Rating: 
Summary: Depression era--but far from depressing
Review: I discovered this funny gem a few years ago and haven't been able to stop watching it. The humor is subtle and hilarious, the acting superb. Tatum O'Neal's frank and mature performance as her real-life father's tag-along cohort in crime makes the movie. If you enjoy tales of lovable con-artists, this is definitely for you.
Rating: 
Summary: An early '70s classic
Review: This is a very fine DVD of Peter Bogdanovich's early '70s film. The plot revolves around a con man (Ryan O'Neal) who unexpectedly has a young girl (an Oscar-winning Tatum O'Neal) come into his care. He starts out driving her across Kansas to her family, but the two become partners and travel throughout the Midwest making money.
Both O'Neals are excellent, but what really makes this movie is the way that Bogdanovich and his team used black and white cinematography and production design to make the setting (Depression era Kansas) believeable. The praries are wide, the streets are bare, and the actors playing small town Kansans are suitably taciturn. The bond between the two O'Neals is never sentimentalized, and while Tatum may not be a great actress, her directness works well for the part. There's also an outstanding supporting performance by Madeline Kahn as a dancer the two travelers encounter along the way. Kahn and Tatum have a beautiful little scene together on a hillside where they both acknowledge that the other is on the make. The DVD includes commentary by Bogdanovich and some interesting featurettes.
Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: It Seems Like It Might Be A Timeless Film
Review: I had seen this movie when I was a kid back in 1973. I remembered it as being good back then. I found the DVD for $9.99 and decided to give it a try. I was suprised that the film stills holds up and is still good. Many films become dated and are not as good as you remember them. This film is still excellent. I give it 4 1/2 stars **** Not quite 5 stars. Shot in Black and white, it gives you the feeling that you are in the midewest in 1935. It is a good movie, the acting is very good and I enjoyed watching it. It is a good buy for $9.99 and a good film for families. Tatum O'Neal is very good in her role. I recommend this film. It's still good. Just have to see how it is 10 years from now. Now I need to view "Last Picture Show" again and see if that is still viable.
Rating:
Summary: Simple, fun, beautiful.
Review: Paper Moon is one of those great old Hollywood type films. It has that charm that we seldom find nowadays. It's just fun and simple and makes you laugh. The film is also absolutely stunning visually. It's unbelievable how perfectly Tatum O'Neil is for this part. She's cute, funny and street smart and does an unbelievable job for a 10 year old. The title also has a famous story about how Orson Wells notoriously said "that title is so good you could just release the title without the movie." It worth seeing by those who love that old Hollywood charm and those who just want a good fun lite film.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent offbeat comedy
Review: "Paper Moon"; A cute, amusing story about a precocious nine-year-old girl [Addie Loggins] and her ventures with her adored, delinquent, law-evading father-figure, Moses Prey.Set in the mid' 1930's (middle of depression-era), Moses Prey finds himself faced with the unwilling task of transporting a seemingly orphaned little girl across state lines, to her future home of an entrusted relative. Inadvertently, he adopts the youngster as his protégé in crime, as he unwittingly becomes her guardian for life. A Peter Bogdanovich (director) production, Paper Moon is a very well put together motion picture based on the 1971 novel "Addie Prey," by Joe David Brown. Filmed in black & white (so not to seem too sentimental), this movie, with its whimsical offbeat humor, is great for people who enjoy warm, but less-than-ordinary comedies. Personally, the thing I liked most about this movie, is that it doesn't "spoon-feed" every detail about what's going on in every situation, compelling the audiance to use their imagination & fill in the blanks on their own; thus, leaving room for various possibilities; and, in the end, host a consummate inconclusive answer to the future of this unscrupulous, ambitious duo. SPECIAL FEATURES: I was really impressed with the"Special Features" section on this DVD rendition of Paper Moon (I also have a copy of the "Director's Cut" VHS, it's not nearly as informative). The "Making of Paper Moon (which was divided into 3 sections)" & "Director's Commentary (voice of Peter Bogdanovich)" was informative to the point of being a "how to" on movie directing and film production; and, in my layman opinion, should be credited as required viewing for practicing film students. *As for those of you who speak another language, there is only one subtitle option: English; I guess for those who need a close captions [cc] substitute. However, the "Audio Selection" section does have an option for Francis (French), which is a voiceover dub (very neat feature). This is one purchase I'm very glad I've made: A low budget classic, with no special effects to get in the way of a charming storyline; Filmed in a time period of American culture, when acting was purely an actor's art (excellent casting). I give this dvd release a perfect 5 of 5 stars.
