Paper Moon

Feraud · Sep 28, 2006

This charming road film stars real life father and daughter Ryan and Tatum O‚ÄôNeil. Perfectly directed by Peter Bogdanovitch, Paper Moon tells the story of con man Moses Pray hawking his personalized bibles to recent widows across the Midwest. Moses inadvertently picks up young Addie and promises to deliver her to an aunt. En route, Moses stops to make a few bucks with Addie in tow. While fumbling though a con little Addie steps in and helps Moses with his sale. These two become unlikely partners as they travel to Addie‚Äôs destination.

The film is unflinching in portraying a con man in his element. His interests are money, women, and money, not necessarily in that order. Moses intends to use the 9-10 year old girl to make whatever money he can. The film is funny, sentimental, and beautifully filmed without trying. I cannot imagine this film being made today. It would no doubt feature Dakota Fanning and drown the viewers in cheesy sentimentality.

The costumes look great. Ryan O‚ÄôNeal wears a nice selection of suits and straw hat. The rest of the cast are similarly attired in swell lookin' suits, dresses, and leather jackets. John Hillerman of Magnum P.I. fame turns in a fine performance as both a sheriff and bootlegging brothers. The late great comedienne Madeline Kahn stars as Miss Trixie Delight. The locations and music are a perfect companion to this perfect film.

MudInYerEye · Sep 28, 2006

I've watched this all the way through at least 25 times and never gotten bored with it. There are very few other THINGS, much less movies, that I can also say this about.

Doh! · Sep 28, 2006

I haven't seen this in years, but remember really liking it. I wonder how many people have tried that "Happy Birthday, Addie!" con with $20 dollar bills since then...

Tomasso · Sep 28, 2006

Great flick! I saw it just the other night.

Trixie Delight was a hoot.

Rosie · Sep 28, 2006

I love this film. Tatum O'Neal is really great and she's so young. Madeline Kahn is great in this too. I love the ending. The first time I saw it I cracked up.

LizzieMaine · Sep 28, 2006

I saw this film when it first came out -- I was ten years old, and was totally entranced by it. For quite a while afterward I nursed the secret dream of becoming a traveling grifter myself....

In addition to perfectly capturing the look of the mid-thirties, the film has a *wonderful* soundtrack -- lots of great pop 78's of the day.

Feraud · Sep 28, 2006

I heard the Nicholas Cage flick Matchstick Men was similar to Paper Moon.
Is there any truth to it? Did anyone see Matchstick?

Rosie · Sep 28, 2006

Matchstick Men if I remember wasn't *really* like Paper Moon, other than the grifting (I LOVE that word). It was interesting though with a "Usual Suspects" type twist to the end. It's a good movie, not great but interesting and attention holding.

Hondo · Sep 28, 2006

Rosie said:
Matchstick Men if I remember wasn't *really* like Paper Moon, other than the grifting (I LOVE that word). It was interesting though with a "Usual Suspects" type twist to the end. It's a good movie, not great but interesting and attention holding.

You stand correct! Plus "Paper Moon" was in B/W, where as MM was in color and set in modern times, both have story line of grifters.
If I'm not busy and Paper Moon comes on, I also never tire of it, Tatum O'Neal was such a sweet child, cute as a button.

jake_fink · Sep 28, 2006

Paper Moon is a wonderful movie. It is pretty much perfect. Weren't the seventies great!!!

The documentary attached to the dvd is interesting too. it seems that Polly Platt, then married to Peter Bogdanovich, was as responisble for the excelence of this film as Bogdanovich was. Last Picture Show is as good as Paper Moon, leaving me wonderign, what the heck happene to Peter Bodanovich!?!? [huh] (He left Polly Platt for Cybil Sheperd, maybe.)

Feraud · Sep 28, 2006

jake_fink said:
Paper Moon is a wonderful movie. It is pretty much perfect. Weren't the seventies great!!!

The documentary attached to the dvd is interesting too. it seems that Polly Platt, then married to Peter Bogdanovich, was as responisble for the excelence of this film as Bogdanovich was.

I am looking forward to viewing the dvd documentary. I saw a few minutes of it and recall Bogdanovitch acting out a motel scene in place of O'Neal.
There were some amazing movies made in that decade!

Tomasso · Sep 28, 2006

jake_fink said:
Last Picture Show is as good as Paper Moon, leaving me wonderign, what the heck happene to Peter Bodanovich!?!? [huh] (He left Polly Platt for Cybil Sheperd, maybe.)

Yes, it seems that his infatuation with SS sidetracked his directing career, never to recover. And, Polly was his creative partner as well as his wife.

johnnydnh · Sep 28, 2006

Here are a few more. How about that Floyd? I really love this movie. The book "Addie Pray" is great too. There are so many great little details in this film.

The Wolf · Sep 29, 2006

I too saw it when it came out.

I still have soundtrack on L.P. It has a great collection of oldies. I used to listen to it a lot. Side two had some of my favorite songs: "The Object of My Affection", "Let's Have Another Cup of Coffee" and "Sunnyside Up".
Heck, I even watched the Tv show with Jodie Foster

as Addie.

Sincerely,
The Wolf

Matt Deckard · Sep 29, 2006

I've seen parts of the film though never all... It's costuming as was stated before is very well done. Good look at the summer wears of that era.

Dismuke · Oct 2, 2006

Paper Moon has been one of my favorite movies since I was a kid and it would every so often be played on television. Besides just being a wonderful movie, one of the things that I love about it is that many scenes in it were filmed in a part of Kansas not very far from where my grandparents lived - so I always think of visiting them as a kid whenever I watch the movie.

Some of the scenes were filmed in a town called Wilson, Kansas. It is a fascinating old town with beautiful stone buildings. The stone in that part of Kansas is called post rock because the early settlers used it as fence posts for barbed wire fences. Many of those old post rock fences are still intact that area. It was very easy to quarry and more plentiful than wood. The stone was also used in a great many of the buildings - and the craftsmanship of those old structures is simply remarkable.

There is an old hotel in downtown Wilson which was used in the filming of Paper Moon - and the hotel has been restored and is open for business. Its website is: http://www.midland-hotel.com/ If you look at the photo of the hotel on the website, you will see that it, too, is made of post rock.

I highly recommend the soundtrack LP that somebody mentioned. The recordings on it are excellent. They really ought to reissue it on CD.

Mr. Lucky · Oct 3, 2006

It was my FIRST PG movie - and still, to this day, one of my favorites. Ah, what I wouldn't give for a Nehi and a Coney Island!

Robert Conway · Oct 3, 2006

Great film, with one of the best scripts around.

And it's pretty darn funny.

RC

artdecodame · Oct 4, 2006

For me, it's always been one of the few modern titles that really capture the 1930's.
"You met my mama in a bar room."

And I also love the soundtrack.

Feraud · Oct 9, 2006

FYI - Tonight @ 8 p.m., TCM

Paper Moon is showing tonight at 8 p.m. on TCM.
A great opportunity to see this film if you have not.

Paper Moon

Practically Family

One Too Many

Incurably Addicted

One Too Many

One Too Many

One Too Many

Call Me a Cab

Incurably Addicted

Familiar Face

Call Me a Cab

Man of Action

One of the Regulars

One Too Many

A-List Customer

One of the Regulars

Similar threads

Log in

Forum statistics