Classic film that will make you laugh and pull at your heartstrings
Added 10/28/2009
Paper Moon, directed by Joe Bogdanovich and adapted from the novel Addie Pray by Joe Brown, is one of my favorite movies. It manages to be funny and serious at the same time. I've seen it four times and I don't think I'll ever get bored with it. The humor and acting is timeless.
Addie Loggins (Tatum O'Neal) loses her mother during the Great Depression. When Moses Pray (Ryan O'Neal), an old friend of her mother's, arrives in town for the funeral he reluctantly receives the task of making sure Addie gets to her aunt's house in Missouri. Addie tags along with Moses while he swindles widows and others out of their money and shows him that she can be just as deceptive as he can. Along the way Moses picks up a lady friend named Trixie Delight (Madeline Kahn) and her maid Imogene (P.J. Johnson).
Tatum is absolutely marvelous as Addie. This is the best performance I've seen from a child actor. She is funny, intelligent and headstrong. She refuses to leave Moses' side until she gets her two hundred dollars back from him. I still can't believe that Tatum was only ten when she took on the role. Her facial expressions through out the movie are hilarious. It's remarkable how well she acted at such a young age. She certainly gives her more experienced father a run for his money. Her performance is by far the best in the entire film.
Kahn and Ryan also give stellar performances. Kahn is spectacular as an exotic dancer who tries to appear as innocent as possible. Her best scene takes place on the hill when Addie refuses to get back in the car. She is funny and heartbreaking. It's no wonder she's one of the funniest comedic actresses of all time (in my opinion). Ryan shows the audience that Moses may be a con man but he still cares about Addie, a girl he hardly knows. He brings out the human side of his character.
The cinematography is great. The decision to make the film black and white really allows me to suspend belief. I can truly imagine that the movie was shot in the 1930s. The scenic shots of the countryside are also beautiful.
There are many scenes in the movie that audiences won't forget. The money exchanging scene done by Moses and the hill scene with Madeline Kahn and Tatum O'Neal are two that come to mind. There are also plenty of one liners that are hilarious; every character has terrific lines.
Paper Moon is a film that, once you watch, you won't forget. It's a film that you can watch over and over and always find something new to laugh at. I highly recommend this movie.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
A small, subtle slice of old-fashioned film making
Added 10/27/2009
I remember seeing "Paper Moon" when it was first released. I was eleven at the time, and developed a crush on little Tatum O'Neal! The film had director Peter Bogdanavich's sweeping vision of the Depression era, but it was also an ideal vehicle for the father-daughter team of Ryan & Tatum. Relatives doing movies together can be a tricky thing--you're never sure if there's going to be great chemistry on screen. Lucky for us, the chemistry here is terrific (it was good enough to earn first-timer Tatum an Oscar win). The late, great Madeline Kahn even wanders in halfway through the film as exotic dancer Trixie Delight, bringing some funny moments with a slight touch of pathos in her characterization (and earning her a nomination as well).
Shot on location in & around Kansas/Missouri, Bogdanavich's black & white visual look perfectly captures the wide-open isolation of the nation's countryside, decades before buildings & shopping centers cluttered up the land. Attention to authenticity is apparent in every frame, from the dirt roads, vintage cars & weathered buildings to the old radio broadcasts, right down to Addie's "Cremo" box.
It's a small, subtle gem of a picture, a blend of comedy, drama & visual style.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Watched it being made
Added 10/10/2009
This early 1970's wonderful movie was partially filmed in St. Joseph, Missouri where I lived at the time. My house was about 3 blocks from the Holiday Inn where the entire cast stayed. Town people would go to the motel to eat and walk around the lobby just to see the cast. Tatum would be running around and frequently Ryan O'Neal, Sybil Sheppard,and Peter Bogdonavich would be eating in the dining room. It was a fun experience while living in a midwest town.
A wonderful, classic movie that will live on as one of the greatest!!!!
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Enjoyed "Paper Moon" with Tatum O'Neal
Added 9/30/2009
This also is a movie we hadn't viewed in a long time and one that we enjoyed the talents of Tatum O'Neal and her Dad, Ryan O'Neal. They made a good team.
