Watching a typical "Afternoon Session" in "Afternoon Session", holidays, very cute and friendly, and there really are paper airplane competitions (sponsored by Red Bull, which "gives you wings"), although here it is merely a fiction, it's very captivating and attractive...
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RosanaBotafogo20 August 2021
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eils230110 February 2015I really wanted to love this film, and I do like it! It is a beacon in the turgid sea of recent offerings which do not appeal to a general Australian audience (hence their woeful returns at the box office - Beautiful Kate, Samson and Delilah ... I could go on) The premise is intriguing and the story is compelling, the acting generally competent. My main complaint is directed at the clunky dialogue. This is a general criticism but specifically aimed at the lines given to the kids as I am country born and bred, and a teacher of country kids. The conversations and interaction between kids is unconvincing, and needed a major edit. I hasten to add that the Peter Rowsthorne character seems authentic.
However it is a heartwarming and uplifting depiction of achievement against the odds and I hope that itdoes well. -
vracer-166-90385312 July 2015This is a sweet, simple little film, but with some interesting and thoughtful themes to get your kids thinking a little more about things they see sometimes, but may not really understand.
The biggest of those themes is loss, and the reviewers who don't 'get' Sam Worthingtons character have completely missed this. You don't just 'get over' the loss of your wife five months after her sudden death, everyone has their own way of coming back, and Worthington's character hasn't found that way back when we meet him in the film. He's still lost. And it's his son's understanding of his dads grief that underpins the entire film. It's subtle, but it's the whole driving force of this story. The actual competition that seems to drive the film is actually secondary... but ultimately becomes the catalyst to get the father through his grief and back to 'life'.
My 8yo son picked up on this about halfway through the film, when the father refused to sell the piano - he said 'I know why he can't sell it'. The storyline didn't flesh it out until later, when Dylan told Kimi that his mum had been a piano teacher - and this is another thing the film does; it reveals its layers slowly, and for the most part lets its audience figure things out for themselves.
The messages and lessons for the target audience start almost from the beginning of the film - it will get kids thinking about sportsmanship, peer pressure, role models, friendship, and loss... and it does so with a good dose of laughter and a sublime sense of the ridiculous - always a winner with kids.
Worthington's character didn't really hit his stride until mid film, which was a shame - it left the door open for the less cerebral members of the audience to assume he was just a deadbeat dad, and when those types make that assumption, they'll drop dead before they'll admit to themselves that they were wrong. Not Worthington's fault; the script should have introduced the bereavement earlier than it did.
I also think the connection between Dylan's father and grandfather should have been explored a little more. Ultimately we end up knowing nothing about his father other than that he's shattered by the loss of his wife - that's a given, so why didn't we get a little more about the man himself? I slept on my lounge plenty of times myself in the months following my separation from my wife, but if I were a movie character I'd want my audience to know a bit more about me than that fact.
Tip - have a decent supply of A4 paper on hand for the morning after watching this movie with your kids :) -
russellingreviews17 January 2015Paper planes, Australian landscapes and a cheeky grandpa, sounds like fun.
Popcorn and a large drink... roll the film... An Australian film about a paper planes contest? Cool, an original concept, but will the story get any lift or will it take a nose dive?
Kid's Korner rating: 3 stars Parent's Rating: 3.5 stars
One of the biggest challenges of teaching 12 year old students is keeping them interested and engaged. A similar challenge for the director of a children's film targeted at a modern audience. Dylan (Ed Oxenbould) comes into a class that is full of classmates who are focused on the latest technology and do not interact with one another. When his teacher asks for all of their phones and devices, then introduces a student teacher who challenges the class to fly paper planes. There is a tenuous moment of consideration by the class, but they take up the challenge with enthusiasm and a competitive spirit. After winning the class challenge, Dylan gets ready for the next levels of competition in the region and around the country. He is encouraged by his friends and teacher to learn about effective flying of paper planes and how to win the future competitions. Dylan must work through the recent loss of his mother and the inevitable mourning of his father (Sam Worthington). As the multiple layers of this statonary aviation tale unfold, the competitions are merely a backdrop to this unique and heartfelt film.