Rating:
Summary: "It's Only a Paper-Moooooooooon!"
Review: Great. This movie is an essential and Tatum O'Neal is hilarious in her Academy Award-winning role as the cigarette-smoking nine-year-old, Addie Loggins, who joins conman Moses Pray (real-life-father Ryan O'Neal) after the death of her mother. This movie is in beautiful black & white and is directed by Peter Bogdanovich whose direction is marvelous! Co-starring is Madeline Kahn as the 'Harem-Girl-Dancer' Trixie Delight who comes between 'Moze' and Addie.
This movie is rated PG for severe language, sexual content, and brief violence. In my opinion, this movie should be rated PG-13.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty Good Movie
Review: The one thing I like about Paper Moon is the cinematography. The scenary is spectacular, and makes you feel like you're in the depression era. Paper Moon is about the adventures of a con artist and his 9 year old cohort played by Tatum O Neal. The girl's mother dies as the result of a car crash, and it's up to the con artist(played by Ryan O Neal) to take care of the girl and to get her to her aunt. Only thing is, is that they quickly find out that they make a great team at conning people. Though whimsical for the most part, the movie also shows what life was like during the depression years. Will he end up taking her to her aunt? Will something tragic happen to part them? Will the owner of Amazon send me KISS Alive IV for Christmas? I won't answer the first two, and I don't know about the third one, but I'm hopeful (smiling)
This movie has a bit of strong language and some racy dialogue, but overall this is a superb film and cool to watch
Rating:
Summary: Paper Moon at Depression Prices!
Review: The joy, the sorrows a bevy of fine performances will keep your "sunny side up" throughout this unique period film from the seventies. Overjoyed on hearing the news that a favorite film is being released on this superb format always is such a pleasant surprise in a sea of disposable entertainment. The quality of the print and sound is "picture perfect" I'm sure that this will not be the "Last Picture Show" I'll be buying but a welcome addition in these slightly tight financial times. The price of this heartfelt masterpiece is something that "NO" one should squabble in consideration. The memories share in "Extras" by Mr. Bogdanovich and members of the production crew along with rare outtakes wraps up this delectable gem like Cotton Candy swirled on a paper cone, sweet and sticky, but finger licking good! Also included is the joy of a Commentary track by Mr. Bogdanovich, now what more could you possibly asked for .... a Coney Island and a Orange Nehi?
