Paparazzi (2)

Paparazzi
2004

Directed by:
Paul Abascal

Cast:

Cole Hauser..............Bo Laramie
Robin Tunney...........Abby Laramie
Dennis Farina...........Detective Burton
Daniel Baldwin.........Wendell Stokes
Tom Sizemore...........Rex Harper

I was really rooting for this film. I was sorta interested in what Cole Hauser could do in a leading role. He's a talented actor who has just chosen scripts poorly. White Oleander, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Hart's War all real stinkers for one reason or another but not as a result of his performances. So I was ready to see what he could do as a lead. Paparazzi just continues his string of good performances in bad movies.

The premise of the movie is what if an actor whose life is dramatically affected by the paparazzi fights back. Sounds good, a story ripped from the headlines as they like to say. Bo Laramie's family is involved in a car accident as the direct result of photographers chasing them. Bo proceeds to even the score.


Decent plot, great actors bad follow through. Robin Tunney proves that she hasn't gone anywhere and does an admirable job with a one not character. Tom Sizemore is evil and callous and usual. Top it off with Dennis Farina as the detective who knows there's more to this than meets the eye and you think you're off to a good start.

Somehow the movie manages to simply string you along. Walking the fine line between revenge and mania Hauser holds together his character's focus but there is really not much beyond the movie's top layer. About half-way through you're done, just waiting for it to play out. I need a bit more here fellas. Give me either more action (I hate saying that but more explosive scenes/dialogue might have saved the flick) or a bit more suspense.

All in all wait for the cable rerun. Not a complete waste of time but definitely not worth the rental.

I give this 2 baseball bats out of 5.