Menu

Discover

Genres

Appearance

  • light/dark mode
powered by
moviedb

Paper Moon

"As P.T. Barnum put it, "There's a sucker born every minute.""

1973-05-09 Comedy 1hr 42m

A bible salesman finds himself saddled with a young girl who may or may not be his daughter, and the two forge an unlikely partnership as a money-making con team in Depression-era Kansas.

More
Trailer
MGM+ Amazon Channel

Watch on MGM+ Amazon Channel

close
Paper Moon
MGM+ Amazon Channel

Watch on MGM+ Amazon Channel

Storyline

A bible salesman finds himself saddled with a young girl who may or may not be his daughter, and the two forge an unlikely partnership as a money-making con team in Depression-era Kansas.

  • Released
    1973-05-09
  • Revenue
    $30,900,000
  • Budget
    $2,500,000
  • Runtime
    1hr 42m
  • Genre
    Comedy, Crime, Drama
  • Status
    Released
  • Language
    English
  • imdb-logo
    8.1
  • Production
    The Directors Company, Saticoy Productions, Paramount Pictures

Crew

Peter Bogdanovich
Director
Joe David Brown
Novel
Peter Bogdanovich
Producer
Keywords:
friendship funeral missouri bible con man carnival great depression aunt road trip kansas, usa con tween girl

Stream and watch Paper Moon

similar movies

Charlotte's Web

Charlotte's Web

Hot Tamale

Hot Tamale

Hellion

Hellion

Fallen

Fallen

Johnny English

Johnny English

Man on Fire

Man on Fire

Until the End of the World

Until the End of the World

Resurrection

Resurrection

Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo

Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo

Aanandam

Aanandam

Rounders

Rounders

A Simple Plan

A Simple Plan

A Tale of Autumn

A Tale of Autumn

Return to Paradise

Return to Paradise

Critters 2

Critters 2

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

Snow White

Snow White

Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd

Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd

White Men Can't Jump

White Men Can't Jump

He's Just Not That Into You

He's Just Not That Into You

Cast

Tatum O'Neal

Tatum O'Neal
Addie Loggins
Ryan O'Neal

Ryan O'Neal
Moses Pray
Madeline Kahn

Madeline Kahn
Trixie Delight
John Hillerman

John Hillerman
Deputy Hardin / Jess Hardin
Jessie Lee Fulton

Jessie Lee Fulton
Miss Ollie
Noble Willingham

Noble Willingham
Mr. Robertson
Randy Quaid

Randy Quaid
Leroy
P.J. Johnson

P.J. Johnson
Imogene
James N. Harrell

James N. Harrell
The Minister
Burton Gilliam

Burton Gilliam
Floyd (Desk Clerk)
Hugh Gillin

Hugh Gillin
2nd Deputy
Desmond Dhooge

Desmond Dhooge
Cotton Candy Man
Art Ellison

Art Ellison
Silver Mine Gentleman
Lila Waters

Lila Waters
The Minister's Wife
Bob Young

Bob Young
Gas Station Attendant
Jack Saunders

Jack Saunders
Station Master
Jody Wilbur

Jody Wilbur
Cafe Waitress
Liz Ross

Liz Ross
The Widow Morgan - Pearl
Yvonne Harrison

Yvonne Harrison
The Widow Bates - Marie
Ed Reed

Ed Reed
The Lawman - Bates' Home
Dorothy Price

Dorothy Price
Ribbon Saleslady
Eleanor Bogart

Eleanor Bogart
The Widow Stanley - Elvira
Dorothy Forster

Dorothy Forster
The Widow Huff - Edna
Lana Daniel

Lana Daniel
Moze's Girlfriend
Herschel Morris

Herschel Morris
The Barber
Dejah Moore

Dejah Moore
Salesgirl - $20 Bill
Ralph Coder

Ralph Coder
Store Manager
Harriet Ketchum

Harriet Ketchum
Store Customer
Kenneth Hughes

Kenneth Hughes
Harem Tent Barker
George Lillie

George Lillie
The Photographer
Floyd Mahaney

Floyd Mahaney
Beau - Hardin's Deputy
Gilbert Milton

Gilbert Milton
Leroy's Father
Tandy Arnold

Tandy Arnold
Leroy's Brother
Dennis Beden

Dennis Beden
Leroy's Brother
Vernon Schwanke

Vernon Schwanke
Leroy's Brother
Rose-Mary Rumbley

Rose-Mary Rumbley
Aunt Billie (as Rosemary Rumbley)