Rating:
Summary: Review of the DVD version
Review: The early successes of director Peter Bogdanovich -- which began with TARGETS in 1968, followed by his masterpiece THE LAST PICTURE SHOW in '71 and WHAT'S UP DOC the next year -- ended in 1973 with an evocative and endearing comedy-drama called PAPER MOON. Shot in rather stark black-and-white photography in real locations, and taking place mostly in sleepy locales and barren landscapes of the 30s, PAPER MOON seems to echo the memorably desolate world Bogdanovich had created in THE LAST PICTURE SHOW. But rather than a depressing look of American life, PAPER MOON is a light-hearted adventure about a con man and a tomboyish orphan girl partnering together to pull one small-time scam after another, with the girl often saving the day. The small cast of actors all give memorable performances. But the film will be most remembered for the work by then eight-year-old newcomer Tatum O'Neal as the orphan, who is on the screen nearly constantly and basically carries the whole film. She imbues every scene with the right emotions, convictions, world-weariness, precociousness, and understated pathos and comedy. It is a thoroughly convincing portrayal of a character that probably should have been played by a slightly older actress (in the original novel, it is a 12-year-old) to be believable. But looking at it today, it is an irreplaceable performance. The Region-1-only DVD version offers a good-looking widescreen anamorphic transfer, with the high-contrast black-and-white photography presented very well, with only a few graininess here and there to mar its quality. The mono audio sounds reasonably good. Bonus features include three short featurettes, running about half hour total, that include present-day reminiscences from Bogdanovich, co-producer Frank Marhsall, production designer Polly Platt, as well as all-too-brief comments from cinematographer Laszlos Kovacs. They recount production history, casting choices, and on-the-set experiences. It's a shame that none of the actors appear. A few outtakes are also shown. And Bogdanovich recalls a few amusing anecdotes. Bogdanovich also offers an audio commentary for this DVD. It is a mostly scene-specific commentary in which he elaborates on his intentions, the challenges, and the experiences in most aspects of the shooting. He had to shoot a long confrontation scene between Mose and Addie in over 20 takes. And 47 camera setups were needed to shoot a seemingly ordinary but pivotal one-room scene. He praises the acting and the photography, and explains why he liked to shoot in long takes and in deep-focus black-and-white. He makes references to THE GRAPES OF WRATH a couple of times while commenting on the mostly barren landscapes of the movie. He admits he didn't use storyboards, which is hard to believe considering the impeccable compositions in many of the shots. Also astonishing is that the film's wonderful ending did not come to him until almost at the end of the shooting. One of the movie's charms comes from watching the various scams being carried out by the two characters. And to the credits of the filmmakers, their tricks are not fully explained as to how they actually work, so the viewer has to be observant. Below is a description of the short-changing scam that occurs twice in the movie. I admittedly didn't understand it until after several viewings: The con artist goes into a store to buy something under a dollar. At the register, he pays with a $5 bill. The store clerk takes the $5 and gives him the change. Then comes following exchange. The con artist says, "I have too many singles in my wallet. Let me give you five $1 bills and you give me a $5 bill." The clerk gives him a $5 bill and takes the five ones. So far so good. While the clerk still has the five ones in his hand, the con artist says, "I still have too many bills in my wallet. Let me give you back the $5 bill, together with the five ones in your hand. And in exchange, you give me a $10 bill." The clerk unwittingly hands him a $10 bill -- not knowing that he only owes $5, not $10, at that point.
Rating:
Summary: Too Charming to Dislike
Review: With a subtle directorial hand, Peter Bogdanovich just let his thespians do their jobs here, and thus they carried the whole film into the amazingly charming entertainment that it is today. Are there any deep, philosophical messages to analyze here? Perhaps not, but it's certainly touching and the final scenes will have many viewers holding back tears because of the fact that ten-year-old Tatum O'Neal has successfully and seemingly effortlessly endeared herself to them. The pairing of Moses and Addie truly do make for one of cinema's most memorable love-hate relationships, and by the finale it's terrible for anyone to have to watch it come to an end. And could the Academy have been anymore flat-out right here by awarding Tatum O'Neal Best Supporting Actress? It's obviously one of the most audacious wins in the history of the Awards, and a deserved one at that. Bogdanovich didn't mind simply placing his camera in one set location and just leaving it there because he had the fullest confidence that his cast would make the film compelling, but some stylization is evident here nonetheless. It's interesting to watch shots that withdraw from the action completely, framing its characters from a vast distance. And it truly seems as if this movie couldn't have been filmed in anything other than the stark black-and-white, which is iridescently brought to life anyway thanks to each and every performance. Some aspects of the story do border on ridiculousness, of course - are we to believe that Moses and Addie simply had great luck in finding these amazingly gullible people? But it doesn't really matter in the long run anyway, because 'Paper Moon' will really make you smile.
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