Review of Paper Moon (1973) by Melvin W — 13 Aug 2012

Addie Loggins: She always has to go to the bathroom. She must have a bladder the size of a peanut. .

A favorite of mine will always be this nice, little road movie, Paper Moon. It was a movie that I sat down and watched years ago at a young age and I really didn't expect much from it. After 10 minutes on the road with Addie and Moze, I was having more fun than I could have thought possible. I've seen it several times since and it always leaves a lasting impression on me. It's one of those movies that you just have to watch once in awhile. It makes me feel a variety of feelings. .

A con man named Moses attends the funeral of a one time "friend" and is asked to escort the dead woman's daughter, Addie, to Missouri. He reluctantly accepts and we soon learn it was just to make a quick buck off of her. When Addie finds out, she demands her money. So they begin to pull little con jobs together as they make their way to Missouri. Along the way, we see their relationship grow and there's always a sense of wonderment about whether Moze is Addie's biological father. I mean, they do have the same jaw.

What makes this movie is the amazing father-daughter duo of Ryan O'Neal and Tatum O'Neal. Ryan is extremely good as the con man, but Tatum ends up taking over the show. Her performance as Addie is funny and emotional. Tatum didn't just impersonate being an actress as many child actors and actresses will do; she was one. I am under the firm belief that her performance in this film is the best performance from a child actress, or actor for that matter, ever. I'm also under the firm belief that that will never, ever change. You can hear all the praise about her performance and you can know that she won an Oscar, but until you see her onscreen; you couldn't believe it could be as amazing as it is.

If you want a fun movie, a depression era movie, a road movie, a father-daughter movie, or a grifter movie; watch Paper Moon immediately. It's an under-praised, under-seen, totally under-rated classic film, that entirely too few people know about. This is easily Peter Bogdanovich's best work I've seen. Give it a chance and I can say with pretty sting conviction that won't regret it. .