Paper Moon (1973)

A man in a suit and hat leans toward a child holding a suitcase and wearing a cap, with "Paper Moon" and cast information written on the black-and-white cover.
The cover for the Criterion Collection's print of the 1973 movie Paper Moon, directed by Peter Bogdanovich.
About the movie
  • Director: Peter Bogdanovich
  • Starring: Tatum O'Neal, Ryan O'Neal, Madeline Kahn
  • Yes or no?: Yes
  • Links: on Letterboxd, IMDb page
Other reviews:

This was a Letterboxd Roulette recommendation as well as one of my Criterion Challenge movies for the year. It was a good pick on both accounts.

Normally, I try to have something interesting to say about these, but all that happened when I finished this was me saying, “That was wonderful” to Christy and smiling. I loved this movie.

Cool kids are cool. Cool kids in movies are a lot of fun, and Tatum O’Neal is so marvelous in this movie I spent most of the time just laughing at her and delighting in spending time with them.

Lots of great lines in this, but the one that stands out is the one about scruples:

Moses Pray: You don’t have to worry. I ain’t about to leave some poor little child stranded in the middle of nowhere. I got scruples too, you know. You know what that is? Scruples?
Addie Loggins: No, I don’t know what it is, but if you got 'em, it’s a sure bet they belong to somebody else!

If you haven’t seen this, watch it one Saturday night just put a smile on your face.

Reply via email

May 12, 2025
Tags: Tatum O'Neal | Madeline Kahn | Peter Bogdanovich | Ryan O'Neal