A brilliant, heartfelt road movie

Paper Moon  by Peter Bogdanovich     ★★★★★

Based on the 1971 novel Addie Pray by the American author Joe David Brown, Paper Moon is a 1973 masterpiece that is part of my favorite road movies, my favorite comedies and my favorite films tout court (regardless of genre).

Written by screenwriter Alvin Sargent and directed by Peter Bogdanovich, Paper Moon follows the tragicomic adventures of Addie: a feisty nine-year-old American girl, whose unmarried (liscencious?) mother has just died. At the funeral, in Gorham, Kansas, a certain Moses Pray aka Moze shows up: a selfish con man, who might be Addie's biological father (but that's not sure, since Addie's mother probably had multiple lovers and/or 'johns'). Addie is played by the then only nine-year-old Tatum O'Neal in her screen debut, who's real father, Hollywood actor Ryan O'Neal, plays the role of Moses. 

Tatum and Ryan O'Neal
as Addie and Moses.

At the funeral, Moses says he agrees to take Addie to her aunt in Missouri. But after he has financially profited from her and her dead mother to the tune of $200, by blackmailing the brother of the man who accidentally killed Addie's mother, Moses drops Addie off at the trainstation and buys her a train ticket to Missouri. In turn, Addie blackmails Moses to give her the $200 he got previously. Since he already has spent most of that money to fix his car, Moses agrees to let Addie travel with him until he has raised back the full $200 to give to her. 

On the road, Moses turns the young girl into his partner in crime. Their lucrative scams include short changing cashiers and selling deluxe Bibles to mourning widows who's husbands just died. Initially, Moses and Addie seem to dislike each other. But they might have more in common than they think. As it turns out, the stubborn and wisecracking Addie (watch how she owns Moses during their hilarious standoff in a diner) is at least as cunning as Moses when it comes to survival instinct...

Delightfuly authentic

Paper Moon is one of the best road movies ever. The film is set in the American Midwest, during the harsh years of the Great Depression. Filmed in Kansas and Missouri, in quiet little towns and in the countryside, the scenic locations, puffing old cars, vintage clothing (designed by Polly Platt) and old-time tunes on the soundtrack contribute to a feeling of authenticity.

The film's title, Paper Moon, refers to the delightful jazzy love song It's Only a Paper Moon in the version by Paul Whiteman, sung by Peggy Healy and recorded in 1933 during the Great Depression. The movie's entire soundtrack is a charming, melancholic trip through memory lane (listen to it here). 

And so, we are immersed in the era of the Great Depression, all the more because the film was shot in black and white. A choice that payed off, considering the brilliant cinematography by the Hungarian director of photography László Kovács. On the advice of legendary filmmaker Orson Welles (who was the mentor of director Peter Bogdanovich), Kovács used deep-focus camera lenses (for depth of field) and a red filter (to enhance the black and white contrast). The results are crisp and visually stunning.

Between laughter and tears

The Oscar-nominated screenplay by Alvin Sargent and the choices of film editor Verna Fields and director Peter Bogdanovich focus primarily on the relationship between Addie and Moses. But, along the way, we also meet some other colorful characters in Paper Moon, such as the 'exotic dancer' Miss Trixie Delight (played by Madeline Kahn) and her 15-year-old black maid Imogene (P.J. Johnson). 

Madeline Kahn as Miss Trixie Delight.

Together, this band of four misfits gets involved in funny situations and witty dialogues that constantly switch between comedy and drama. Director Peter Bogdanovich and his cast and crew found a perfect balance between lighthearted humor and sharp social criticism of the tragedy that was the Great Depression. Through the eyes of Addie, we experience how it must have been during these hard times. Not in the least thanks to the excellent performances of the cast.

Tatum O'Neal as Addie (bottom)
and P.J. Johnson as Imogene.

Spontaneous

Ryan O'Neal plays his heart out as the cynical con artist Moses, whose tacky opportunism conceales more empathy than his callous attitude suggests. Madeline Kahn is perfectly cast as the cheerful, but essentially lonely Miss Trixie. And thanks to the bone-dry humor of P.J. Johnson as the unfortunate young maid Imogene, who is wise beyond her years, that character is also unforgettable. But it is Tatum O'Neal who steals the show as the cute, nine-year-old, boyish and cigarette smoking (!) Addie. Although this was her very first movie role, Tatum O'Neal's naturalistic portrayal of Addie finds its way straight to the heart of the viewer, allowing us from the outset to sympathize with the little girl and hope that all ends well with her. 

Since Tatum is the real-life daughter of Ryan O'Neal, that, undoubtedly, contributed to their spontaneous on screen interaction. It earned the fledgling actress a well-deserved Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, beating Madeline Kahn, who was also nominated for her supporting role in Paper Moon. Why Tatum didn't win the Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role, is a mystery to us since she played the leading role in Paper Moon. But she still is the youngest Oscar winner ever.

Love / hate

Although Tatum O'Neal is a gifted actress, she has never been able to fully capitalize on her acting talent after the release of Paper Moon. By then, her parents were already divorced. Her father Ryan O'Neal remarried twice (to the actresses Joanna Moore and Leigh Taylor-Young) and went on to have a long-term relationship with actress Farrah Fawcett (who was very popular in the second half of the seventies and who died in 2009). Not unlike Addie in Paper Moon, Tatum felt neglected. In her teens she got addicted to drugs, and her acting career and relationship with her fater went downhill. In 1986 she married tennis icon John McEnroe, but six years later they broke up and Tatum lost custody of their three children. Ryan O'Neal is 74 by now and can look back on a successful movie career. Tatum is 51 and still looks quite young for her age. But because of her drug-fueled past and other issues, she has never been able to fully realize her potential as an actress. Although both O'Neals never stopped loving each other, at least according to their own statements in the media, they still quarrel a lot. Their love-hate relationship seems a fateful reflection of the volatile relationship between their characters Addie and Moses in Paper Moon...

A happy ending?

Paper Moon ends with a beautiful wide shot of a pickup truck and two tiny figures on a deserted country road. It's one of the finest closing shots in movie history. In a similar way as Charlie Chaplin's famous tramp often walked off towards the horizon after one of his black and white tragicomic adventures, Paper Moon also ends with the bittersweet promise that the adventures of Addie and Moses have only just begun. I miss them. And, often, I wonder what happened to them. Let's hope they wound up in a better place than the O'Neals. They deserve a happy ending...

Joeri Naanai

It's Only a Paper Moon

Say, it's only a paper moon

Sailing over a cardboard sea

But it wouldn't be make-believe

If you believed in me

Yes, it's only a canvas sky

Hanging over a cotton tree

But it wouldn't be make-believe

If you believed in me

Without your love

It's a honky tonk parade

Without your love

It's a melody played

In a penny arcade

It's a Barnum and Bailey world

Just as hollow as it can be

But it wouldn't be make-believe

If you believed in me

Paper Moon - USA - 1973. 

Cast: Tatum O'Neal, Ryan O'Neal, Madeline Kahn, P.J. Johnson and John Hillerman.

Genre: road movie / comedy / drama / crime