The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

I felt so furious during the first 20 minutes. Not at the movie, but at what happened there. A movie star (Laramie) and his family become the targets of ruthless Paparazzi that do anything for a "good" story. Yet you can't deny the argument of Rex Harper, the leader of the Paparazzi group, when he explains his reasons and thinking to a random woman he met. He says that people don't approve his means, but are just fine with the reading and watching the results. They want the outcome, but nothing have to do with how it was achieved. That's a strong message and it has you thinking. Good job with that. Anyway, the group of "evil" Paparazzi causes the actor and his family to get into a car accident. His wife gets wounded and his child is in a coma. As fate or luck would have it, another accident causes one of the Paparazzi to get in mortal danger, his life depending on the helpfulness of Laramie. So far, so good. But for some reason they decided that the Paparazzi would threaten to destroy more of Laramie's life even before he was saved. Given the deviousness and slyness they had shown so far, this is highly unrealistic and unbelievable. Necessary for the plot, maybe. But it doesn't make any sense. Same goes for the second Paparazzi. While he is stopped by the police and tries to draw the driver license out of his jacket, he pulls out a gun instead. A gun that Laramie placed there so that the police would shoot the Paparazzi. Yeah right, because a gun feels just like a driver license. "Oh, that feels weird. I better get it out and check what it is. Right now!" Meanwhile an older detective tries to figure what's behind all the accidents, starting from the first one early in the movie. But it takes him an hour to even think about checking the traffic cams for proof of what's really happened. Because when there's a traffic accident in the middle of the city with unclear guild party (and one fatality), the traffic cams are apparently the last thing you'd check. Stupid. Sadly that describes big parts of movie. Well, it did have a good start and the end was kind of okay. All things considered it's about average.

Okay, this may be pretentious in the least, and taken way too far, it's idea of a rising actor being hounded by those pesky photographers was bound to surface as a movie. But that's where the fun lies, the exaggeration of story from it's idea, especially for revenge fans, as seeing how far Cole Hauser's character (an upcoming actor playing a upcoming actor, how ironic) can be pushed, before retaliating. He punches out one Paparazzi, creating some bad exposure for himself. Underneath, this is a thing a lot of actors would love to do, I gather. In reality, a lot of stars must of been feeling that certain pinch, relating with this, at it's premiere, where coincidentally, the movie takes off here, as Hauser, and his family walk the red carpet, a startling experience for any rising star. He's the new focus of Sizemore and his Papparazzi goons, who soon turn his perfect life into a nightmare of harassment which eventuates into a close call with death, a car accident in which wife (Robin Tunney) is nearly killed. Now the fires of revenge are lit that pitt Hauser against his harassers where he exacts his own form of personal justice, a methodical plan in which each of the four die, which you never know how, until it's happens, where you underestimate the smarts of this character, or may'be he has you thinking, how could be capable of such genius. Actors aren't the smartest people out there. Although it's way off the mark, leaving the realms of reality, Paparazzi is a fun flick, that takes the p..s out of this people in terms of their deaths, which hopefully must of angered some. It also takes the mickey of some of it's actors, whose careers are fading, where a couple of real ones, are used amongst this fictional telling, one such actor of course, being Mel Gibson (who co produced this as well) sitting outside an anger management office. What a send up, truly the comedic highpoint of this small minded film, that's no blockbuster, after only a one week running in Adelaide. Hauser, Wings's son is an intriguing choice in the lead.

I finally got around to watching my DVD of this flick, ironically enough, within a week after watching the early 90s flick "School Ties." I mention that, because the earlier film also features Cole Hauser, though in a supporting role, opposite Brendan Fraser and Matt Damon, as well as Chris O' Donnell and Ben Affleck (also in supporting roles).After watching "Paparazzi" it is clear why Hauser's career hasn't gone very far. Let me put it this way, he showed more range in "School Ties." And, in that film, he didn't display much range, or charisma.I will say he has obviously been at the gym. He may have the physique that Hollywood seeks, but zippo on anything else.The entire film reads like a Bronson revenge flick, without much teeth. There is virtually no violence, which isn't a terrible thing, but outside of the revenge aspect, it does not have much else to offer.Considering the plot intentionally has similarities to the speculation surrounding Lady Di's death, supposedly due to the paparazzi chasing her, I thought it would be more interesting.But this films is just bland.Let me put it this way, when you give your action character the name of Bo Laramie, you know you are asking for trouble. I kept thinking back to "The Big Chill" and the TV actor Tom Berenger plays (which read like a parody). This character seems like a parody as well.The director, whose best known prior work was as a hairdresser, is notably missing from the way this film was marketed. It is all about the producer, Mel Gibson.While I do not dispute that the paparazzi are ripe to be taken down, for their excesses, this film was atrocious in its stereotypes and relentlessly dull in its execution.The best thing I have to say is that the actors involved all had very nice hair.

CONTAINS SPOILERSAh, Paparazzi - where to start? So bad it's good. Entertainment in the form of Hollywood whining over it's lot in life - to be forever dogged by photographers - O NOEZ!!! Even I, a non-celebrity got the point of this celluloid tale: "Paparazzi bad! Movie stars picked on! Kill all the photographers!"As bad as the paparazzi are, not every stinking one of them are the bloodsuckers that this film portrays them to be. These photographers were CRIMINALS. Just because a man carries a camera for a living does not mean that he's got a warrant for his arrest out for illegal possession of weapons, rape, etc. Give me a break. And if they're earning so much from their ambulance-chasing, why do they still all live like pigs in squalor? BECAUSE PAPARAZZI ARE EVIL CHILD KILLERS, REMEMBER?The movie star (handsome-enough and little else Cole Hauser) is portrayed as a fresh-scrubbed, corn-fed farm-boy who had just made it big and is suddenly, mercilessly hounded by the press. The photographers apparently are willing to do anything to get a picture, even kill the source of their income, said maligned film star. A number of little details were there to make us sympathize with the celebrity. 1) He comes from the mid-west, and he's just made it big. 2) He's a family man with strong values. 3) He drives a modest car and lives in a modest home. 4) He's super nice to almost everyone, including the coach of his son's soccer team and the young grocery store clerk.This film is basically Hollywood's revenge - everything bad about the paparazzi is magnified (because yes, I agree, they certainly are bad) and everything decent about the film stars is thrown up in our face (he just wants to watch his son's soccer game! The photographer is threatening his cherub-faced boy! O woe!) I liked the celebrity character until he began plotting or allowing the death's of the paparazzi. Yes, they were scumbags. Yes, they deserved to be behind bars - maybe even dead. But since when does a movie star have the right to take justice into his own hands? Bo goes a little crazy, starts making like Rambo in real life and before we know it, every one of the shutter-bugs is sleeping with the fishes. The last shot of the movie shows our noble hero smiling away at the flashing cameras, reveling in his fame - content now that all the OMGEVIL!photographers have been done away with. There's no business like show business...