Videos and Photos

video-bd
Paper Moon
Paper Moon
Paper Moon
Paper Moon
Paper Moon
Paper Moon
Paper Moon

Movie Reviews

Reviews for Paper Moon
reviewer avatar

A Review by John Chard 9

Written by John Chard on 2016-01-27

Utterly delightful. Father and daughter Ryan and Tatum O'Neal, under Peter Bogdanovich's superlative direction, produce one of the most a... read more

Utterly delightful. Father and daughter Ryan and Tatum O'Neal, under Peter Bogdanovich's superlative direction, produce one of the most affectingly warm and cunningly sly movies of the 1970s. Set in depression era America and beautifully photographed in pristine monochrome by Laszlo Kovacs, it's a period piece that refuses to get old, such is the deft imagery and sharpness of the screenplay. Story essentially comes down to conman Moses Pray (R. O'Neal) hooking up with orphan Addie Loggins (T. O'Neal), who may or may not be his actual daughter. Addie proves to be a precocious live wire, not easily fooled and she smokes, cusses and is more than capable of pulling a con herself. After initial indignation, Moses comes to court Addie's strengths and they form a dynamic partnership as they travel through Kansas, pulling cons left right and centre and piling the money up. But can it last forever? The chemistry between father and daughter is obviously set in stone, with young Tatum an absolute revelation. The screenplay gives them both ample opportunities to enchant and amuse the viewer as they get up to all sorts of tricks and scrapes. Yet there's always that feeling hanging in the dusty air that something has to give, that we are treading firmly in bittersweet territory, the crafty couple having earned our complete investment in their well being keeping us concerned even as we laugh out loud. Delightful. 9/10

reviewer avatar

A Review by Wuchak 7

Written by Wuchak on 2019-05-22

***Ryan O’Neal and his kid daughter Tatum in 1930’s Kansas*** In Depression-era Kansas, a conman who sells Bibles (Ryan O’Neal) is coerce... read more

***Ryan O’Neal and his kid daughter Tatum in 1930’s Kansas*** In Depression-era Kansas, a conman who sells Bibles (Ryan O’Neal) is coerced into allowing a precocious 9 year-old (Tatum O’Neal) to ride with him as they travel to St. Joseph, Missouri, where her aunt lives. Madeline Kahn plays a carnival “dancer” with P.J. Johnson as her teen aide. John Hillerman appears in a double role as a bootlegger and police officer. "Paper Moon" (1973) is a B&W drama with amusing moments. Imagine “The Highwaymen” (2019) and “Bonnie and Clyde” (1967), but with a lighter tone and much less severe criminality, mixed with father/quasi-daughter antics. The movie’s entertaining throughout, but the ending’s too low-key for my tastes (How about some good ol’ fashioned emotion?). But that’s a minor quibble. The film runs 1 hour, 42 minutes and was shot in Kansas, Nebraska & Missouri (with one part done in Pasadena). GRADE: B

Read Full Review (The thoughts and opinions expressed here are solely those of the reviewer.)
A Review by John Chard

Utterly delightful. Father and daughter Ryan and Tatum O'Neal, under Peter Bogdanovich's superlative direction, produce one of the most affectingly warm and cunningly sly movies of the 1970s. Set in depression era America and beautifully...

reviewer avatar

A Review by John Chard 9

Written by John Chard on 2016-01-27

Utterly delightful. Father and daughter Ryan and Tatum O'Neal, under Peter Bogdanovich's superlative direction, produce one of the most affectingly warm and cunningly sly movies of the 1970s. Set i...

read more
reviewer avatar

A Review by Wuchak 7

Written by Wuchak on 2019-05-22

***Ryan O’Neal and his kid daughter Tatum in 1930’s Kansas*** In Depression-era Kansas, a conman who sells Bibles (Ryan O’Neal) is coerced into allowing a precocious 9 year-old (Tatum O’Neal) to ri...

read more