Paper Champions is an uplifting comedy about Rey, a young man who wants to find love despite having lost his 'Mana'.
When you see John Tui onscreen for a small comedy flick, you can't help but think you are in for a comedic treat. A stapling of international cinema he can be spotted in such blockbusters as Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, Solo: A Star Wars Story, The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies, or smaller local Australasian films like the recent Savage and The Legend of Baron To'a. The Kiwi has that feel-good positivity and friendly aura about him that represents the Kiwi culture so well.
Despite the presence of John Tui, and a synopsis that revolves around the presence or absence of "Mana" (the spiritual life force energy or healing power that permeates the universe, in the culture of the Melanesians and Polynesians, which include New Zealand's Māori).
Paper Champions is an Australian flick that has done the typical Australian thing of trying to copy something of ours and say it's theirs; in this case, trying to stake their claim on the overwhelmingly dry, awkward comedy style that Taika Waititi has brought into the mainstream media through Jojo Rabbit, Thor: Ragnarok, Eagle vs Shark, and What We Do In The Shadows.
Paper Champions is written by Luke Saliba, who also plays the role of the main protagonist, Rey, a character that looks like what you could be debatably described as a young Ray Romano's Ray from Everybody Loves Raymond. The similarity in the name alone--copied but changed slightly--along with his overly reserved demeanour and flat personality, gives the not-so-subtle suggestion that the film is but a compilation of things that have been wildly popular before, jammed together.
The script provides further evidence of this cobble-pot effect, with an absolute calamity of subplots that come and go with little regard to the flow of the story, or the cohesion of the plot. Take the plot of The 40-Year-Old Virgin, base the protagonist on your favourite 9-season sitcom, add in a recognisable New Zealand face, and some Australian talent, drown it in Waititi humour, and keep adding short comedy skits until your original short has become feature-length.
Overly awkward sexual family plot? Check. Meek guy trying a competitive wrestling plot? Check. Romantic Interest plot? Check. Learning to dance plot? Unhappy with work plot? Check. Paper Champions is more of a compilation of skit ideas than a fully-fledged story.
Where Waititi succeeds, is where this film stumbles; balancing the emotional storytelling with light-hearted comedy. There is so much of a passive, conflict-avoidant, apathetic nature to our main character that he becomes difficult to empathise with.
The structure of a film is there, with a setup and a climax in the final act, but much of what happens in the middle is without major consequence, and as filling as a filler can get. The upside to this one-note performance from Saliba is that on the few occasions that Rey gets a bit of life in him and perks up, the film naturally improves with it. Unfortunately, those moments are few and far between.
Despite the clear path that Rey must take, Paper Champions is aimless, and the first two acts are a labour to endure. The final act does see some excitement, but after watching so many "funny" moments fail to hit their mark and go on far too long, this 83-minute film feels like someone jammed an extra hour in there somewhere.
It's new, and there is some merit from a film-making perspective, but John Tui's huggable personality isn't enough to make this an enjoyable viewing to the mainstream audience.
Paper Champions is in cinemas from December 3, 2020