Paperback Hero
Paperback Hero
| 05 August 2000 (USA)
Paperback Hero Trailers

An Australian truck driver writes romance novels. His engaged, tomboyish, crop duster best friend's name, Ruby Vale, is unasked used as author. Complications arise when his novel takes off. Will they remain friends or...?

Reviews
StunnaKrypto

Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

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Tayloriona

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

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Taha Avalos

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

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Cissy Évelyne

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

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Felix-28

Sometimes it's good to watch a film that tells a simple story well, has characters who are all decent human beings, has actors who play those characters straightforwardly and sympathetically, and doesn't take itself too seriously. This is one of those films. Australia has only a small film industry by world standards, and it suffers from the fact that when anyone of real talent emerges, he or she is invariably whisked off to the dollars of Hollywood very rapidly, so that most of our best people, not only actors but directors and all the others who work to make a film, don't make films in Australia. It's therefore a welcome surprise when an Australian film turns out to be good. One very common problem is the lack of good screenplays: most of them have fundamental problems of structure, and nearly all of them have not been developed sufficiently. This one's a good one. The idea of a truck driver writing Mills and Boon romances is interesting in itself; the enlisting of a local girl to "front" for the real author is a predictable but acceptable nest step: and the romance that slowly but surely emerges out of the background to take over towards the end is also predictable but very nicely and gently done.The film didn't make much of a public stir when it was released, in fact I don't recall it in cinemas at all. It comes up every now and again on TV, and it's much underrated. It also deserves a much higher user rating than its current 6.1. Perhaps it's the lack of pretension itself that leads viewers to mark it down. If you're looking at IMDb wondering whether to bother with this film, then my suggestion is to bother. It won't change your world, but it will amuse you and leave you feeling happy.

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ozq

A wonderful romantic comedy movie, full of satire and unresolved emotions. If you've ever spent a decent amount of time in the outback of Australia where the bull dust covers everything and the road trains take 5 blocks to park, then you'll understand the humour in this movie. If you've never even seen Australia then you'll probably have a hard time keeping up, and you may not find it humorous at all, as most of the humour is very outback Aussie (as opposed to city Aussie - there's a difference, ya know) - although British viewers may enjoy the humour as well.Hugh Jackman plays a believable (and gorgeous) truckie in Outback Oz somewhere out the back of Woop Woop. They're not to specific as to the exact whereabouts of the setting. Claudia Karvan as Ruby is a believable sheila who happens to fly planes, as well as own the name Hugh's character put on his book.If you really want to see what the Aussie Outback is like, make sure you take note of all the story background including the characters. The storyline isn't too realistic, but I've seen a lot of those road trains and bull dust (the red stuff flying everywhere). Lots of fun for Romantic Aussies :))))

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Bob Highland

While this is not Romeo and Juliet, neither is anything else, except for Romeo and Juliet. (And, if I dare speak the heresy, it seems to me that even with that august work, for those of us who are not English Lit graduates the enjoyment would be enhanced if 'twere rendered into more accessible English, without losing the rhythm).Finally, an Australian filmmaker has (largely) resisted the temptation to portray rural Australians as cardboard Bruces and Sheilas that say 'fair dinkum' and call each other 'cobber' with thick, fabricated accents, a too-common tendency that has held the otherwise sophisticated local film industry back for years.This is a simple enough romantic tale of boy/girl finding each other - after the catalyst of being thrown together through circumstance lets them break through the barrier of friendship - and it is a movie that is hard not to like. If it does not move you greatly, it should at least cheer you up.

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forever_immature

I love this movie and how could you not when Hugh Jackman stars in it!!!Whilst the storyline is predictable, it provides a humourous look at friendship which blossoms into love, something we've all dreamed about.This is definately one movie us Aussies can be proud to show the world, it displays some of this nations best talent with Claudia Karvan and Hugh Jackman.A movie everyone should see for a laugh and some heartwarming!I give it 9.5 out of 10

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