It may seem like an odd premise for a big budget film, but Paper Planes is a wonderful, laugh-out-loud film directed by Australian Robert Connolly. The Australian cast is a who's who of modern cinema, but the film was masterfully carried by Oxenbould. The light-hearted story has its share of plot holes, but the family centric adventure was a joy to experience. The strength of the story makes up for some of the less than believable components. Connolly puts forward a seemingly breezy theme that opens the door to an unexpectedly mature backstory of life and death. He fortunately manages to skirt past the after school special story line. Even though there is the stereotypical bully, the chubby friend and the cool grandpa, the slow unfolding of the story allows for an unexpected depth to the film. Connolly's film is a joy for the younger and the older audience members.
Dad asked the question on the ride home, 'What did we think of the film?' Simple story, but it was fun to the end. The bittersweet father/son relationship unfolds in a timely manner and does not get boring. It made us want to go out and buy a paper plane book and travel out to the country side of our beautiful homeland. Australia is beautiful and the film was pretty good, too.
Reel Dialogue: What are the bigger questions to consider from this film? 1. What does the Bible say about death of a loved one? (Psalm 34:18, Revelation 21:4) 2. Why is family important? (Nehemiah 4:14, Ephesians 5:25)
What is Kid's Korner? Click on the link and see.
Kid's Korner are shorter reviews written by Russell Matthews' kid's perspective and based on a five star rating system @ Russelling Reviews #russellingreviews -
ninaholmes7382 February 2015I found this film to be enjoyable but again lacked polish as a lot of Australian Films tend to do. There is nothing Hollywood about this film. It skips through its plot just fine but it is a bit folksy and heavy handed. It has some nice themes which are quite uplifting. The film is a bit nothingness. Sam Worthington's performance lacks depth as usual and I find it interesting that he didn't even bother to turn up to his own Premiere of the film. Overall an "Ok" film with a nice story but have kind of seen it all before. Perhaps this would have been better released on DVD. With a theatrical release I kind of expected something more.
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At first this movie may seem like it is just a film about trying to build the best paper plane in the world but the film encompasses so much more than that. The actual plane building makes up some portions of the film but the rest actually is spent with getting to know the characters and seeing some relationships evolve over the course of the film. This movie had a lot of heart and many emotional scenes especially when it is following the boy's relationship with his father. You really understand these two characters and get to know them and see them really grow. Sam Worthington (Jack) and Ed Oxenbould (Dylan) were great in the film, their relationship felt real and you could buy into their actions and decisions. The overall story was carried by these two characters, mostly the child as you see him progress through the paper plane competition. It is an interesting story, although there was a section 3/4 into the movie that i felt slowed down a little too much just momentarily, but then it picked itself up ad finished off pretty strong.
Where i felt the film could have done a lot better is with the supporting cast. Well, excluding the grandpa, he was the comedic relief in the film and i would have to say he was pretty entertaining and did lighten the mood a few times. There was one bit that was a bit too silly and dramatised but he wasn't the issue. I'm mainly talking about the other child actors in the film, Dylan's school friend and his rival in the competitions i felt at times played too much to their stereotypes. I'm not sure if it was the actors or the writing but sometimes they felt, well, like a character and not a real person. There is also a subplot with another girl that was oddly introduced, it felt very out of place and took me out of it for a bit. But in the end this is a fun, heartfelt story about a boy and his father that takes place during a plane throwing competition, and if you can avoid focusing too much on some of the unrealistic plane throws you can enjoy this movie. - 7 -
jonschaper3 July 2015Way too often I see Australian reviewers take it easy on mediocre Australian films because they want to see the Australian film industry succeed. How they think that does anyone any good is perplexing. It encourages mediocrity. It causes Aussie films that are actually good (like The Babadook) to be viewed with suspicion and distrust even when they get good reviews -- because if Paper Planes can get positive ratings for being Australian, so can pretty much anything.
