# Paper Tiger at NYFF

> Miles Teller steals the show in James Gray's gritty 1980s Brooklyn crime drama.
- Title: Paper Tiger at NYFF · Decider | Shortify
- Summary: Miles Teller steals the show in James Gray's gritty 1980s Brooklyn crime drama. Miles Teller's performance as a pragmatic engineer in James Gray's 'Paper…
- Keywords: miles teller, paper tiger, james gray, nyff, gowanus canal, russian gangsters, brooklyn, queens, michael jackson, noah baumbach, marriage story, entertainment
- Source: Decider — https://decider.com/2026/10/05/paper-tiger-at-nyff-review
- Published: 2026-10-05T17:30:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: miles teller, paper tiger, james gray, nyff, gowanus canal, russian gangsters, brooklyn, queens, michael jackson, noah baumbach, marriage story, entertainment
## Paper Tiger at NYFF
James Gray's 'Paper Tiger' premieres at New York Film Festival with Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson.
## Brooklyn family drama
Driver and Johansson reprise their 'Marriage Story' roles in a 1980s Queens setting with Russian gang threats.
## Miles Teller's role
Teller plays Irwin Pearl, a pragmatic engineer father of two teenage sons in 1980s Queens.
## Gary's shadowy past
Driver's character Gary Pearl, a former cop turned businessman, has questionable wealth and connections.
## Gowanus Canal deal
Gary proposes engineering consultations for cleaning up the polluted Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn.
## Russian gang threat
Irwin's impulsive night survey of the Gowanus Canal leads to Russian gangsters terrorizing his family.
## Family crisis
Russian gangsters extort Gary for lost money and escalate violence against Irwin and his sons.
## Teller's performance
Teller's Irwin shows uncharacteristic maturity and family focus amid growing chaos.
## What happens next
The family faces ongoing threats without the violent resolution seen in 'Marriage Story'.
## Key takeaway

Miles Teller's performance as a pragmatic engineer in James Gray's 'Paper Tiger' becomes the film's emotional core amid family tensions and Russian gang threats.