 4) Copyright 2004 - WaffleMovies.com
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