Paper Moon

A grossly underrated masterpiece.
I can't think of a big enough cynic who can dismiss the charms of this movie. On my list, Paper Moon qualifies as one of the best comedies ever made, a mixture of childlike wonder and wry sarcasm, simultaneously detached in its narrative approach (thanks to amazing understated camerawork) and intimate.

The script has no faults. Scenes hurtle forward at a brisk but never hyper pace, every moment pregnant with character development and sharp dialogue. Ryan and Tatum O'Neal's exchanges are pristine in their comic timing, side-splitting and touching at the same time, effortlessly exploiting the chemistry between father and daughter. Their scenes in the car are so hilarious and endearing that you'd wish you could ride with them for hours longer. And the film is rich in period flavour, from the stark black-and-white photography to the music to every character, evoking a sense of longing for a more innocent age without ever lapsing into downright nostalgia. The themes -- the...

It's Only A Paper Moon Sailing Over A Cardboard Sea...
Adapted from the matchless novel "Addie Pray" by Joe David Brown, Paper Moon is set in the Midwest/dustbowl during the Great Depression/Roosevelt era. One-of-a-kind directing by Peter Bogdanovich, beautiful black & white cinematography, a great musical score with snippets of old time radio shows like Fibber McGee & Molly, Jack Benny and a host of others.

Real-life father & daughter duo, Ryan & Tatum O'Neil team up in this gem of a movie.

Ryan plays Moses Pray. A slick, sliver-tongued, gold toothed, travelling huckster & who always has a new con to turn up his sleeve such as door to door Bible selling to recently widowed women, bootlegging, short changing, and a "car swappin' wrasslin' match" between Moses and a very young Randy Quaid. Tatum plays Addie and garnered the coveted Oscar for her performance at the tender age of 10. Addie decides to get in on many of the cons and becomes quite a prolific short change artist. Addie decides on her own to take Moses' last name and...

"Life is Just a Paper Moon..."
In the 1970s, director, Peter Bogdanovich was at the top of his game contributing a number of classics to that particular golden age of filmmaking. His masterpiece of course was the brilliant movie, "The Last Picture Show", which deserves all its accolades.But one film, which I do not feel has recieved its proper due, is his wonderful nostalgic comedy, "Paper Moon".This is among one of the best comedies to come out of the early '70s. "Paper Moon" takes place in the dust bowl Midwest at the height of the 'Great Depression'. Bible salesman/con-artist, Moses Pray (Ryan O'Neal) stops by the funeral of an old female acquaintance to pay his respects. He is immediatly talked into delivering the deceased women's little girl, Addie, (Tatum O'neal) to an Aunt in Saint Joseph, Mo.This episodic film then becomes a road trip movie. At first Mos' and the precocious, little girl (she smokes and swears) are at logger heads. But soon he discovers that Addie is smart and...

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