The Paperboy

The Paperboy is a crime drama set in late-1960s Florida. Ward Jansen, a reporter for the Miami Times, travels back to his home town with his writing partner Yardley Acheman to look into the case of Hillary Van Wetter, a death row inmate convicted of killing a sheriff. The two men are drawn into the investigation by Charlotte Bless, a woman who has fallen in love with the condemned man through their letters. Ward's younger brother Jack, who delivers the local paper, guides them through the region as they work toward what they hope will be a career-making story.

Lee Daniels directed and co-wrote the screenplay with Peter Dexter. The film followed his Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire and came before The Butler in his filmography. The cast includes Matthew McConaughey as Ward, Zac Efron as Jack, Nicole Kidman as Charlotte, David Oyelowo as Yardley and John Cusack as Hillary, with Macy Gray as Anita, who also narrates.

The production had a budget of 13 million dollars and drew about one million dollars at the worldwide box office. On IMDb it holds a rating of 5.5 out of 10 from 822 votes, while the film critics' rating stands at 5.3 out of 10 from 143 reviews.