Purely Joyful Movie!

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

This movie is difficult to be described in words, at least the right choice of words. There is some eccentricity in the storyline, its very catchy and entertaining but at the same time absolutely unassuming and unpredictable. Normally you would always be amazed to see how many times you wanted certain things to happen during the movie but it is so practical that you realise that you are assuming too much of romanticism in the world which seldom exists and thats why the plot is near perfect! Still the movie continues to entertain you, its neither a happy romanticised dream nor a tragedy but its the slug fit between these two ends of the drama. The acting and on screen chemistry of real life father daughter duo is phenomenal and certainly Tatum O'neal amazes as a child actor. The movie explores certain dimensions of those delicate and subtle human emotions of love which you long to express but cannot due to situations. Its definitely impressive movie with a perfect acting, plot, settings and direction which made me revise its rating to a perfect 10 from 9 as I couldn't stop thinking about it for long time!

It's difficult to watch this film with any impartiality, as it was one of the formative films of my childhood years. Seeing it now, over 40 years after it came out, I'm convinced it's one of the finest American films ever made. Many other viewers here have pointed out the main reasons for its greatness--so I'd like to shine a light on, perhaps, some of the less-credited components of the film's success. I'm calling them "Paper Moon's Unsung Heroes":Unsung hero #1: There's been little mention here of the actor who truly anchors this film--and gives the finest performance of his career-- Ryan O'Neal. He delivers a fully-realized, multi-faceted performance, more than worthy of an Oscar nomination (if not a "win"), in my opinion-- and he received neither. Try watching Paper Moon with your eye on O'Neal pere, rather than his adorable, scene- stealing daughter. Firstly, of course, he was one of the handsomest actors of his era, which makes such an undertaking a painless effort. But watch the subtlety of his expressions, and his nuanced comic turns. For example, in the hotel scene, where he's having his breakfast, when Imogene comes down to tell him that 'Miss Trixie' is having her "ladies' time," his reaction, turning from concerned to mortified, as he rapidly sits back down, while dropping his voice by an octave...now THAT'S comedy! His comic delivery in his first big scene with Addie (the "diner scene") is also brilliant. In fact, I can't think of a single scene where he is not completely "true-to- character". In the hands of another actor, this deceptively difficult role could have been played as 'malevolent'. O'Neal's performance shows 'Moze' to be a lovable rascal who does what he has to do in order to survive during the Great Depression. Imagine, say, Jack Nicholson in the role...It would certainly have been a different film altogether. (Sidebar comment: I realize one shouldn't judge a film actor's performance with how they are 'off-screen'--but if what Tatum says about him in her books and interviews is true, O'Neal is not quite-as-lovable a rogue, off-screen. She claims that when the Oscar nominations were announced, she did sort of a "Nahh- nah-nah-nah-nahh," to him, as bratty 10-year-olds are known to do-- and he fully punched her in the face! Gulp. All four of his children are either addicts, alcoholics or in major therapy. But I digress). The #2 "unsung hero(-ine) of this movie is the late, brilliant Polly Platt, Peter Bogdanovich's first wife (and soon-to-be-ex-wife, as he had already taken up with Cybill Shepard when this film was made). Ms. Platt designed the costumes and realized the whole "look" of the film, which Bogdanovich fully-credits her for. I can't think of any other American film of the last 50 years that so completely captures the 1930's in such a flawlessly realistic way. The attention to detail is staggering--look at any single "extra" in this film, and they are all absolutely spot-on correct to the look of that era (the hotel clerk in the 'bootlegger hotel,' with her perfect '30s "Marcelle wave" comes to mind. Unsung hero #3: Gary Chason, who PERFECTLY cast this film, including several first-time actors (Tatum O'Neal, of course...as well as Burton Gilliam, ("Floyd the Hotel Clerk"), P.J. Johnson (Imogene), among many others). I'm hard-pressed to think of another film--ever- -in which every single role is so perfectly-filled...and often by first-time actors! Unsung hero #4: László Kovács, the brilliant cinematographer. Every single shot is so perfectly thought-out and realized. In the hands of a lesser-visionary, "Paper Moon" would certainly have been a lesser film than it is (and imagine if it had been shot in COLOR!). FINALLY--he's certainly not "unsung"--but clearly, he's "under- sung": PETER BOGDANOVICH! This film is a work of sheer genius, and all roads lead back to him. I consider Paper Moon the crowning achievement of his career (with apologies to "Last Picture Show"). It's almost as if his career has followed the same "arc" as that of his great hero, mentor and friend, Orson Welles. Both of them had their greatest successes, straight out of the gate...and then were rather hung-out-to-dry by Hollywood, as if considered "passé". I keep waiting for the world to WAKE UP and realize Paper Moon is one of the absolute FINEST films in history--and should be lauded accordingly! Why is Peter Bogdanovich NOT still being given the opportunity to direct major Hollywood studio films?? The man is one of the true cinematic geniuses of our era. And yes, he is certainly a 'peer' of his hero, Mr. Welles. Could we please give him the reverence he deserves? ("Special Mention" to Tatum O'Neal, too! It seems to be "common wisdom" today, that she was simply some kind of "human puppet" for Bogdanovich to manipulate every word and movement of. I beg to differ, strongly. Some of her expressions and line deliveries are so singularly charming and individualistic--proving that she is clearly an innately-skilled and intuitive actress. This performance was no fluke. This girl/lady deserves more credit than she's given, and I say she absolutely deserved that Oscar...though it should have been for "Best Actress,"--with, of course, Madeline Kahn as "Best Supporting Actress"!).

