Paper Moon     

By Bret Fetzer

A sweet and subtle gem of a movie. Newly orphaned Addie (Tatum O'Neal) falls into the care of small-time con artist Moses Pray (Ryan O'Neal, Tatum's real-life father) and turns out to be better at grifting than he is. Set in Depression-era Kansas, Paper Moon is a miracle of unity. The set design and cinematography combine to give both the flavor of documentary photos and the visual quality of movies from the period, and every performance meshes with the overall tone of sincerity, earnest optimism, and creeping desperation. The rapport between Addie and Moses is phenomenal--and being father and daughter doesn't make that a sure thing. Ryan O'Neal gives a truly great performance (perhaps the only one of his career) and Tatum won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress (she's the youngest winner in history). Madeline Kahn was also nominated for her wonderfully funny and sad turn as an exotic dancer named Trixie Delight. Paper Moon has a miraculous combination of outrageous sentimentality and pragmatic cynicism; the result is genuinely touching. One of director Peter Bogdanovich's best films, and kind of a comic companion piece to The Last Picture Show.

Academy Awards

Paper Moon received an Academy Award for Supporting Actress (Tatum O'Neal). Paper Moon also received Academy Awards nominations for Supporting Actress (Madeline Kahn), Writing (Best Screenplay based on material from another medium; Alvin Sargent), and Sound (Richard Portman, Les Fresholtz).

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"Paper Moon was one of My favorite Films in the Super70s. I saw it THREE times at the Theatre when it came out. Visually the Film was stunning. Filming it in Black and White was nothing short of brilliant. Ryan O'Neal,Tatum O'Neal and Madeline Kahn were all fantastic. I was so happy that Paper Moon was finally released on DVD recently. I bought it the day it was released and really enjoyed the Making Of Documentaries on the Disc. It really enhanced My appreciation of the look and feel of the Film." --Michael C.