Review of Paper Moon (2013) by Charles H — 30 Mar 2008

So, yeah, this film is best remembered for netting young Tatum O'Neal an Oscar. Still, it is a pretty great film that delights with its humor and offers just enough heavy drama to keep us invested in the unfolding plot.

Tatum's performance is inarguably one of the all-time finest by a child actor, but Madeline Kahn's saucy turn as a ditzy, gold-digging stripper steals the movie. What a naturally gifted comic actress that lady was.

The way she delivers that vulgar bit of dialogue as she is trying to persuade Tatum's character to get back in the car caused me to laugh-out-loud, even now just thinking back on it. These are sad characters that feel so relatable in spite of their immoral schemes, as each of them chases their respective dreams of prosperity in Depression-era America.

Bogdanovich's decision to film the movie in black-and-white enhances the old-time feel of earlier road pictures. For their efforts, the cast and crew got it right and have left us a pleasant little gem of a movie.