Reynolds plays Captain Excellent, an imaginary superhero friend of a struggling author (Daniels) who discovers life after meeting a young woman (Stone).
“Paper Man” written and directed by Kieran and Michele Mulroney, premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival last year and opens in limited released on April 23.
Official synopsis:
Paper Man is an inspirational comedic drama about an unlikely friendship between Richard (Jeff Daniels), a failed middle-aged novelist who has never quite grown up and Abby (Emma Stone), a 17-year-old girl whose role in a family tragedy years earlier has stolen away her youth. Both are unsure, both are afraid to take firm steps forward, and both are looking for that special friend-that connection-to help guide them into the future. Since his childhood, Richard has mostly relied on the imaginary one that resides in his head-a costumed superhero known as Captain Excellent (Ryan Reynolds).
At the urging of his wife Claire (Lisa Kudrow), Richard has moved to a Long Island beach community for the winter season in order to overcome his writer’s block. There, Richard meets Abby and hires her as a weekly babysitter, even though he has no children. Their tenuous, new friendship is sparked by Richard’s awe over Abby’s homemade soup and Abby’s enjoyment of Richard’s writing and his attempts at Origami. As the season progresses and the warm, quirky friendship between Richard and Abby grows, the two begin to share with each other their dreams and life hardships. With the coming of spring, Richard and Abby discover there comes a time to let go of the imaginary friends of the past and to embrace the future as a new beginning-just as one would embrace a new and unique friendship.