Paper Moon (1973)

Let's Have Another Cup Of Coffee. Let's Have Another Piece Of Pie.
In 1971 Peter Bogdanavich gave us the superlative, The Last Picture Show. With a cast of virtual new commers, Timothy Bottoms, Cybil Sheapred, Jeff Bridges and Randy Quaid, Bogdanavich caught lightening in a jar. Then in 1973 he choose to pair father and daughter, Ryan and Tatum O'Neil to give us one of the seventies most memerable movies, Paper Moon.

The Last Picture show was a glimbse into the lives of lonely and misbegotten characters, living in a down-and-out, oil-bust Texas town. They're all waiting for that last flicker of hope to shine before the camara winds down and the the movie house goes dark. Paper Moon explores the incredible journey of two unlikly souls adrift in the American heartland during the depths of the great depression. The background sounds of radio broadcasts connects the viewer with the popular figures of the times. The voices of Jack Benny, Fred Allen, Rudy Valle, Bing Crosby and Louis Armstrong all remind us of the innocence of the day. The voice of "Frankie Roosevelt" tells us of the hard times Americans faced amid sky-high unemployment, record drought and even bank failures. As in The Last Picture Show, Bogdanavich knows exactly how to integrate the background "radio chatter" into the scene with perfection.... Yes Folks!!! "let's have another cup of coffee....Let's have another piece of pie". For Addie and Mose that next cup of coffee is a sleepy little town out across the dusty corn field. And that next piece of pie is some poor, unsuspecting widow waiting with false hope and a kind heart.

Easily two of my favorite movies, The Last Picture Show and Paper Moon are absolutely brilliant. Kudos to Peter Bagdanvich for such picture perfect and finely crafted motion pictures. Surely he caught lightening in a jar yet again. My only hope is that he has at least one more up his sleeve before he packs it all in. Bravo!!! and Thank you Mr. Bogdanavich!!!

P.S. A little triva...Who's the only actor or actress who had parts in both films?

A Cute Movie
Paper Moon is a technically excellent black and white film about a depression era con artist and his supposed daughter. Actually, con artist is probably too generous of a term. Although released in the same year, Paper Moon is not The Sting. Paper Moon is about low-level cons more akin to carney swindles where being fleet afoot is a prerequisite.

The publicity device for paper Moon is that the father and daughter are played by Ryan O'Neal and his daughter, Tatum O'Neal. Tatum not only stole scenes from her father, she won the Oscar for best supporting actress. (This is the same year that The Sting won Best Picture and Best Director.)

This is still an entertaining film about the developing relationship between a precocious young girl and her ne'er-do-well father. The special features are worth a watch, especially if black and white photography is of interest.
[[ASIN:1587369222 The Shopkeeper]]

A Cute Movie
Paper Moon is a technically excellent black and white film about a depression era con artist and his supposed daughter. Actually, con artist is probably too generous of a term. Although released in the same year, Paper Moon is not The Sting. Paper Moon is about low-level cons more akin to carney swindles where being fleet afoot is a prerequisite.

The publicity device for paper Moon is that the father and daughter are played by Ryan O'Neal and his daughter, Tatum O'Neal. Tatum not only stole scenes from her father, she won the Oscar for best supporting actress. (This is the same year that The Sting won Best Picture and Best Director.)

This is still an entertaining film about the developing relationship between a precocious young girl and her ne'er-do-well father. The special features are worth a watch, especially if black and white photography is of interest.
[[ASIN:1587369222 The Shopkeeper]]