0 out of 1 people found this helpful.
|
Blood thicker than Water
Added 9/2/2009
Bognonavich was a bit of a darling and at the height of his popularity and power when this modest script presented. Dipped but not saturated in the look of older films, the director evokes the Depression years, Grapes of wrath mid 30s as a homage to Steinbeck, Ford and sundry giants of that era. This is a s perfect a film as Bogdonavich made, though it didn't claim the critical kudos of, 'What's Up Doc?', and the brilliant,'Last Picture Show'. Most of the cast from these two gems, moved with him on this project; a kind of ensemble acting crew that facilitated very warm acting results. But the massive star amongst the lot was the novice, Tatum O'Neil. It is a role for which she received just rewards and will take your heart any which way. She's a tough, shrewd, brilliant survivor (at least at this stage of her celluloid life). I've rarely been transfixed by a child performance of this magnitude. The look of the film is enthralling; wide-angled lens giving sharpness of detail and wonderful depth of field. The black and white print immediately yields an archival feel, and the texture of those wonderful photos of dustbowl hard times.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Classic film that will make you laugh and pull at your heartstrings
Added 10/28/2009
Paper Moon, directed by Joe Bogdanovich and adapted from the novel Addie Pray by Joe Brown, is one of my favorite movies. It manages to be funny and serious at the same time. I've seen it four times and I don't think I'll ever get bored with it. The humor and acting is timeless.
Addie Loggins (Tatum O'Neal) loses her mother during the Great Depression. When Moses Pray (Ryan O'Neal), an old friend of her mother's, arrives in town for the funeral he reluctantly receives the task of making sure Addie gets to her aunt's house in Missouri. Addie tags along with Moses while he swindles widows and others out of their money and shows him that she can be just as deceptive as he can. Along the way Moses picks up a lady friend named Trixie Delight (Madeline Kahn) and her maid Imogene (P.J. Johnson).
Tatum is absolutely marvelous as Addie. This is the best performance I've seen from a child actor. She is funny, intelligent and headstrong. She refuses to leave Moses' side until she gets her two hundred dollars back from him. I still can't believe that Tatum was only ten when she took on the role. Her facial expressions through out the movie are hilarious. It's remarkable how well she acted at such a young age. She certainly gives her more experienced father a run for his money. Her performance is by far the best in the entire film.
Kahn and Ryan also give stellar performances. Kahn is spectacular as an exotic dancer who tries to appear as innocent as possible. Her best scene takes place on the hill when Addie refuses to get back in the car. She is funny and heartbreaking. It's no wonder she's one of the funniest comedic actresses of all time (in my opinion). Ryan shows the audience that Moses may be a con man but he still cares about Addie, a girl he hardly knows. He brings out the human side of his character.
The cinematography is great. The decision to make the film black and white really allows me to suspend belief. I can truly imagine that the movie was shot in the 1930s. The scenic shots of the countryside are also beautiful.
There are many scenes in the movie that audiences won't forget. The money exchanging scene done by Moses and the hill scene with Madeline Kahn and Tatum O'Neal are two that come to mind. There are also plenty of one liners that are hilarious; every character has terrific lines.
Paper Moon is a film that, once you watch, you won't forget. It's a film that you can watch over and over and always find something new to laugh at. I highly recommend this movie.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
A small, subtle slice of old-fashioned film making
Added 10/27/2009
I remember seeing "Paper Moon" when it was first released. I was eleven at the time, and developed a crush on little Tatum O'Neal! The film had director Peter Bogdanavich's sweeping vision of the Depression era, but it was also an ideal vehicle for the father-daughter team of Ryan & Tatum. Relatives doing movies together can be a tricky thing--you're never sure if there's going to be great chemistry on screen. Lucky for us, the chemistry here is terrific (it was good enough to earn first-timer Tatum an Oscar win). The late, great Madeline Kahn even wanders in halfway through the film as exotic dancer Trixie Delight, bringing some funny moments with a slight touch of pathos in her characterization (and earning her a nomination as well).
Shot on location in & around Kansas/Missouri, Bogdanavich's black & white visual look perfectly captures the wide-open isolation of the nation's countryside, decades before buildings & shopping centers cluttered up the land. Attention to authenticity is apparent in every frame, from the dirt roads, vintage cars & weathered buildings to the old radio broadcasts, right down to Addie's "Cremo" box.
It's a small, subtle gem of a picture, a blend of comedy, drama & visual style.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Watched it being made
Added 10/10/2009
This early 1970's wonderful movie was partially filmed in St. Joseph, Missouri where I lived at the time. My house was about 3 blocks from the Holiday Inn where the entire cast stayed. Town people would go to the motel to eat and walk around the lobby just to see the cast. Tatum would be running around and frequently Ryan O'Neal, Sybil Sheppard,and Peter Bogdonavich would be eating in the dining room. It was a fun experience while living in a midwest town.
A wonderful, classic movie that will live on as one of the greatest!!!!
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
