Paperboys

Echoing the credo of the Pony Express, one of the half-dozen interviewees (aged 11-14) in filmmaker Mike Mills' engaging slice-of-Americana Paperboys says that “you gotta continue with your route, even through rain and snow.” That underlying sense of responsibility (reputedly absent in today's kids) is a fairly constant refrain in the comments of these Stillwater, Minnesota youngsters, who proudly display the fruits of their labor in their bedrooms (stereo systems, model cars, etc.), talk about their interests (all six are white, male, and, almost without exception, big time rap fans as well as videogame enthusiasts), speculate on the future of newspaper delivery (gravity-defying cars, underground tubes, “digital stuff”), and are seen in brief snippets on their routes and interacting with family. Mills says he was drawn to the “Norman Rockwell image of the paperboy blended in with the contemporary Eminem-influenced teenage boy,” and he captures that small town/urban dichotomy very nicely in a warm but honest portrait that is never sugarcoated or Hallmark-like superficial. Unfortunately--whether due to ignorance or perversity--Palm Pictures has chosen to include Mills' 17-minute short “Deformer” about skateboarder Ed Templeton on the disc as a DVD extra; an interesting piece in and of itself, “Deformer” features a little more about Ed and his wife Deanna's private life than we might care to know, including full frontal nudity of Deanna and graphic Polaroid pictures of Ed's penis. So, while the DVD-only Paperboys is highly recommended, that recommendation comes with a warning that the “extra” feature could spark controversy amongst those who think they are checking out family fare. Aud: P. (R. Pitman)