Very disappointing...

Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

I'm not one for nepotism, but the father/daughter team of Ryan O'Neal and Tatum O'Neal in Paper Moon is undeniably entertaining. Those two work really well together. This film is an interesting mix of humor and drama, placing a light-hearted con artist story in the midst of the great depression. Tatum definitely deserved the Academy Award she won for this performance.

The first frame of the picture starts with a song entitled "It's Only A Paper Moon" and when the opening titles came on screen, the film felt reminiscent of a Woody Allen film, but in respect Bogdanovich had gone to extreme lengths of trying to pay homage to the great film maestro Orson Welles. I would have to concur that the cinematography and the credit for the use of deep focus should be credited to James Wong Howe who started an experimental process as far back as 1925, since he was experimenting with camera lenses and lighting to make sequences stand out in the pictures. The film then went on to tell the story of a bible salesman, and just as he was making his sales with a satisfactory customer, he notices an adolescent girl that wants to learn the trick of the trade in selling bibles as part of a con job. One thing that I will note that makes this film a grand masterpiece is the use of black and white cinematography, popular songs in the background as the film's score, the performances by Ryan O'Neal and his daughter Tatum are superb, as well as Madeline Kahn in an Oscar-nominated performance. Another positive aspect about this film is the direction that Bogdanovich outlays from story, character development, and conveying the feel and look of the era of the Great Depression. I saw this film nearly 4 to 5 years ago on DVD, there are some cons to this film, that can make it a bit problematic, first is the length, I understand that the film is long and that when there is not much action, your mind cannot take the stress of too much dialogue sequences, which is what I felt whilst watching this movie. I also felt that some of the sequences like when Ryan O'Neal is out with the Tatum O'Neal in the middle of the town in Texas is a bit antiquated when she ends up getting lost and Ryan had to search all over the area to find her. But, I do have some positive things to say about the camera angles and shots used in the film, for the sequence when Ryan O'Neal is talking to the mechanic at a train station if you look carefully at the far left of the screen, of the open window right behind the man in the train station, you can see two girls playing out back in clear view. It is distracting and takes the focus away from the story, but it is pretty awesome to see something like that in a film such as this. I like the film, and it's a story that has been used in modern films and TV shows to provide inspiration like "Suite Life of Zack and Cody" when they re-used the same story but to con the people in the hotel. That's what I feel about this movie, a grand masterpiece from Peter Bogdanovich.

I became interested in this film after seeing Peter Bogdonovich's "What's Up, Doc?" with Barbra Streisand and Ryan O'Neal. "Paper Moon" is a delightful film about a con man (Ryan O'Neal) who is forced to take in a girl (Tatum O'Neal, who won an Oscar for this film) who may or may not be his daughter. The film is essentially a road trip movie, with a slim plot to carry around events that happen while the two main characters travel across Great Depression America. Both of the characters are utterly charming with the heartfelt Addie forced to ride along with sleazy Moses.I prefer "What's Up, Doc?" as I love Buck Henry's writing on that film.

Two years after The Last Picture Show (1971), a sophisticated drama, Peter Bogdanovich gives us another black and white period piece. But Paper Moon is something else, a hybrid of crime comedy and maybe a family drama. It starts with 9-year-old Addie at her mother's funeral, where she meets a friend of her mother, the con man Moses Pray. Moze gets $200 for Addie in compensation for her mom's death, then blows half of it on a new car for himself. The film begins to pick up and become very funny when the little girl demands her money back, showing herself worldly and forceful for her age- likely a product of being raised by a "loose" woman. Addie also suspects Moze may be her dad, which he denies- after a long pause, indicating he either knows he is or believes it's possible.What we have from here is an unusual (maybe) father-daughter story, in which the two bond, but never in a sweet and sugary way. They don't get sentimental- instead, she picks up Moze's tricks and joins in the fun, making his con jobs more equitable by sparing the impoverished and getting more out of the rich. They're on the wrong side of the law, but in their own way, each does have scruples. In the end, Addie is offered a sweet and sugary life in a comfortable home- and doesn't want it, because she prefers life with Moze, because she isn't perfect and doesn't want perfect, and the audience can feel that's who she is and can understand.Paper Moon slows down a little in the middle, when Madeline Kahn comes into the picture and Moze and Addie mess with a bootlegger. But in my view, the big payoff comes when they're arrested and pull off an extremely clumsy escape. It's a good laugh, and adds to Paper Moon's many charms.