Film
The Paper
A scrappy, energetic newsroom comedy-drama about tabloid journalists chasing a story under deadline pressure. Ron Howard's love letter to print journalism finds humour and genuine stakes in the daily chaos of getting something true into print before anyone else. For people who love workplace ensemble energy and 90s New York.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you enjoy newsroom comedies where the fun comes from fast overlapping talk, deadline panic and a crew of characters who would rather be right than polite.
Skip it if you want a tidy, plot-driven thriller; this one is looser, more chatter than mystery, and its comedy leans on mood and banter rather than clever set pieces.
What it asks of you: Most of its ninety-odd minutes unfold in a single frantic day, so it asks you to settle into a busy, talky rhythm and let the scramble wash over you.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
Spotlight2015
Serious-minded journalists pursuing a massive story across months, with the same ensemble-solving-a-puzzle satisfaction. More investigation, less comedy, but the same moral weight underneath the procedural urgency.
But Slower paced and grittier. No comedic relief and no glamour—it's grinding institutional reporting, not the adrenaline-jockey version.
His Girl Friday1940
The original screwball newspaper comedy, where dialogue moves at Mach 2 and the competitive thrill of beating rivals to a story is everything. Sharp, witty, and genuinely about the addiction of the news cycle.
But Black and white, 1940s romantic subplot gets tangled with the work plot. If you find golden-age Hollywood theatrical, this will feel mannered.
All the President's Men1976
The gold standard for how gripping a journalism story can be. Two reporters chasing Watergate with methodical brilliance, supporting cast that sings, and a thriller's tension wrapped around real events.
But Serious and procedural—barely a laugh. Also you know how it ends, which flattens some of the suspense.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Paper
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Nightcrawler2014
Both film about the intoxication of a story hunt, but where *The Paper* finds humanity in the scramble, *Nightcrawler* finds predation.
The dark-mirror version of *The Paper*'s newsroom hustle. A stringer chasing LA crime footage for local news, shot like a thriller. Same adrenaline addiction to the chase, same moral questions about what we choose to broadcast.
But Bleak, unsettling, and Jake Gyllenhaal plays a sociopath. No warmth, no ensemble charm—this is the nightmare version of loving the news cycle.
More like this (8)
Network1976
Media satire with Duvall-level veteran performances and caustic wit about the machinery of news. Angry, funny, and premonient—it sees the rot in the system *The Paper* inhabits with more warmth.
But A rant dressed as a film. If you want character or plot momentum over ideology, it's relentless and wearying.
Broadcast News1987
James Brooks' love-letter to network news, with the same ensemble warmth and behind-the-scenes detail. Romantic tension, genuine stakes, and people who care desperately about getting it right.
But More romance than journalism. The love triangle is the plot, not the deadline—priorities very different from *The Paper*.
Ghostbusters II1989
Michael Keaton is electrifying as a tabloid journalist in this ensemble comedy. If you're drawn to Keaton's manic energy in *The Paper*, seeing him as the chaos agent in someone else's story is pure fun.
But Basically a lower-stakes repeat of the first film. The supernatural stuff is silly and doesn't land like it thinks it will.
Murphy Brown1988
Network sitcom about a scrappy newsmagazine team, with Candice Bergen as the brilliant, difficult anchor. Season by season it deepens into real workplace dynamics while staying sharp and funny.
But Network TV sitcom pacing means less edge than cable. Some episodes are thin, and the laugh track dates it badly.
The West Wing1999
Same kinetic ensemble energy, different beat—staffers solving impossible problems under deadline pressure with walk-and-talk brilliance. Sorkin's dialogue has that same intoxicating speed.
But Schmaltzy and preachy. It believes its own hype about politics and nobility in a way that won't appeal if you want cynicism.
Head of State2003
Chris Rock in a workplace comedy with genuine heart buried under the jokes. Underrated ensemble piece about the machinery of American institutions and the people trying to do right within them.
But Broad comedy that swings and misses as often as it lands. Rock's persona doesn't suit sincere moments, so tonal shifts feel awkward.
Deadline - U.S.A.1952
Separated by four decades and genre: where *The Paper* is comedy-first, *Deadline* is tragedy-first. Same love of newspapers, opposite register.
Humphrey Bogart as an old-school editor fighting to keep his paper alive and fight corruption one last time. Post-war American cinema's love letter to print journalism—serious, moving, and genuinely about why this job matters.
But Black and white, slow by modern standards, and structured around Bogart's tired nobility rather than comedy. If you need the entertainment engine *The Paper* provides, this will feel static.
The Devil in the White City
Both build excitement through procedural detail and ensemble players under pressure. Not about newsrooms but about how institutional machinery moves.
Limited series about a serial killer and the Chicago World's Fair, told with the propulsive detail and ensemble intrigue of *The Paper*. Different subject entirely (murder, architecture, history), but same narrative velocity and pleasure in how systems fail.
But Structurally divided between two timelines that don't always sync. If you want a single story focused tightly forward, the historical jumping will feel scattered.
People
Cast
Michael KeatonHenry Hackett
Robert DuvallBernie White
Glenn CloseAlicia Clark
Marisa TomeiMartha Hackett
Randy QuaidMichael McDougal
Jason AlexanderMarion Sandusky
Catherine O'HaraSusan
Jason RobardsGraham Keighley
Jill HennessyDeanne White
Spalding GrayPaul Bladden
Lynne ThigpenJanet
Directing
- Ron HowardDirector
Writing
- David KoeppScreenplay
- Stephen KoeppScreenplay
Production
- Jane JenkinsCasting
- Janet HirshensonCasting
- Jane JenkinsCasting Director
- Dylan SellersExecutive Producer
- Todd HallowellExecutive Producer
- Brian GrazerProducer
- David KoeppProducer
- Frederick ZolloProducer
Recommended by
Broadcast News, Lou Grant, Morning Glory, Street Smart, The Newsreader, Teachers, Lovely by Surprise, Outrage!, Between the Lines