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Paparazzi (2004 film)
Paparazzi is a 2004 American action thriller film directed by Paul Abascal, produced by Mel Gibson, and starring Cole Hauser, Robin Tunney, Dennis Farina, Daniel Baldwin and Tom Sizemore. The film chronicles the life of popular Hollywood film star Bo Laramie in the aftermath of a car crash caused by four paparazzo tabloid photographers. Bo soon goes on a quest to get revenge on the gang for almost killing him and his family. Paparazzi was released on September 3, 2004 in the United States. PlotRising Hollywood movie star Bo Laramie finally achieves major success with his latest film Adrenaline Force. After the film's premiere, a persistent group of unscrupulous photographers—Kevin Rosner, Leonard Clark, Wendell Stokes and their leader Rex Harper—harass Bo and his wife Abby, along with their 8-year-old son Zach. When Bo takes Zach to soccer practice, he eyes Rex taking photos of Zach and confronts him, leading Rex to provoke Bo into punching him, caught on camera by his fellow photographers. Bo is sued as a result and is placed into anger management. Meanwhile, Rex vows to destroy Bo and those close to him. As Bo, Abby and Zach return from an event, Rex and his crew drive up beside them, in four different vehicles, and blind them by taking pictures. Bo's car is hit by a pickup truck while Rex and his crew snap photos of the wreck they caused. While Bo is not seriously injured, Abby's spleen is removed and Zach is placed in a coma. Bo is told by LAPD detective Burton that the paparazzi each gave him the same story of finding the wreck after it happened, with no witnesses to dispute their claims. Some time later, Bo accidentally causes Kevin to wipe out on his motorcycle, careening onto a precipice. Bo tries to save him, but when Kevin gloats that they'll put his family through hell, Bo lets him fall to his death. Bo makes Leonard his next target, secretly placing a prop gun in the jacket left in Leonard's car, whilst Leonard invades Bo's movie set and is ejected by security. Following him, Bo calls 911, and describes Leonard's car, saying that the driver is waving a gun. Leonard is pulled over and, reaching into his jacket for his ID, instead pulls out the prop gun, causing the cops to shoot him dead. Convinced Bo will target them next, Rex and Wendell break into Bo's house to plant cameras inside. Abby runs into Wendell, who assaults her and threatens to kill Zach if she tells the police. Burton assigns Deputy Walker and Deputy Wilson to provide extra security, but Bo sneaks out past the two deputies and into Wendell's house, discovering the feed from the cameras. Wendell arrives at his home where Bo confronts him with a baseball bat. In the morning, Bo puts the car back where it was at, and races to beat Burton, on his way to the house. Burton shows Bo a video taken by a camera in a button of Leonard's shirt on the movie set, and thinks someone planted the gun in Leonard's coat. Rex soon finds Wendell beaten to death, and Bo planted the bat in Rex's houseboat to frame him. Burton realizes traffic camera footage will prove what really happened at Bo's crash, along with the testimony of Emily, who was with Rex at the event, prompted by her guilt to come forward. At Wendell's house, Burton notices the video feed from the cameras in Bo's house and Rex entering with a gun. Rex goes to Bo and Abby's bedroom and opens fire, only for Bo to hit Rex and throw him to the floor. Bo viciously beats Rex, gloating about how he got his revenge. Rex is finally arrested by Burton, adding to a charge that he had previously harassed and raped Emily, and a charge of killing Wendell. As Rex is led away, he's the one who's being relentlessly photographed by paparazzi. One of them even asks Rex if he killed Kevin. Bo is enjoying watching the paparazzi give Rex a taste of his own medicine. With that, Rex and his crew are out of the lives of Bo and his family. Later, as Bo is finishing filming, he's called to the hospital, where Zach has awakened from his coma. Bo, Abby and Zach later attend at the premiere of Bo's newest film, a sequel to Adrenaline Force, and Abby is now pregnant with a girl. After the film, Bo meets the press out front, taking a paparazzi's jibe at him in his stride. Cast
Mel Gibson, who was one of the film's producers, appears as an anger management patient in the waiting room of their shared therapist. In addition, Chris Rock appears as a pizza delivery driver, Vince Vaughn appears as Bo Laramie's co-star, and Matthew McConaughey appears as himself at a movie premiere. At about forty minutes into the movie, Detective Burton (Dennis Farina) tells Bo how one of the paparazzi, Wendell Stokes, has previously sued "Alec Baldwin" or one of the "Baldwins". Daniel Baldwin plays paparazzi Stokes in the movie (see Baldwin brothers). ReceptionBox officeThe film was a box office bomb, having cost about US$20 million to be made, and grossing only $16 million worldwide.[1]
Critical responseThe film holds an 18% rating on Rotten Tomatoes with a consensus of being "a crude, ludicrous exploitation movie with a questionable moral".[2] The film also received a large amount of negative criticism from major American, Canadian and British publications:
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