Paper Moon
- Original title
- Paper Moon
- Year
- 1973
- Running time
- 102 min.
- Country
United States
- Director
- Screenwriter
- Alvin Sargent. Novel: Joe David Brown
- Cast
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- Ryan O'Neal
- Tatum O'Neal
- Madeline Kahn
- John Hillerman
- James N. Harrell
- Lila Waters
- P.J. Johnson
- Jessie Lee Fulton
- Noble Willingham
- Randy Quaid
- Bob Young
- Dejah Moore
- See all credits
- Cinematography
László Kovács (B&W)- Producer
- Genre
- Comedy. Drama | Comedy-Drama. Road Movie. The Great Depression. Heist Film. 1930s
- Synopsis
- Adapted from the novel, "Addie Pray" (1971) by Joe David Brown, PAPER MOON is the story of Moses Pray and Addie Loggins. With scenery reminiscent of "The Grapes of Wrath," the film is set in the depression-era Midwestern region of the United States. As the movie opens, we see a small group of mourners clustered at a graveside. Among the mourners is Addie, the dead woman's small daughter. Moses Pray -- ostensibly of the "Kansas Bible Company" -- approaches the group, as the service concludes, and two of the elderly women remark that the child bears some resemblance to him and asks if he might be related. "If ever a child needed kin, it's now," one lady says. With no knowledge of who her father is, Addie's only haven is her Aunt's home in St. Joseph, Missouri. Having identified himself as a "traveling man spreading the Lord's gospel in these troubled times," "Mose" is prevailed upon to deliver the helpless child to her Aunt since he's going that way, anyway. Addie, wise beyond her years, soon discovers that Mose is little more than a scam artist traveling from town to town delivering unordered Bibles and charging exorbitant prices to recently widowed women whom he identifies through the obituary columns of local papers. Soon, Addie and Mose become a team, traveling from town to town, making money in every dishonest way imaginable, and looking for the ultimate score.
- Rankings Position
- Awards
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1973: Oscar: Best Supp. Actress (O'Neal). Nom. Supp. Actress (Khan), Writing, Sound1973: Golden Globe: Promising Newcomer Female (Tatum O'Neal). 5 nominations1973: National Board of Review (NBR): Top 10 Films of the Year1973: San Sebastian Film Festival: Silver Shell & Jury Prize1973: Writers Guild of America (WGA): Best Adapted Comedy Screenplay1973: David di Donatello Awards: Best Foreign Actress (Tatum O'Neal) (ex aequo)
- Critics' reviews
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"The film never makes up its mind whether it wants to be an instant antique or a comment on one."
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"A charming mixture of Hawksian comedy and Fordian lyricism."
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