Paper Moon (1973)

"It's only a paper moon, hanging over a cardboard sea…"

These are the lyrics, crooned mellowly by Ella Fitzgerald, that accompany the art deco beginning credits of the aptly titled Paper Moon, directed by Peter Bogdanovich. At that moment, before any character had been seen, before the words Introducing Tatum O'Neal flashed across the screen following the rest of the cast list, I knew I was watching something special. 

Inadvertently, Paper Moon was the movie that inspired me to love movies. When I, at 12 or so, found out that Tatum O'Neal won an Oscar for her role at age ten, my interest (and partial jealousy) was immediately piqued, and the rest of my time was spent searching Academy Awards history and milestones, which led to me to many a classic film viewing. Ironically, it took me a few months to actually get around to seeing the movie itself, but when I finally did, I felt like I was embracing some long lost friend or relative who I never grew to know before, but who I now saw as essential to my life. By the end of watching, my cheeks hurt from smiling. Having just rewatched it this past Saturday, I love it even more.

"I got scruples too, you know. You know what that is? Scruples? "
"No, I don't know what it is, but if you got 'em, it's a sure bet they belong to somebody else"

Adapted from the novel Addie Pray, by Joe David Brown, Bogdanovich (whose astonishing filmography of that decade included the highly lauded The Last Picture Show and What's Up, Doc?) found inspiration in the 30's tune "It's Only a Paper Moon" and suggested the title to his mentor Orson Welles, who purportedly replied, "That title is so good, you shouldn't even make the picture, you should just release the title!" Set in the crux of the Depression (an era for which I have a special affinity and misguided nostalgia), young Addie Loggins (Tatum O'Neal) has just been left orphaned. At the funeral, the seemingly devout Bible salesman Moses Pray (Ryan O'Neal, her father) approaches the mourners, apparently having a shared history with her mother. As it goes, Addie has no one left but an aunt in St. Joseph, Missouri, and Moze, her only means of transportation, gets roped in to taking her there. Of course, he isn't the pious gentleman he appears to be, but a con man who may or may not be Addie's father (they have the same jaw, Addie protests), and together they set off on the road, the swindling dream duo of the decade.

While the story of Paper Moon is quite sweet as it explores Moze and Addie's father/daughter relationship, it is paradoxically filmed bleakly in black and white, with stark, rural settings and an absence of a score to fill the silences. Never does the film try to emulate the feel of a Depression-era movie (it's far too peppered with swear words), but instead accurately depicts what those times would have felt like in a child's perspective.

I really love the character of Addie; she's precocious without being grating. She comes off tough, but she loves Moze like a father and vies for his attention. Part of this, I think, comes from O'Neal's performance. It's hard to believe she wasn't already a seasoned actress by this time, she was so assured in this role. Her Oscar was well-deserved, though it bewilders most people that it was in the supporting category, considering she's on the screen for the majority of the time and the narrative is basically from her perspective. However, I assume this placing was they way it was to ensure her a chance of winning; she, like so many other child actors, would not have stood a chance in the leading category. I'm just glad she won (and she wore a tuxedo in her acceptance speech!). However, I cannot help but wonder who would have won had O'Neal's role been considered a lead. 

"All I really want to thank is my father and my director, Peter Bogdanovich. Thank you."

Allegedly, Paul Newman and his daughter Nell Potts were considered for the roles of Moze and Addie, and while I can picture them in the same attire, I can't imagine them doing a better job than Ryan and Tatum O'Neal did, though I love, love, love Paul Newman. They have a distinct way of communicating and share the screen equally amongst each other, whether bickering or simply driving along the roads in contented silence. Ryan O'Neal does such a great job and crafts a character so unlike how he seems to be in real life that I always like to imagine that he and his daughter have the same beautiful relationship in reality. Unfortunately, things still seemed to be strained between the two…


I also love the supporting characters. Madeline Kahn (also nominated for Best Supporting Actress that year, and who I hoped would have won had O'Neal not) plays the wonderfully crass yet somehow lovable Miss Trixie Delight, who steals Moze's attention right from Addie, and whose presence provides a thoroughly entertaining subplot. But I also think Imogene, her maid (played by PJ Johnson), is also a great character, wise beyond her years. She seems so completely natural, which only adds to the feel of the movie.


What else is there to say? I can't think of a movie that makes me laugh, smile, and feel a little wistful like Paper Moon does. There's a scene where Moze has just won a bare-fist sparring match with someone with whom they need to swap cars, much to Addie's shock and amazement. She looks up at him, her mouth a perfectly formed O, as though he is a different person. And then Moze gives her a sly wink, and I no longer feel like I am watching actors, but simply the quick exchange of a father and daughter.