I'll start with the soundtrack. The only song which I imagine was originally written for the movie goes something like this: "The world is full of beauty / So boys and girls shake your booty" (the tune itself is even more devoid of appeal). And then there is what I think is THE most unthinkingly tasteless use of music in a film EVER when the lead boy's grandfather shows up with baked goods while "My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard" plays. WTF!?!?!?! I'm no prude. That might have worked in an Abrams and Zucker film, but here it is totally out of place. Considering how clueless much of the direction of the film is, I couldn't even bring myself to see it as some sort of deliberately perverse joke. Sort of like people who cluelessly play "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" at funerals, or "Every Breath You Take" at weddings. No, that wasn't creepy at all.
So on to the plot: Sam Worthington is wasted as a man who just spends the entire film moping. He is such a useless weight you just want to slap him. And he's the film's sole source of emotional gravitas. Next, for suspense we have this unusual plot device: The lead boy goes from making the greatest paper airplane ever to instantly forgetting how to make one (I mean, he cannot make a plane that goes more than a few inches), etc -- whatever thecontrived plot needs at the moment. I will avoid getting into that in any more detail to avoid spoiling anything, but the film is so utterly clichéd and paint by numbers you barely have to watch any of the film to know how it will all go.
"BUT", you might say. "It is made for KIDS. They haven't seen (The Wizard / Karate Kid remake / generic kid enters competition film)." And, of course, even in predictable films it is the journey itself that counts. Well, my daughters (almost 4 and 8) haven't seen any of those other films yet, either, and Paper Plans completely failed to hold their attention. Was it because it lacked animated characters? Or was it too mature? Hell, no. In contrast they have, e.g., watched "Bridge to Terabithia" with full attention from start to finish -- a film that actually deals with serious issues like love, loss, bullying, friendship, redemption, etc, effectively, without Sam Worthington moping around like a worthless bum for 5 out of every 10 minutes. Usually the girls comment about the movies we watch together. The only thing either brought up was when the 3 year old asked where the boy's mummy was. Paper Planes is, quite simply, barely watchable garbage. Which is a shame since Sam Worthington and David Wenham are great actors -- even this dog's breakfast of a script cannot hide that fact -- but nothing could possibly save this film. -
I really wanted to like this movie. The premise is good but the execution was just terrible. Considering that some big names such as Sam Worthington, David Wenham, Deborah Mailman and Eric Bana (producing) were attached to it, I really thought we were in for a sweet, unpretentious kids movie. Happy to forgive the plot holes and the flight of fantasy sequence between the boy and his grandfather, but the dialogue was so poorly written it became just tedious in the end. I could have done a better job writing it, frankly. The young boy who stars in the movie just isn't a strong enough actor to carry it, at least not with the dialogue he was given to work with. Aussies can pull off some good, strong, well- scripted movies, but the weak ones like this one just pull the average right down.
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amna-bakhtiar8 September 2014Paper Planes is a great movie for all ages really. I as an adult really liked it. The cast is quite great and the children in the movie are completely not obnoxious. The lead of the movie (Ed Oxenbould, who happened to be at the movie's premier at TIFF along with other cast members) was terrific.
The story moves at a very good pace so you don't zone out. The story itself is not very complex which is a bonus point. Western Australia is captured nicely here, you really get a feel for what life there is like.
This movie could have been a major tearjerker but I'm glad there are strong elements of humour and lightheartedness. It feels 'real' despite being a movie about incredible paper planes! I definitely recommend this movie. -
SnoopyStyle20 October 2019Dylan Weber is a young boy in the Australian outback. His phone is old. His father (Sam Worthington) is sleeping his days away haunted by the lost of his wife. His teacher is tired of the kids with their smart phones. He has them make paper planes and Dylan's first takes off. He has many failed trials until his father shows him the winning sailboat keels. He's inspired to do research and creates a superior plane. Jason Jones is his arrogant winning-obsessed rival with former golf champion dad. It takes him to Sydney first and then Tokyo for the championship.
