“Paper Tiger” is a film constantly on the verge of becoming something deeply affecting, yet it never fully reaches the emotional depth it strives for. The film follows the Pearls, a warm-hearted family of four. Set in 1980s Queens, “Paper Tiger” centers on father Irwin Pearl (Miles Teller), who, hoping to build wealth for his family, works alongside his brother Gary Pearl (Adam Driver) on an ambitious venture.

The film opens with a cheerful dinner party. Director James Gray uses warm tones and faint jazz music to create an immediately homey atmosphere. The Pearl family feels inviting from the outset, comforting the audience almost instantly. While he may not be macho or wealthy, Irwin is a loving father who clearly cares deeply for his family. His wife, Hester (Scarlett Johansson), is a no-nonsense stay-at-home mother devoted to taking care of her children, and their sons Scott and Ben — played by Gavin Goudey and Roman Engel — are intelligent and affectionate toward one another. It is a seemingly perfect family portrait.

Against this background, Gary arrives as wealthier and more unhinged — as he carries a gun in his sock — and offers Irwin a new business opportunity: helping a few Russians deal with pollution problems in a nearby stream. Irwin is thrilled as he imagines the financial stability he might finally provide for his family, especially as his eldest son Scott prepares to leave for college. But the excitement quickly dissipates. When Irwin approaches the Russians one night out of concern for their safety, they violently corner him and his sons for interrupting their confidential work. From there, the film unravels into a tense confrontation with the Russian mafia.

From a production standpoint, “Paper Tiger” excels. The performances are uniformly strong and believable. With actors like Johansson, Teller, and Driver, this feat is hardly surprising. The color grading and score are effective, and the editing consistently keeps the audience unsettled. In theory, the film seems positioned for total success. Yet its polished craftsmanship ultimately highlights how little the plot and characterization do to support it.

“Paper Tiger” frequently builds suspense through long, drawn-out sequences filled with close-up shots tracking characters as they approach sticky situations. At times, this technique works incredibly well, most notably in its final sequence. More often, however, the film becomes both slow and suspenseful, until the slowness overrides the tension. Rather than feeling anxious, the audience is left bored.

The film also relies heavily on plot to generate emotion, which isn’t inherently a flaw. The issue is that the film spends very little time developing its characters beyond the situations they endure. Viewers care about what happens largely because the events themselves are sad or stressful — not because the film has established deep emotional stakes for these people. A clear example is Hester, who receives devastating news midway through the film. The moment feels less like an earned emotional turning point and more like a shortcut designed to force audience sympathy without meaningfully deepening her character.

While the actors do an excellent job embodying their characters, the characters themselves lack the specificity required to immerse the audience. As a result, it is difficult to forget that these are A-list actors performing, rather than people existing naturally within the world of the film. Without a stronger emotional foundation or sense of resolution, “Paper Tiger” fails to leave a lasting impression.

The ending embraces ambiguity, but pairs it with heavy sentimentality from Irwin toward his children. This choice weakens the film rather than elevating it.

Despite its impressive performances and technical precision, “Paper Tiger” never fully finds the emotional depth needed to make its tragedy truly resonate. The film is beautifully shot, but ultimately remains shallow.

—Staff writer Anat Goldstein can be reached at [email protected].