Paper Tiger

David Niven's first autobiography The Moon's a Balloon was a fantastic bestselling success in 1972; when you watch Paper Tiger, you can't help but wonder if it was written for the star after someone read his memoir. In the book, Niven shares countless, incredibly detailed stories from his time in the service, and in the movie, he shares just as many entertaining war anecdotes. It was an absolutely perfect role for that time in his career.

In Paper Tiger, David Niven, an English WW2 veteran whose war injury requires a cane, is hired by the Japanese ambassador to tutor his young son. Immediately, Niven and Ando, a most adorable little boy in his first and only film, bond as Niven talks about his time in the war. A terrorist organization kidnaps both the boy and his tutor and holds them hostage, in hopes that the ambassador will cave to their demands. What will the old war hero do?

David Niven gives a wonderful, touching performance, and Ando is such a natural, I don't know why he never made another movie. Their chemistry is very realistic; it's really cute when Niven starts to describe a battle story and then Ando's imagination takes over, giving the audience a combination of a flashback and a fantasy to watch. I absolutely loved this movie, and I highly recommend you rent it during your next family movie night. It's family friendly, and has laughs, dramatic tension, action, very nice music, great acting, and a story that just might require you to bring your Kleenexes.