It's a fine uplifting family film. Considering the subject matter being kids making paper planes, the movie can't be much different than what it turns out to be. It is positive with people overcoming heartbreak. It is good people finding inspirations and bad people turning good. The villain sweeps the leg but in the end, learns a lesson. This is fine family fare. -
Mallsballs8 November 2018I opened an account just for this film. I wondered why a director would work with such a bad script & it was soon made obvious - the director is the writer. Being a children's movie, I will ignore the many plot holes & focus on one diabolical message that children can take away from this film: don't report bullying, in fact, cover for a bully. Being pushed down stairs can result in severe injury or even death, yet the bully got away with it. This plot line is unforgiveable in a kid's flick.
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david-rector-850923 October 2015Just when you thought there were no new rite of passage stories to tell? Along comes 'Paper Planes'. This is a well made, textured tale which is deceptively simple in approach, but with much to say about grief, loss, peer pressure, ambition, ego and pride. Ostensibly this is a film about folding pieces of paper and making them fly far!!!! It is about so much more. Director and Co-writer Robert Connolly has made some serious movies in his career including Balibo, The Bank and as Producer of the award winning The Boys and Romulus my Father. This foray into filmmaking, looks on paper, pardon the pun, as a softer option, but at a closer inspection, there are as I've outlined some weightier themes.
The film and its success do rest on 2 ingredients: 1 The terrific visual effects that allow both the paper planes and the films narrative to take flight. 2 The casting and performance of Ed Oxenbould in the leading role. With acting parents and an uncle who was a child star of film and television, 12 year old Ed has racked up 3 major film roles within a 12 month period - in two Hollywood features and this Australian production. Ed has such intelligence and sensitivity on screen, and yet he never appears inauthentic or tryhard; difficult when in virtually every scene and required to act off some pretty heavy hitting screen partners: Sam Worthington, Deb Mailman and veteran Terry Norris. In some scenes Ed seemed like a boy; in others as a young man, the timing of shooting is critical when filming a story about a rite of passage into manhood and especially when the narrative carries grief and loss as well in that mix. Big things are predicted for this young actor.
There are some broadly sketched characters, and some (David Wenham's sport star and Dad to the movie's villain) are underwritten. Other reviewers have commented on Sam Worthington's moping father routine, but I thought he carried it pretty well; a point of difference to his usual strident and big character roles. At the end of the day, this is the young man's story as he finds an expression for his energies and for his own losses. It is that which lifts this movie above just being a family friendly film about aiming for the sky and hoping to win. It also points to the degree that society and our kids have lost touch with the simple things. The symbolism of paper planes for a bygone era resonated with this baby boomer.
It is the astute writing and naturalistic performance by the lead, that elevate this into something more significant about growing up, the importance of loyalty and mateship and the mantra of never giving up. I'm really pleased this movie has found an audience and will long be remembered, even with all the paper folding. -
marisamcwhinnie5 November 2020Just your average cheesy kids film with second-rate humour and mediocre acting. I kind of enjoyed it, but there are better movies for kids.
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TheDome8128 September 2023When I read the description of this movie, I had pretty high expectations. Especially since I recently watched "Blueback" by the same director. Now that was a very enjoyable film. It's hard to fathom this is a film by the same person.
I thought the writing very mediocre. A lot of the dialogue was very awkward. Who writes this kind of mediocre stuff?
Then there's the acting. Absolutely horrible. I don't think any of the leads, except for the grandpa, could act worth a darn. Just pitiful. I especially thought Sam Worthington was godawful! How has this guy made a career out of acting? Mystifying.
And overall, the story was just corny. I know it's supposed to be inspired by a true story. Sure. Pull the other one, it's got bells on it!
