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Paperback Hero (1998)
Director: Antony J Bowman
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
Jack (Jackman) is an Aussie truck driver who writes a romantic novel under the name of his pal Ruby (Karvan) and neglects to tell her about it. So when Ziggy Keane (Milliken) shows up in the outback with a lucrative contract and big ideas for a publicity tour, it's the non-plussed owner of the Boomerang cafe she talks to. An accommodation is reached: Ruby will maintain the masquerade in return for a cut of the profits - and Jack will pay for her wedding to his best mate Hamish (Venables). This romantic comedy fails to capitalise on a serviceable plot set-up. Writer/director Bowman knows he's dabbling with gender roles and, to his credit, comes up with both a believably tough heroine (Ruby swings a mean punch when it's called for), and a hero who's understandably a little sheepish about revealing his sensitive side in the macho culture of the Australian hinterland. But while the movie affects a vaguely literate air, it's never what you'd call a page turner.Author: TCh
Cast & crew
Director: Antony J Bowman
Producer: Lance W Reynolds, John Winter
Cast: Hugh Jackman, Claudia Karvan, Angie Milliken, Bruce Venables, Andrew S Gilbert, Jeanie Drynan full cast
Duration: 96 mins
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