During the Great Depression, a con man finds himself saddled with a young girl who may or may not be his daughter, and the two forge an unlikely partnership.During the Great Depression, a con man finds himself saddled with a young girl who may or may not be his daughter, and the two forge an unlikely partnership.During the Great Depression, a con man finds himself saddled with a young girl who may or may not be his daughter, and the two forge an unlikely partnership.
- Director
- Writers
- Stars
- Won 1 Oscar
- 9 wins & 10 nominations total
- The Minister
- (as Jim Harrell)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
Few times will you ever see a film so visually wedded to its locale and cinematic style. In a typical film, you might picture the presentation of the movie working in a number of ways, but in "Paper Moon," it will forever seem like it could only have been done this way...on location, in black and white, and photographed like moving Andrew Wyeth shots of Americana.
Tatum O' Neal is terrific and justifiably won an Oscar for her part, but Ryan is wonderful as well....funny in that exasperated manner that Bud Abbott is, and the quality goes right down to the smallest bit player in the cast.
A perfect film would have great acting, great visuals and utilization of music, a superb story and lines that have you repeating them for years. Welcome to "Paper Moon." I can't recommend this blend of comedy and drama enough. A modern classic.
The plot is OK. The setting/location/cinematography is OK. I liked Ryan O'Neal in Love Story and What's Up Doc. He's good enough here.
But, this movie is a 10 for one, and only one, reason. Ten year old Tatum O'Neal is impossible to take your eyes off of the entire movie. I challenge anyone to name a better performance by an actress/actor in a movie than this one by Ms. O'Neal.
What a joke she won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress because the Academy didn't think a ten year old should win the Best Actress award.
She's on screen only about 95% of the time.
I love what Madeline Kahn says about that. MK says she - MK- should have won Best Supporting Actress. Tatum should have won Best Actress.
The development of the relationship between Moses and Addie is near perfect, their capers, scrapes and mischief endearingly conjuring a bond they both desperately need. I didn't expect this to be anything like as engrossing, charming and engaging as it was, perhaps being the father of two daughters with attitude enhanced the experience, but whatever it was left a lasting impression.
Shot completely on locations in Kansas and Missouri PAPER MOON sparkles with a richness only capable in black and white. Cinematographer Lazlo Kovacs is a great camera artist and never better than PAPER MOON where he uses black and white, deep focus and those great long takes to its best advantage. To the untrained eye it will just appear very sharp, but look closely at each frame and notice that everything is in tack sharp focus from the closest object to far in the distance. This deep focus is very difficult to achieve correctly, especially in the night shots, but Kovacs does it so well it is seamless. Watch for the train station sequence where even the children playing in the background are razor sharp. This is a look that can only be achieved using black and white to its fullest potential. New filmmakers take notice. This is how it's supposed to be done. All this cinematic brilliance would be wasted were it not for the wonderful direction of Bogdanovich. In this his third film, he proves that he is a consummate filmmaker who knows how to move the actors and camera in perfect concert. His craftsmanship of each scene is unmistakable as he brings a fresh and very new approach using Hollywood tricks which are decades old. A lesser director might have used process shots and sets to tell the story, but not Bogdanovich. He shot the entire film in real locations to give it the look and feel of a real thirties road picture. You can almost smell the wide plains and feel the dust as it comes up to slap you in the face. Notice too how he never resorts to sentimentality to move the story along, it is told razor sharp and without tears. This, never more apparent than the final sequence where he pays off the film in grand style.
There is only one thing about this film which still baffles me. Why in the night time hotel sequence toward the end of the film were electric lights everywhere but inside the hotel lobby, which was lit entirely with kerosine lamps? Was it to give the look and feel of the period, or did the real location use them? Small point, but interesting. If, like myself, the last time you saw PAPER MOON was when it was released in 1973, see it again on DVD and be delighted all over again. The DVD transfer is marvelous and only serves to heighten its visual appeal. If you have only seen PAPER MOON on broadcast TV, do yourself a favor and see the new DVD for a pleasant surprise. Without the obligatory broadcast TV commercials, pan and scan and dialogue cuts this will appear like a new film seen the way it was supposed to be seen. And if you have NEVER seen PAPER MOON and harbor some prejudice against black and white films, please see this film. Any preconceived notions against this format will quickly dissolve as it takes you along for a rich ride with Addie and Moze in the only format it could - glorious black and white.
Did you know
- TriviaTatum O'Neal was ten years old when she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in this movie, making her the youngest person ever to win an Oscar in a competitive category. As of 2023, she still holds this record. She was four years younger than her rival nominee, Linda Blair, in The Exorcist (1973).
- GoofsFibber McGee's famous "closet gag", so anticipated by Addie while listening to the radio, didn't start until 1940.
- Quotes
Addie Loggins: I want my two hundred dollars.
Moses Pray: I don't have your two hundred dollars no more and you know it.
Addie Loggins: If you don't give me my two hundred dollars I'm gonna tell a policeman how you got it and he'll make you give it to me because it's mine.
Moses Pray: But I don't have it!
Addie Loggins: Then get it!
Cafe Waitress: [walks over after Moses slams his fist on the table] How we doin', Angel Pie? We gonna have a little dessert when we finish up our hot dog?
Addie Loggins: I don't know.
Cafe Waitress: What do you say, Daddy? Why don't we give Precious a little dessert if she eats her dog?
Moses Pray: Her name ain't Precious.
- Crazy creditsSpecial thanks to the people in and around Hays, Kansas and St. Joseph, Missouri
- ConnectionsEdited into The Clock (2010)
- SoundtracksIt's Only a Paper Moon
(1933) (uncredited)
Music by Harold Arlen
Lyrics by E.Y. Harburg and Billy Rose
Performed by Paul Whiteman and Orchestra
Vocal by Peggy Healy
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Luna de papel
- Filming locations
- Wilson, Kansas, USA(Pray getting Addie's money at Robertson's mill, Hairdresser and General store on Avenue E)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $2,500,000 (estimated)
- Gross worldwide
- $591
- Runtime1 hour 42 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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