‘Paper Tiger’ Review: Adam Driver, Miles Teller, And Scarlett Johansson Find The Dark Side Of The American Dream In James Gray’s Riveting Crime Drama- Cannes Film Festival
James Gray's 'Paper Tiger' is a gripping crime drama set in 1986 Queens, exploring the dark side of the American Dream through a family entangled with the Russian mafia. The film follows two brothers, Gary and Irwin Pearl, whose attempt to secure wealth leads to escalating danger and personal crisis. Scarlett Johansson plays Irwin's wife, Hester, who hides a terminal diagnosis, adding emotional depth to the unfolding tension.
- ▪Adam Driver plays Gary Pearl, an ex-cop who draws his brother Irwin into a risky scheme involving the Russian mafia and the Gowanus Canal project.
- ▪Miles Teller portrays Irwin Pearl, an engineer who becomes dangerously involved in his brother's criminal enterprise.
- ▪Scarlett Johansson plays Hester, Irwin's wife, who learns she has a terminal illness and chooses to keep it secret from her family.
- ▪The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, where it received a 10-minute standing ovation.
- ▪'Paper Tiger' is James Gray's sixth film to compete at Cannes, a festival where he has yet to win a major prize.
4 outlets in our directory ran this story. Coverage spans 2 points on the political spectrum — 2 lean left, 1 centre.
- ▪ ‘Paper Tiger’ Review: Miles Teller and Adam Driver Get Ensnared by the Russian Mob in a James Gray Film With More Atmosphere Than Plausibility — Variety
- ▪ ‘Paper Tiger’ Review: Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson and Miles Teller Deliver Big Time in James Gray’s Operatically Intense Crime Drama — The Hollywood Reporter
- ▪ Scarlett Johansson, Adam Driver, and Miles Teller Deliver a Tender Thriller in Paper Tiger — TIME — Top
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| Original publisher | Deadline |
| Canonical URL | https://deadline.com/2026/05/paper-tiger-adam-driver-miles-teller-scarlett-johansson-1236907110/ |
| Publication time | Sat, 16 May 2026 21:53:00 +0000 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-05-16T22:10:19.058Z |
| Last seen | 2026-05-16T22:10:19.058Z |
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Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Miles Teller, Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson in James Gray's Paper Tiger NEON James Gray‘s new film, Paper Tiger, opens with the following quote from father of ancient Greek tragedy, Aeschylus (Agamemnon): Let there be wealth without tears; enough for the wise man who will ask no further. That is the ominous warning we are about to enter a world with characters who may not realize the true meaning of wealth in their lives, and in this case it clearly is family. Gray’s film premiered in competition at Cannes tonight, his sixth (!) time and shamefully yet to win a prize at this festival. Paper Tiger may just change that – big time. I hope it does. He is long overdue and this little gem is proof positive of that.
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