[10]

In the Depression-era Dust Bowl, a traveling con man strikes up an unlikely relationship with an orphan girl who may or may not be his daughter. Director Peter Bogdanovich (The Last Picture Show) coaxes magnificent performances from real-life father and daughter Ryan and Tatum O’Neal, working from a beautiful screenplay adaptation by two-time Oscar winner Alvin Sargent (Julia, Ordinary People). The magic of Paper Moon is that its underlying sentimentality is never mined or exploited. Ryan and Tatum squabble and bicker through the whole movie, each doing their damnedest to hide whatever tender feelings they may have for one another. The result is a comedy that soars on one-liners, witty comebacks, and playful mean-spiritedness. Along for the ride — and stealing the show in every scene she’s in — is my personal favorite funny lady of the movies, Madeline Kahn (Blazing Saddles, Clue). Kahn plays an opportunistic floozie who latches onto Ryan’s character much to Tatum’s dismay. The sequence in which Tatum conspires with Kahn’s young servant girl to break up the affair is among the movie’s many highlights.

Kahn was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for Paper Moon, but lost out to Tatum O’Neal, who at the age of ten, was the youngest person ever to receive a competitive Oscar. The film is further bolstered by beautiful black & white cinematography by Laszlo Kovacs and extraordinary period production design by Polly Platt. Look for an early screen appearance from Randy Quaid as a hillbilly who wrestles Ryan O’Neal for a car.

Academy Award: Best Supporting Actress (Tatum O’Neal)

Oscar Nominations: Best Supporting Actress (Madeline Kahn), Best Adapted Screenplay (Alvin Sargent), Best Sound