Paper Tiger (2026)

Set in 1986 Queens, James Gray’s new film follows the Pearl family—engineer Irwin (Miles Teller), his wife Linda (Scarlett Johansson) and their two boys—as they inadvertently cross the Russian mob after Irwin teams up with his flashy, ex‑NYPD brother Gary (Adam Driver) on a dubious consulting venture. The premise is simple: a well‑meaning dad wants to earn a quick $10,000, but his lack of street smarts drags the whole household into a dangerous game of intimidation and secrets. Gray quickly turns what starts as Irwin’s story into a subtle love‑triangle of loyalty, with Gary and Linda becoming reluctant rivals in their attempts to protect the family. As thugs leave Polaroids of the terrified parents and children, the film explores the unsaid truths we keep from those we love—Linda hides a fatal diagnosis while Gary promises to smooth things over with the mob, each scrambling against a ticking clock. Driver steals the spotlight, slipping between a suave, Caan‑esque swagger and moments of raw, flickering fear that recall Al Pacino’s Michael Corleone. Johansson, forced into a gritty Queens housewife with curls, thick glasses and a raspy accent, pushes into melodrama rarely seen in her glossy career, while Teller trades his on‑screen smirk for a doofy, earnest dad whose yearning for his sons’ respect feels both tender and tragic. The ensemble benefits from Gray’s restrained direction, which favors character tension over overt spectacle. By the third act, the film’s tone feels like a modern‑day Godfather study—family, loyalty, and the quiet terror of a mob that watches from the shadows, leaving the Pearls to grapple with the consequences of their own silence.