Paper Moon

 Peter Bogdanovich does the retro thing again in this film, although where What's Up Doc? hearkened back to the mere screwball, Paper Moon more fully embraced a slightly different thirties style, more like Clark Gable than Cary Grant.

Those of you who enjoyed O Brother Where Art Thou will recognize many of the elements of this film, although the comedic elements aren't quite the same. Although the scripts had the same, long lines and monologues that older films seem known for, in Paper Moon the actors more fully embraced them, delivering them like they would Shakespeare, instead of George Clooney's rattled-off, barely intelligible, and over-written one-liners from O Brother.

Although Tatum O'Neal won an Oscar for her performance here, I truly think both Peter Bogdanovich and Ryan O'Neal deserve some significant credit (though I think I'm going to have to disapprove of any father who would allow his nine-year-old to smoke at all, let alone on camera) (and any director who would require it).

I must be grateful to dear, little, golden Oscar for encouraging me to watch this movie. I don't think I ever could have forced myself to finally click the blue "Play" button without that pressure. I never expected it to be so perfectly funny, and touching at the same time.

Madeline Kahn also makes an important appearance, and although she's still very funny, toned down her acting significantly from the usual cartooniness to fit the genre shift Bogdanovich made. She doesn't at all play the wig-wearing harridan from What's Up Doc? nor the over-sexed Marlene Dietrich from Blazing Saddles, and certainly not Mrs. White from Clue.


I see why this film catches the label "must see" from film buffs, and a whopping 90% on the tomatometer.