From The Lost City of Z (2016) to Ad Astra (2019), writer-director James Gray has made some truly incredible movies over the years. However, his hot streak has now ended with two back-to-back misfires: Armageddon Time (2022) and the complete dud that is Paper Tiger (2026). Gray fully believes his latest film is far more impactful and broad than it actually is. This is not a crime epic akin to the New York-set thrillers of Scorsese or Coppola, but a sorry excuse for a drama that features hollow characters, a clichéd narrative, and seriously misdirected performances.
Paper Tiger kicks off with Irwin Pearl (Miles Teller), a father of two who is preparing to send his soon-to-be 18-year-old son off to college. The charade starts as we are introduced to Irwin’s wife, Hester Pearl (Scarlett Johansson), who sports a hilariously bad yet period-accurate wig. Again, both Johansson and Teller are playing much older, which makes it hard to buy into Gray’s reality. The Pearl family appears to have a good life, though they could benefit from some extra cash. This is where Irwin’s brother, Gary Pearl (Adam Driver), steps in with a business offer.
Gary proposes that he and Irwin launch a new business working with the Russians, who have supposedly been given permission to clean up a foul-smelling canal in Brooklyn. As a former police officer, Gary specifically needs Irwin’s engineering expertise to advise the Russians on how to conduct their business legally. Of course, trouble looms on the horizon.
James Gray’s Spin on the New York Crime Caper
Irwin is thrilled by the prospect of his and Gary’s burgeoning business. However, the fool doesn’t know who he’s dealing with. One night, Irwin takes his boys to the Russians’ stockyard where they are violently confronted by shady, knife and gun-wielding goons. They let them leave, but the aftermath is felt as the Russians begin pestering the Pearl family, forcing Gary to step up and defuse the situation. Meanwhile, Hester is plagued by dizzy spells, which cause her to lose concentration and crash her car. She seeks medical assistance to discover what her supposed migraines really are. It’s a subplot that feels unnecessary and overly dramatic, detracting from the more compelling crime-thriller elements.
As with Armageddon Time, filmmaker James Gray is once again interested in telling a generational family story. The bond between the Pearls’ two sons, Scott (Gavin Goudey) and Ben (Roman Engel), is initially weak but strengthens after they both face life-or-death situations. That’s all the two boys have to offer; we know barely anything else about them apart from that one of them is about to turn eighteen. Moreover, his 18th birthday party is merely a plot device to gather the family together one last time.
Nothing in Paper Tiger feels organic or lived-in; almost every scene comes off as staged, as Gray struggles to avoid crime-genre clichés. For all that poor effort, Gray still includes stereotypes like the babbling Jewish mother from New York and the comically evil Russian mob boss.
Adam Driver Outshines Miles Teller and Scarlet Johansson
Adam Driver delivers the strongest performance of the lot, but it’s far from the heights he reached in Marriage Story (2019) or BlacKkKlansman (2018). With the screenplay being riddled with stilted dialogue and nothing challenging, making Paper Tiger was probably a walk in the park for Driver. Miles Teller (Michael) and Scarlett Johansson (Jurassic World Rebirth) are miscast as parents of two young adults. Firstly, they don’t look the part. Secondly, Teller can’t portray his character’s naivety well; you never believe he would be stupid enough to do what he does. Thirdly, Johansson constantly overacts, slipping into melodrama that had the audience dying with laughter at the film’s Cannes 2026 premiere.
Courtesy of Neon
In one comical scene, Johansson gets extremely worked up, knocks Teller to the ground, and storms upstairs. In another, she starts shaking involuntarily as she is overwhelmed by emotion; it’s one of many instances where director James Gray should have stepped in to tone the film down. There is a constant, nagging feeling throughout Paper Tiger that Gray is trying to say something profound and unsettle viewers with the melodrama and violence on display. Yet the story never gets going as it treads on familiar ground.
A line is crossed, threats are made, and someone tries to stop the bad guys. That’s the movie — it couldn’t be more repetitive if it tried. But when you throw in Johansson’s highly superfluous plotline, Paper Tiger becomes even more unbearable.
Paper Tiger is Another Miss for James Gray
James Gray’s Paper Tiger feels like a spec script that was tossed around Hollywood rather than a unique statement. It doesn’t translate like much of an original story. Also, there is no bigger crime than underwriting characters. Audiences walk away knowing next to nothing about the protagonists. We are told that Gary is a hotshot ex-cop and is well-connected to City Hall. Irwin is an engineer who leads a decent life but worries about providing for his family as his eldest son prepares to go off to college. As the glue of the Pearl family, Hester is always anxious about her boys. That’s about it, though!
Courtesy of Neon
Aside from being repeatedly told about their business ambitions, the characters contribute nothing to the movie’s apparent theme of pursuing the American Dream. Gray should seriously shake things up in his next feature film because, like Armageddon Time, Paper Tiger falls flat. It wouldn’t hurt to return to the storytelling style of Ad Astra, which is subtle, existential, and focuses on inner thoughts rather than words. His family dramas are just not hitting the way he thinks they are. Save for two moments, one tense scene in a cornfield and one where the Russians sneak into the Pearl residence, Paper Tiger has nothing to offer that hasn’t been put on the big screen dozens of times before.
★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
Paper Tiger premiered at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival!
Release Date: TBA.
Directed by James Gray.
Written by James Gray.
Produced by Rodrigo Teixeira, Anthony Katagas, Raffaella Leone, Gary Farkas, Marco Perego, Carlo Salem, & Andrea Bucko.
Executive Producers: Aidan Kahn, Debbie Klaar, Lee Broda, Nicki Cortese, Wayne Marc Godfrey, Matt Hartly, Gregory Jankilevitsch, Lisa Lockwood, Riccardo Maddalosso, Nathan Mardis, Frankie Nasso, Kimberly Olsen, Jeff Rice, Emily Hunter Salveson, Alan Terpins, Klaudia Smieja, Doug Torres, Steve Tzap, Slava Vladimirov, & Blair Ward.
Main Cast: Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson, Miles Teller, Gavin Goudey, Roman Engel, & Victor Ptak.
Cinematographer: Joaquín Baca-Asay.
Composer: Christopher Spelman.
Editor: Scott Morris.
Production Companies: RT Features, Keep Your Head Productions, & Leone Film Group.
Distributor: Neon.
Runtime: 115 minutes.