--MovieJunkieMark. -
Aktham_Tashtush6 July 2015So the movie doesn't really have a strong plot or even that intriguing eventful story but it was really enjoyable i think the fact that it is predictable makes you concentrate of the events flowing rather than what's gonna happen next .. The idea of the movie is new, never heard of a paper planes contest and it probably doesn't exist "apart from down under" and i think that what made the movie a bit more appealing and watchable. The script is average like these type of Family genre movies doesn't really need too much complications on the screenplay.
As for the cast; Sam Worthington appearance was nice, haven't seen him in ages !! since like Avatar !!! Ed Oxenbould's performance was spot on , he's a star on the making .. and also that chubby kid Julian Dennison gosh he's really funny.
Overall, the movie is not that strong, speaking in matter of the plot or the script but the story is new and i enjoyed watching it. -
Sometimes we wanted to like the movie, because it was inspiring, family friendly, great cast, performances and so on, but something stops you. Not because of hatred, but the other end of the dislike, i.e., too much tenderness and packed with full of clichés. This Aussie film was one those, a very good concept and I would definitely recommend it, especially for children and families, but seemed everything was plain with no surprises.
Partially based on the real events. A young boy named Dylan who lives in Perth, the Western Australia with his dad discovers his skills on the paper plane making and launching. Soon begins to focus it on the professional level by aiming for the junior level competition to represent his country in the upcoming world championship held in Tokyo. How far this unexpected success would take him and how it would help to fix his grieving family is the entire story.
Right from the beginning you would know all those going to happen in the length x breadth of the movie. So the spoilers and synopsis won't hurt much if you are yet to watch it. Even the characters planned like that way. For example the boy's friendship with a hawk was not coincidental for this particular movie theme and also his grandpa was a world war 2 pilot. I already lost my interest at that point, but I was unable to dislike this little cute and rare film. I carried on because the boy's courage and passion for the paper planes was not just for his ownness, but everyone around him that gives a change to change.
"Okay. Here's my advice. Study everything that flies. (Snaps fingers)"
There are plenty of mini sub-plots. Anti-bullying was one of the best things and the three different kinds of friendships; a boy from the neighborhood, a girl from the competition and with a bird. The father was kind of depressing and a bad example, but had a good reason for that. That boy's every action was directed to his father to make him look back. Well, the father was Sam Worthington, whose role was insignificant compared to his star value. It influenced to raise the movie value, especially the marketing which makes people come and watch it, but overall he was decent.
Okay, fine, to this point all I said about, but missing realism was unable to accept. I'm talking about the flights of the paper planes. It's not like 50 years ago, today we got the very best CGI at production level, that mean you can't omit the actuality and go for the extravaganza. That would work well for commercial films, and this was not one of those. It was suppose to encourage the kids and it did in a way, I appreciate that. Not the best children or Aussie flick that I saw in this mansoon. Even though I had a mixing feeling on this, I quite enjoyed watching it and I hope your opinion would differ to what I said in this review.
6/10 -
Gordon-1121 January 2016This film tells the story of a young Australian boy who just lost his mother to a car accident. He finds new purpose in life by making paper planes that fly far, and competes in interval international competitions.
"Paper Planes" has a predictable plot and is full of stereotypical characters, such as a fat bully and a naughty grandfather. Yet, the film is sweet and fun. It breathes of positivity and hope, encouraging children and adults to look on the bright side and believe in yourself. It reminds people to look out for each other and be supportive of people going through a tough time. -
myriamlenys9 March 2019Now that his mother has died, a young boy lives together with his father, who is sinking in a morass of depression and inertia. The life of the young boy isn't all that exciting - until he is introduced to the art of making paper airplanes. It turns out that he is very, very good at it, even to the point of winning local competitions...
Not, I suppose, a classic for the ages, but a charming movie with touches of wit and humor. It has a positive message and teaches values such as enterprise, hard work, resilience and kindly openness to other cultures. As an adult one can see the ending coming from a mile off, but what the heck - this is a pleasantly entertaining movie for children, we're not talking a thriller by Boileau-Narcejac.
