The greatest movie ever!

There is just so much movie here. For some it may be too much. But in the same secretly sarcastic way most telemarketers say the phrase, the title of this one is particularly apt.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

Always thought this was a GREAT movie and, yes, I always thought a major studio should have picked up the idea. I mean c'mon, we've had a remake of "Hairspray" already and it's only 20 years old! This movie could be done super-right in this day and age due to the advancements in...uh...computer technology. Watching the movie now, it does seem to not be as great as I remembered it, but still very good...especially the idea. And the "lights going off down the hallway" scene...along with the "the elevator almost reached it's floor" scene...are definite classics. If you do not have a copy of this, search one out and enjoy the great story line done in grand-but-cheesy TV-movie style

It's kind of neat to watch what the computer world was in the seventies. Those massive machines, producing data from the input of cards. The flashing lights and spools of magnetic tape. This is the story of an early effort to use the computer for evil means. It doesn't start that way. A group of college kids enlist the computer nerd, Dean Stockwell, to help them create and artificial being (made of paper, as in identity only). The purpose is to help them with their financial troubles, to challenge money into and out of accounts. Anyway, Dean Stockwell, looking about as weird as can be with those sunken cheeks and unibrow, becomes the suspect in a series of murders that seem to come from the computer's control. This starts as almost supernatural. A young woman is asked to use her charms to keep him on task by the hunky ex-Vietnam vet. There is more to this than meets the eye. It's hard to pull for Stockwell because he is so strange. He has some deep dark secret that must be revealed at some point. Describing it makes it sound really stupid, but there is really quite a lot to this film and it works reasonably well.

Times have certainly changed and that makes this dated "techno-thriller" rather interesting in spite of its early 1970's trappings. Stacy, Powers, Street and Chen (all close to over well over 30 years in age!) play a quartet of college students who are unable to get credit due to their age/lack of employment. Through the school's super computer, they create a fictitious persona and, with the aid of grad-student Stockwell, fabricate an entire background and history for him. They then apply for credit in his name and go about charging things all over town like a deluxe chess set and a "new spring coat"! These are honorable thieves, however, as they intend to pay back their purchases with money sent from home! Unfortunately, the entire situation spirals out of control when they are forced to continue tweaking the situation and eventually it becomes clear that the "paper man" they've created may actually be a real person. And he isn't happy! Soon, people begin dying and all eyes are on Stockwell since he programmed the computer and has a history of mental imbalance. Powers give a solid performance, even though she (and everyone else) is far too old for this movie. Stacy, just a couple of years before his devastating motorcycle accident, is interesting and handsome, though his character isn't particularly likable. Street and Chen are less involved in the story, but Chen does have a memorable sequence in which the computer seems to be targeting her, even stalking her. Olson appears as a technician who vies for Powers' attention with Stacy. In an age of identity theft and when credit cards come in the mail to everyone with promises of low interest and other perks, it's fascinating to see these folks desperately trying to get credit and to see how things were done in the pre-ATM and pre-electronic charging era. It's a rather predictable tele-film, but has the benefit of a decent cast and some nice, creepy atmosphere to help it along.

I can remember seeing "The Paper Man " during a midnight movie session in about 1975. I can remember being terrified, as a 12 year old, thinking that this was possible. I think it is amazing to think that this movie now has possibilities of becoming true and actually happening. It is a scary thought. I love to watch movies about computers taking over and there are several I have seen. I would love to see this movie again as it scared the life out of me and I wonder if after all the horrors since, if it can still scare me.