Paper Moon Review
Paper Moon was Peter_Bogdanovich's third straight commercial and critical success in the early Seventies, and it was in many ways a combination of the first two. It had the black-and-white retro feel of his John_Ford ode, The_Last_Picture_Show, along with some of the energetic comedy of his Howard_Hawks ode, What's_Up_Doc?. In fact, Paper Moon owes a great deal to Hawks. If the striking cinematography is all Ford, the movie has the same straight-faced folly of Hawks' best comedies (Twentieth_Century, Bringing_Up_Baby, His_Girl_Friday), and it also manages a touch of the rueful shifts of tone that characterized Hawks movies. The deadpan acting only adds to the enjoyment. Ryan O'Neal, as a Bible selling con-man, was never more likable, and Madeline_Kahn also reached a career highpoint, nominated for an Oscar as a "dancer" named Trixie Delight. But the revelation was Ryan's real-life daughter Tatum O'Neal, who won an Academy Award in her first screen appearance. Her career never again reached such heights. Pity the same can be said for Bogdanovich, who also never came close to equaling his initial successes. Brendon Hanley, Rovi
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