I was left with a strange desire to go and fold paper planes myself. -
Ambitious or not that's a waste of money.
Paper Planes is an easy to the point family, children and sports like movie.
It has everything such as rival and love interest.
The main idea of this movie was his family dealing with death while throwing a piece of paper.
Its a good nugget of a film.
I recommend this movie to family oriented people who likes a little paper movies. -
sonoudinese13 January 2022The movie reminds me of Christmas feel good movies. It all has been done before with different subjects, regardless it is a good way to spend an evening with the entire family.
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tinant9 July 2016It was lovely to encounter this movie. For once it was a nice light film without the intensity even a lot of family films are these days. While it was light it was just poignant enough to make it interesting. I liked the anti-bullying message in it as well. Sam Worthington was excellent as a father struggling with depression after the death of his wife. Young Oxenbould did a good job as well. The scenes in Japan were idyllic and the whole film had a kind of magical feel. This is a good film to watch with the family or if you are in the mood for a pleasant non -jarring film.
I enjoyed the real yet slightly surreal atmosphere of the movie as well. It was realist and yet with a touch of magic realism as well. Overall a good Aussie family film! -
Zac_La_Porte6 March 2022Paper Planes is mainly just your average big-hearted look at a unique world-records competition, but it also sheds some light on grief. This appealing tale best for children and families stars Ed Oxenbould as a schoolboy who randomly picks up a passion for the art of making a neat plane out of a sheet of paper. His character eventually ends up taking a part in serious paper plane flying competitions.
This Australian drama film involves and features everything a child would want and should typically get in a film. There's obviously the competitive aspect leading the way, but there's also other significant elements such as friends, family, bullies and also grief. There's simply no reason a child won't be entertained by this positive-messaged movie centred around the average don't-give-up theme.
Something that seems to be overlooked and unnoticed especially considering it's a young kids' movie is the depiction of real grief. The entire cast is memorable and very Aussie, but Sam Worthington delivers the greatest performance as the brief character at the side who spends his days unmotivated and grieving over his wife's death. This section of Paper Planes is incredibly realistic and well-constructed.
If you liked this review, check out the full review and other reviews at aussieboyreviews. -
chappywatched8 April 2016I am not a fan of Australian movies, some of them are okay but not one has ever blown me away.
Paper Planes might actually be the first!
I wasn't expecting a lot from it, then to get the end of the film and realize that I really enjoyed it was quite a surprise!
The story was really beautiful, lighthearted and funny and it has a brilliant cast, including Sam Worthington, that really makes the film entertaining to watch, including Terry Norris as Grandpa who always managed to steal the show.
It has a good flow and has your attention from beginning to end.
Just a beautiful and light movie that you should definitely give a watch! -
jnjmattner8 August 2015I actually forgave this movie for its predictable plot purely due to the fact it tackled adult depression and what the impact that it has on the life of a child. I've been disappointed to read reviews claiming that Sam Worthington's character was simply moping around. He had depression. This is still misunderstood by adults and must be awful for the children of a depressed adult to deal with. So I applaud this movie for tackling the subject! Apart from that, it does show case some beautiful Australian scenery and remote rural living. I was somewhat surprised though, having grown up in a remote part of the country, that everybody did not know everybody else in the community - I found that a bit unbelievable. I would also add that if every school teacher had the enthusiasm that these kids had in the movie, education would be flourishing in Australia!
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Gandpug16 January 2015This movie is brilliant and wonderful because of how much effort has gone into this film, Paper Planes is wonderful for it's storyline/telling, cast, script and how inspiring it can be to other younger Australians (because it's an Australian film)to make their own film just like this.
Paper Planes is a much better film then most other films that are just American action films which become the same thing over and over and don't really change anything.
In conclusion a fun, fresh and wonderful family film that is brilliant and all inspiring, I recommend this to anyone wanting a new fresh type of movie.
8/10