Plot-- A small-time con-man agrees to escort a 10-year old orphaned girl to her aunt's house in 1930's rural Kansas. But on the way, the challenges mount. So how did they transfer a 50-year old brain into 10-year old Addy's head. And did they have little actress O'Neal swallow a lemon before every scene. Just count her smiles, one finger will do. Well, whatever they did, it's a moppet performance unlike any I've seen. Great movie! The period re-creation strikes me as spot on, between the flivvers, dusty open roads, and pop 30's songs. All backdrop a tricky story that features a grown man getting a little girl started in a life of crime. Even selling phony, over-priced Bibles to widows, no less. Of course, it's not violent crime, but still. Anyway, the story's fashioned in such a charming way, you hardly notice. Then again, will Addy ever find out if Mose is her real daddy or not. And how about Madeline Kahn's chirpy bimbo, with a small bladder, no less. What a loss she was to the world of comedy.Good thing that headman Bogdanovich took Orson Welles' advice and filmed in b&w. I can't imagine the same period results in Technicolor. Anyway, the various parts come together in rich fashion, both amusing and poignant. And despite some critics, Tatum really did deserve an Oscar. I just hope she's found a lot to smile about in the meantime. Watching the movie, I certainly did.

Peter Bogdanovich's labor of love comes after his slavish (yet still enjoyable) homage to screwball comedies, "What's Up, Doc?". "Paper Moon", though, has a more honest feel. The collaborative contributions from everyone involved with Bogdanovich, from the sublime performances by Tatum O'Neal (very, very brave), Ryan O'Neal (his gift for comedy is genuine), Madeline Kahn (vulnerable and funny) and P.J. Johnson (stealing virtually every scene she's in), to the sharp cinematography by Laszlo Kovacs (everything is in deep focus), as well as Polly Platt's outstanding production design and the entertaining script by Alvin Sargent (based on Joe David Brown's novel "Addie Pray", unread) are a continual delight to movie lovers and film students alike. Bogdanovich brings a scholar's passion and precision to his Depression-era story about a con man who's consistently conned by his would-be eight year old (yet world-weary) daughter as they travel the Midwest and you can see the dedication in every shot, some takes of which are quite extended. The O'Neal father and daughter pairing is especially inspired: they bring out the best in each other and their hilarious, spontaneous rapport takes the film to another level; Bogdanovich uses their natural freshness as the film's centerpiece, and it's this freshness that allows him to veer off into sudden moments of seriousness that grounds the picture to the pathos of the era it portrays--it becomes real, accurate and graven even as it strives to entertain. A vital, focused masterpiece--on so many levels, it's what watching a movie is all about.