The Paperboy (2012)

Why did I rent this? I think it was the classic car, but that's a terrible reason to rent a movie, especially when the car is only incidental. Maybe I thought the synopsis was interesting.  Well it was interesting, but it was also depressing, had an overall disturbing feel and most of the characters are unlikeable.

Jack is a swimming star who was expelled from college after pulling a prank. He spends his time bumming around his parents house in a small town in the rural south in the late 1960s. His mother left when he was young and his father is dating an unlikeable, annoying women. Jack is closest with Anita, the hired help, who is telling this story to a reporter.

Older brother Ward returns to town with writing partner Yardley to look into the murder conviction of Hillary van Wetter, creepily played by John Cusack who with his wild hair is inching into Nic Cage territory. Luckily it's only in the looks, not the acting department.

Ward and Yardley were contacted by prisoner groupie Charlotte, who believes that Hillary is her true love since he wants something different from her than all the other prisoners. Charlotte writes to many prisoners and, due to her love of a man she's never met or spoken to, is convinced that Hillary is innocent of the murder of the Sheriff.

The movie is dark and touches on racism and is over all unsettling.  The acting is really good. A surprise is Zac Efron who holds his own with the others. While the film looks good and the acting is good, the overall feel is disturbing and left me feeling icky.