Remembering ‘The Paperboy’: The unexpected collaboration of Nicole Kidman and Zac Efron that amazed the world

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Nicole Kidman and Zac Efron in “The Paperboy” and “A Family Affair.” Credit: Composite: Mashable. / Images: Moviestore / Shutterstock.com / Tina Rowden / Netflix
 

This weekend, Netflix brings together Zac Efron and Nicole Kidman in “A Family Affair,” a charming new romantic comedy directed by Richard LaGravenese (known for “Living Out Loud”). The film follows Zara (Joey King), who is shocked when her boss, a former teen heartthrob (Zac Efron), begins a romantic relationship with her mother (Nicole Kidman). While this premise could easily form the plot of an erotic thriller, the movie opts instead for broad slapstick humor.

Interestingly, Efron and Kidman previously ventured into darker cinematic territory twelve years ago. Who could forget their collaboration in Lee Daniels’ “The Paperboy,” where Kidman, acclaimed for her role in “The Hours,” famously urinated on Efron, star of the “High School Musical” series, declaring assertively, “If anyone’s going to pee on him, it’s going to be me!”

Such a memorable moment from “The Paperboy” is not easily erased from memory.

This is where Daniels excels — imprinting our minds with a series of audacious moments, each more wildly over-the-top than the last. Like many pioneering queer filmmakers before him, Daniels is fluent in the language of camp. His second film, “Precious,” released in 2009, earned Monique an Oscar, partly for her unforgettable scene throwing a TV at Gabourey Sidibe. Following “The Paperboy,” Daniels embarked on six seasons of the hip-hop spectacle “Empire,” a series overflowing with moments of sheer audacity (thanks, Taraji P. Henson).

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However, no work of Daniels’ has attracted as much critical scrutiny as “The Paperboy” did. Upon its 2012 release, this film faced widespread disdain from both critics and audiences alike. Yet, we believe the world got it wrong! We’re here to reclaim this explosion of delightfully outrageous queer camp as an iconic gem, deserving of our deepest admiration and affection.

Who is The Paperboy? Zac Efron steps into his first “grown-up” role after Disney musicals, portraying Jack, a college dropout who has returned home feeling adrift and uncertain about his future. Despite Efron’s undeniable charm, Jack appears content to spend his days lounging around his parents’ house in his underwear (a detail that director Daniels captures in lingering shots), occasionally earning money by delivering the local newspaper.

That changes when his older brother Ward (played by Matthew McConaughey) returns to their humid Florida hometown, not for leisure but for work. Ward, an investigative journalist, is digging into the case of a corrupt local sheriff who was murdered. Hillary Van Wetter (portrayed by John Cusack in a performance that can only be described as truly grotesque) is a rough-and-tumble swamp dweller on death row for the crime. However, Ward suspects Hillary may be innocent, or at least railroaded with insufficient evidence. His suspicions are fueled by passionate letters from Charlotte Bless (played by Kidman), Hillary’s long-distance lover from Alabama.

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There are bold performances, and then there’s “Nicole Kidman in The Paperboy” bold.
Throughout her career of daring choices, Charlotte Bless stands out as possibly Kidman’s most audacious character. Straight out of a John Waters film, Charlotte is a larger-than-life floozy. With her hair bleached to a crisp blonde (“Straight hair gives me class,” she asserts) and barely contained in skin-tight dresses, Kidman fully embodies the role, reaching out to the farthest corners of the audience. Charlotte is a brash and damaged vortex of narcissism and desire, a toxic blend of sexuality and decay. And yet, strangely, she also possesses a certain sweetness.

Naturally, the moment Jack lays eyes on her, he is completely ensnared by her charm. And so are we. Every character on-screen falls under her spell, except perhaps Ward, who is grappling with his own hidden struggles. However, every other man drawn into Charlotte’s unconventional orbit appears instantly captivated and rendered speechless.

In fact, Hillary hasn’t even met her in person — their relationship has been conducted solely through letters until the film’s climactic display of sensational drama. In that pivotal scene, Kidman and Cusack exchange provocative dialogue across the prison’s visiting room, eliciting shock and disbelief from everyone present, including the audience.

If there’s been a more bizarre and perverse sex scene committed to film in the 12 years since this one, I’m not sure I could name it. And is that not something worth exclaiming from the mountaintops? Now that’s entertainment!

