Quick summary
- First reviews of Paper Tiger, directed by James Gray, landed on 13 November 2026, with Mashable and ABC12 both praising the cast.
- Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver reunite after Marriage Story, but this time they play in-laws.
- Miles Teller plays Johansson’s husband and Driver’s younger brother in a 1986 Queens story about the Russian mob.
- Mashable calls it Driver’s film, while ABC12 compares its family themes to The Godfather.
Paper Tiger review: what critics are saying
The first wave of Paper Tiger reviews is in, and the reunion of Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver is the main talking point. According to Mashable, the pair last shared the screen in Marriage Story, but anyone expecting a repeat of that divorce drama will be surprised. Writer-director James Gray, the critic notes, is less interested in wall-punching theatrics, as his earlier films Armageddon Time, Ad Astra and Two Lovers show.
ABC12’s entertainment producer Darren Garrett reached for a bigger comparison. He asks whether the film is a love letter to The Godfather, and credits three “outstanding performances” from Driver, Johansson and Teller. He also stresses that this is not a sequel to Marriage Story. Here, Johansson’s character is married to Driver’s brother.
A Queens family on the wrong side of the mob
Mashable describes a story set in New York City in 1986. Irwin Pearl (Teller), an engineer, raises two sons in a home in Elmhurst, Queens, with his wife Linda (Johansson). His older brother Gary (Driver) is a former NYPD officer turned security consultant with City Hall connections. He is flashy, well dressed and far richer than Irwin.
The trouble starts when Gary offers Irwin a business opportunity worth $10,000: a consulting firm advising Russian immigrants who own property along the Gowanus Canal on building codes. Gary insists the work is legitimate. Even so, Mashable says an overeager misstep by Irwin puts the whole family at risk. Thugs then slip into the Pearl home and photograph the family in their beds.
The love triangle that is not quite one
The “love triangle” in the headlines is not a romantic one. Mashable explains that the script gradually shifts its focus from Irwin to Gary and Linda. With Irwin unable to handle the danger, his brother and his wife become unexpected rivals, partly because both try to shield him from the truth. The critic reads the film as a story about the things we cannot say to the people we love.
Teller, 39, gets a notable change of pace. Mashable says he trades his familiar smirk for an aw-shucks smile, oversized glasses and “doofy dad energy”. ABC12’s reviewer, for his part, says he saw his own father in the character.
Driver dominates, Johansson holds her own
Mashable’s verdict is that the ensemble is strong, but that “this is Driver’s movie”. The reviewer compares his swagger to James Caan’s Sonny Corleone in The Godfather and likens his moments of vulnerability to Michael Corleone’s. Both critics place the film in the tradition of period mafia dramas, yet they agree its heart is the family: ambition, secrets, moral compromise and the people hurt by them.
Johansson’s side of the press cycle has been busy in other ways too. In an interview covered by Yahoo Style Canada, she called herself the “CEO” of her household with husband Colin Jost and said she is a “hands-on parent”. The couple married in October 2020. She also said she keeps her children’s privacy “very precious”. Meanwhile, Grazia noted that the 41-year-old left a New York press junket in late October wearing Adidas Samba Janes, houndstooth wide-leg trousers and a long grey wool coat. For more on the film, see our earlier post on Johansson backing Paper Tiger and slamming bad offers, or browse everything we publish on Scarlett Johansson.
What happens next
The sources read for this article do not give a release date, so check local cinema listings before planning a trip. More reviews and interviews with Johansson, Driver and Gray are likely as the press tour continues. We will update our Movies coverage when more is confirmed.
Frequently asked questions
Who stars in Paper Tiger?
Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson and Miles Teller lead the cast. Driver plays Gary Pearl, Teller plays Irwin Pearl and Johansson plays Linda, Irwin’s wife.
Is Paper Tiger a sequel to Marriage Story?
No. Both Mashable and ABC12 say it is not. Driver and Johansson share the screen again, but as brother-in-law and sister-in-law rather than a couple.
Who directed Paper Tiger?
James Gray wrote and directed it. His earlier films include Two Lovers, Ad Astra and Armageddon Time, according to Mashable.
When is Paper Tiger set?
The film takes place in New York City in 1986, following a Jewish family from Queens that crosses the Russian mob.
