Michael Keaton Murder Mystery Classic Isn’t Streaming Anywhere And That’s A Crime
After the success of Tim Burton’s Batman, many audiences forgot that Michael Keaton had an amazing career in comedy before that film. It’s no coincidence, then, that some of his best work since has found a way to leverage both his comedic and dramatic talents. The film that best utilizes all of Michael Keaton’s skills as an actor was The Paper, a movie that is sadly unavailable to stream anywhere.
The Paper, starring Michael Keaton in the lead role, is unfortunately not available for streaming with any subscription platforms.
Michael Keaton’s The Paper is unlike many films in that the entirety of the narrative unfolds across only 24 hours. Keaton plays the metro editor of a New York newspaper, and his workaholic life is seriously disrupted by his discovery of a police coverup at the heart of a story he was working on. And throughout those 24 hours, we discover just how tense–and dramatic–life for this veteran newsman can really get.
In addition to Michael Keaton, The Paper features many of our favorite Hollywood stars in their prime. Robert Duvall is spectacular in this movie, as is Glenn Close.
Marisa Tomei also stars in the film along with Seinfeld‘s Jason Alexander, and Randy Quaid turns in one of his typically quirky and memorable performances as a columnist working at the fictional newspaper The New York Sun.
Aside from dating a reporter in Batman, we doubt that Michael Keaton knows much about the newspaper business, but The Paper was fortunately brought to life by a writer very familiar with the subject matter. Time Magazine editor Stephen Koepp, worked with his brother on the screenplay, and that screenplay was strong enough for Universal Pictures to pick up the film.
And by a bit of cosmic kismet, David Koepp’s connections with Steven Spielberg led to Ron Howard deciding to direct the movie.
In the final film, the character played by Randy Quaid is directly inspired by New York Post editor Mike McAlary.
We say kismet because long before Michael Keaton was cast or Howard had even heard of The Paper, the latter had desired to direct a movie focusing on the newspaper industry. Howard took his job very seriously after he committed to direct, going so far as to visit newspapers like the Daily News and the New York Post on multiple occasions to learn more about both the industry and the reporters who work in it.
In the final film, the character played by Randy Quaid is directly inspired by New York Post editor Mike McAlary.
One of the reasons Howard likely cast Michael Keaton in The Paper is because the actor’s ability to straddle the line between drama and comedy perfectly suited the world of tabloid journalism. It’s a topsy-turvy world fueled by the antics of insane celebrities and the writers hungry to pen the stories that might end those celebs’ careers.
Keaton’s editor is a man caught in the inevitable friction between the news and the newsmen, and it’s fascinating to discover over the course of the movie whether that friction will destroy him or serve as a crucible to reveal who he really is.
Musical legend Randy Newman penned the original song “Make Up Your Mind” for this film, and that song won an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song.
Certainly, both Michael Keaton in particular and The Paper in general were fascinating to audiences when the film first came out. Against a budget of only $20 million, the movie went on to respectably earn over $48 million at the box office.
The movie also went on to wow critics, and it currently has a very impressive 89 percent on Rotten Tomatoes (the same score, incidentally, as Barbie, this summer’s runaway blockbuster film).
In addition to audiences and critics loving Michael Keaton’s performance, The Paper ended up nearly receiving a major award for its music. Musical legend Randy Newman penned the original song “Make Up Your Mind” for this film, and that song won an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song.
Modern audiences will have difficulty discovering how great Michael Keaton and the rest of the cast of the film is because The Paper currently isn’t available to stream. However, it’s still possible to snag physical copies of the movie on DVD or Blu-Ray from various online vendors, and you can rent it from Amazon Prime for a relatively low price.
The only downside, of course, is that you might find yourself humming that catchy Randy Newman song for about a week after you finish the film.
