1

Introduction to Film Studies

Professor Susan Baran
Matthew Laboissonniere
19 March 2019
Paddleton
Film Critique #1
 2

Alexandre Lehmann’s Paddleton is not the movie for you if you enjoy suspense and
thrill, losing track of the time, or even sparks of comedy. It barely reaches the mark of an hour
and a half running time, with most of the film being portrayed in complete silence. There are
about 8 major characters total, little scenery change, and extremely basic dialogue. However, the
one thing that this movie does contain, is pure, raw emotion. While it may seem to drag at
various points, if you are patient enough to stick with it, there is a strong chance you will feel
tears running down your cheek. Paddleton delivers as one of the most haunting beautiful movies
of 2019, bringing to life the definition of true friendship and a sense of overwhelming,
bittersweet sadness.
Played by Ray Romano, Andy is an aging loner who lives in the top half of a duplex
apartment building. He is best friends with Michael (Mark Duplass), who occupies the bottom
half of the duplex. Although Michael is considerably younger from an eye test, there is no
denying the friendship the two share. Throughout the entire movie, they are together in every
scene, with exceptions of scenes where one character is looking for the other. They watch their
favorite movie, Death Punch, what seems like one hundred times. They eat burnt DiGiorgio
pizzas and play their made-up game Paddleton. The object of Paddleton is to hit a small ball
against a wall and have it bounce into a barrel. It is dumb, but it’s something dumb that they both
can share. Symbolically, it has a lot of meaning to it. Both working together to get the ball in the
barrel replicates working together in real life because of serious consequences. These serious
consequences being Michael’s diagnosis of terminal cancer.
In terms of a plotline, it is an extremely simple one. After Michael decides his future, the
two travel six hours to buy the medicine Michael needs to perform his assisted suicide. Much to
Andy’s dismay, he accompanies Michael to get this medicine as he tries to enjoy the little time
he has left with his friend. Andy’s character development does not change much, but he is a very
high-strung character with outburst of raw emotion. From the beginning, he is constantly
overthinking and acting anxious in situations that seem unimportant, like burning pizza or
visiting ostriches on the side of the road. He struggles with small talk, acts extremely
uncomfortable when approached by a woman in the hot tub, and acts very cautious with
everything involving Michael. He borders the line of being a caring friend and an obsessive one,
almost acting as Michael’s bodyguard or protector. Through the perspective of Andy, it is clear
he feels that Michael needs him, even though Michael is independent in respect to handling his
disease. Andy never wants Michael out of his sight, including when Michael chooses to leave the
hot tub, or when Andy wakes up and Michael is not there. The motivation for this can be
perceived in many ways. Andy locks up Michael’s medicine to protect it from getting stolen, but
symbolically it is to prevent Michael from taking it and keeping him here for the maximum
amount of time possible. Andy has little control over his emotions- from being rude to innocent
people who could accompany Michael’s attention, to misreading Michael’s sleep. Through all
these events, it is clear the moral behind Andy’s actions: he needs Michaels just as much as
Michael needs him. They are all they have. Where Paddleton lacks in action, it makes up for in
relatability. You may laugh, cringe, cry, whatever your reaction is. It is human, and this film
reminds us that so are they.
Contrary to Andy, Michael seems to be worried about almost nothing at any point in
time. Over all 8 characters in this film, he would be the last you would predict to have a life
ending illness. His calm motive stems most likely from his understanding of his fate, and how
little inconveniences will not play any effect on his life in the long run. He seems to never get too
 3

worked up over his best mate’s unpredictable behavior and is content just having him around.
His only breaking point comes about fifty minutes in, where Andy continues to take and keep the
medicine from Michael, which is locked in a pink safe. After an unsuccessful chase, Michael
exclaims how he is the dying guy, who simply needs his medicine because nothing is stopping
him from dying. Andy retaliates with how he is “the other guy”, a line that hits home deeper than
it appears on the surface. This “mise-en-scene” shows how this illness is not just affecting who it
inhabits, but also Andy. His anxiety and emotions stem from the fact he is losing his best friend
and the only person he truly has. The effects of the cancer will continue to haunt Andy, long after
Michael passes away. Holding onto the medicine gives him the false hope that he can have an
impact on Michael’s life.
Overall, both Duplass and Romano portrayed their characters to full effect. Two best
friends dealing with real world problems in the most human way possible: reenacting movie
scenes to a bar full of uninterested people and discussing what form of signal Michael would
send to Andy if he can communicate from the afterlife. These two mise-en-scenes depict the
obvious theme of friendship better than others. As Michael makes a fool of himself describing
the symbolic Death Punch, Andy joins him on stage to play the other character. In their own
world, the two can completely be themselves, something most people in this world lack. When
the two are describing whether Michael should come back as a flickering light or a gust of wind,
the timer on Andy’s wrist goes off before they can decide. This timer signaling the hour waiting
period was over, and Michael could take his medicine. The two look at each other as Michael
gives Andy a small nod, almost to tell him “It is time for me to go, and you did all you could. I
could not have asked for anything more”. The sad music begins to play, and they head for the
house. Michaels first real scene of true fear comes from his indecisiveness in picking his place to
die, to his mini panic attack once taking the medicine. Holding Andy’s hand, he is assured that
everything is going to be okay. What makes Paddleton truly beautiful is the selflessness
possessed by both characters. Losing Michael is a piece of Andy he will never be able to replace,
but one he knows he must lose. This dramatic scene, partnered with Romano’s perfect display of
acting, makes it a true tearjerker.
Narrative development was an area I could have seen more of. While the basic dialogue
does make it simplistic and down to Earth, most of the meaning behind the friendship comes
completely from audience interpretation. There is no background on the friendship or any
flashbacks of previous memories. More scenes of passion, emotion, and happiness should have
been implemented to deepen the connection between the two. In addition, these scenes should
have been added for overall audience enjoyment. What kept me involved was the traumatic
ending that was bound to come, since we are told of Michael’s illness from the very start. I am
not convinced that if we only discovered Michael’s illness half way through the movie, that
audiences would have not given up on it.
Whereas most movies are made utterly unique from their use of production values,
Paddleton stands out as a film that completely lacks special editing styles to make it fantastic.
There are no special effects or dutch angled shots. Except for some driving scenes, there is
hardly any use of swish pan, dollying, or craning. The production of Paddleton adds a sense of
realness. Lighting is appropriate for how this scene would be in real life, using only natural light.
Music is lightly played for heavy dialogue scenes, but mainly the only sound comes from their
voices. This can make some scenes awkward, however, but the authenticity of these scenes carry
much more weight.
 4

The most interesting bit of conversation the two discuss over is undoubtedly the half time
speech. Andy constantly tells Michael of his amazing half time speech he wrote. The speech tells
the story of a coach who tells his team they are going to lose the game. He tells them now that he
is proud of them, because it serves no point at the end. He tells them they will all go on to live
great lives and there may be an empty feeling in their guts. One day, they may wish they could
go back and play that second half again. He then tells them to open their eyes, they are at the
game and can go win the second half. The symbolic nature of this speech ties into the
relationship between Michael and Andy. Both are being told right now that due to Michael’s
illness, they are going to lose the game. The game that was their simple, basic, loving friendship.
While it may be over now, they may look back and have that empty feeling. Wishing they could
play that “second half again”. What would they do in that second half?

Probably play a game of Paddleton.