The Paperboy was a bomb as big as Zac Efron’s glutes.

However, back in 2012, many viewers failed to appreciate the brilliance in all of this. Upon its premiere at Cannes, the film was harshly criticized by reviewers (IndieWire labeled it “a disastrous flop” from the outset). Upon its theatrical release that autumn, it struggled to surpass $4 million in global earnings, despite having a budget of $12 million.

Kidman stood out amidst the critical backlash, receiving substantial acclaim for her “bravery.” Throughout numerous interviews at the time, she repeatedly fielded questions about why she chose such a challenging role. Her consistent response was “rawness.” She was drawn to the unfiltered, gritty nature of Charlotte’s character, which is undeniably palpable in The Paperboy. If viewers could feel raw after watching a film, The Paperboy achieves that effect. Kidman’s courageous performance earned her nominations for both a SAG award and a Golden Globe, signaling that she grasped the film’s demanding essence, even if others failed to see it from their perspective.

Well before the AMC advertisements, Kidman had already embraced queer aesthetics and camp. Her collaboration with a diverse array of queer filmmakers spans a considerable length of time.

Even before The Paperboy left mainstream audiences stunned, Kidman had already taken on bold roles, such as the seductive showgirl in Moulin Rouge!, the assertive suburbanite in The Stepford Wives, and the enigmatic psychologist in Batman Forever. However, it was her portrayal of the ambitious would-be femme fatale Suzanne Stone in Gus Van Sant’s To Die For that truly solidified her reputation as a formidable talent. (It’s worth noting that if there’s any similarity to Charlotte in Kidman’s other roles, it can be found in the cunning and manipulative Suzanne.)

The Paperboy embraces outlandishness, top to bottom. 

Still, to chalk this film up to just Kidman knowing what was going on and making the best of it seems, to put it mildly, a discredit to the Black gay man at the center of its making. Lee Daniels’ outré work has been steeped in audacious ingenuity every step of the way. Camp is the language, the essence, of his filmmaking. It’s the engine driving (one might even say pummeling away at) everything. 

Like a Tennessee Williams play mixed up with vermouth and methamphetamines, The Straights are not OK in Lee Daniels’ world. The sloppily rouged divas and gator-wrestling dudes of The Paperboy are spinning and bucking wildly out of control, and dammit, it’s funny. It’s scathing. It’s a glorious mess, sticky to the touch. If you walked out of this movie not desiring a shower, then Daniels wouldn’t have done his job. 

Nowadays, once-controversial queer filmmakers like John Waters and Todd Haynes get their films — which work at this exact same over-the-top register — put into the Criterion Collection. They are feted with major exhibits at the Academy Museum. Why Daniels’ work — and specifically, the aria of sleaze-ploitation that he summons with The Paperboy — hasn’t been afforded that same celebratory lens, one can only conjecture. 

How could anyone witness the former Mrs. Tom Cruise squatting over Mr. High School Musical and not see it as equally audacious in its punkish defiance of smashing the heteronormative mainstream, much like Mink Stole inserting a rosary into Divine’s posterior in Multiple Maniacs all those years ago? It’s apparent to me that Daniels intended this provocative statement. That scene, along with numerous others, wasn’t accidentally included — Lee Daniels orchestrated it!

In its swampy eccentricity, The Paperboy marked a bold leap by Daniels into using melodrama and camp deliberately, steering them into fresh and exhilarating territories. What’s more, it boasted a lineup of top-tier movie stars. We’ve seen a shift in perspective towards other misinterpreted satires, such as John McNaughton’s provocative thriller Wild Things and Paul Verhoeven’s audacious sci-fi adventure Starship Troopers — even Verhoeven’s Showgirls, a pinnacle of modern camp and unapologetic excess. These films proudly embrace the language of extravagance.

Now, as its two main stars reunite for this week’s charming Netflix rom-com, it’s time for The Paperboy to finally take center stage. It has unquestionably carved out its place in the realm of iconic camp. Just as Kidman and Efron did in their memorable collaboration, tune in to experience this spectacle of intense desire, betrayal, and the most eye-catching hot pink hot pants. The Paperboy will challenge your perceptions and invite you to embrace every exhilarating moment of its madness.