Paper Moon: Peter Bogdanovich's Road Trip Comedy Classic Gets the Criterion Treatment (Criterion Blu-ray)

The Film:

Filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich had quite an illustrious career that spanned over 50 years, giving us several notable classics like "What's Up, Doc?," "Noises Off," "Mask," and, of course, "The Last Picture Show," which garnered him two Oscar nominations for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. However, one of his most beloved projects is one that recently celebrated its 50th anniversary, the charming road trip comedy "Paper Moon," which received an impressive four Oscar nominations itself. To celebrate this tremendous milestone, the good folks at Criterion have inducted the film into their incredible collection, giving us a remastered transfer & several intriguing extras, and so it's time once again to delve back into the past to see what has made this classic endure for so many decades.

Beginning in Kansas during The Great Depression, Moses Pray (Ryan O'Neal) attends the funeral of an acquaintance, where he meets nine-year-old Addie Loggins (Tatum O'Neal). The other attendees suspect he may be her father, but he adamantly denies it, though he does ultimately agree to take her to her aunt's home in Missouri. We learn very quickly that Moses is actually a conman, and before he leaves town, he manages to scam the brother of the man who accidentally killed Addie's mother out of $200, a sum that Addie demands as rightfully hers after he tries to get rid of her by putting her on a train to Missouri.

With Moses having spent a good part of the money on fixing his car, he has no choice but to bring her along as he scams recent widows by selling them bibles that he claims were bought by their late husbands. As they conduct this and other scams, they discover that they make a pretty good team, but things start to change when a dancer named Trixie Delight (Madeline Kahn) enters the picture, putting their conning activities on hold.

"Paper Moon" is one of those delightful films that seems to glide by almost entirely on charm alone, not only in terms of its elegant photography & quaint settings, but also in its performances & characters. In fact, the latter is truly the glue that holds the entire movie together. It brings together a very unlikely pair and explores that relationship through their initial antagonism, situational humor, and the unexpected forming of a bond between them, giving the film its beating heart and a centerpiece that the audience can't help but fall in love with.

To portray this pair, the filmmakers opted to give us a real father-daughter team with Ryan & Tatum O'Neal, whose spot-on performances make this zany little adventure believable and quite engrossing. Tatum O'Neal was actually so convincing that she won an Academy Award for her effort, making her the youngest winner in a competitive category at ten years old (a record that still stands). It's a shame that her father wasn't at least nominated as well, as he very much deserved to be, but there's no denying that these two are the main reason the film works as well as it does. Their portrayals never feel false as this relationship goes through its stages, again giving the film its emotional core and making it an utter delight to experience.

The only criticism of the film I would raise arises around its middle portion where Addie & Moses encounter Trixie Delight, played by the incredible Madeline Kahn (who also received an Oscar nomination). Kahn is wonderful in the role, but her part in the film ends up feeling rather unnecessary, and in fact, the entire section that occurs around her character doesn't do much for it aside from slowing it down a bit and taking the focus away from its more intriguing main couple. Trying to throw a wrench in between them might have seemed like a good idea, but all it really ends up being is a distraction from what we'd rather be focusing on.

Luckily this section doesn't last too long, and the film eventually puts that focus right back where it needs to be in order to give us a strong final act, sending the film off on a remarkably strong high note that shows us just how far this special relationship has come. Putting it all together: The incredible characters/performances, Bogdanovich's excellent direction, Alvin Sargent's marvelous Oscar-nominated screenplay (Based on the book " Addie Pray" by Joe David Brown), and all of the exquisite period details, it's really not hard to see why this is one of Bogdanovich's most enduring & endearing classics. It's simply a delightful little film that is very easily recommended for your own collection.

Video/Audio:

"Paper Moon" comes to Criterion Blu-ray in a 1.66:1, 1080p High Definition transfer of outstanding quality. The film has been remastered in 4K and looks absolutely stunning throughout, highlighting its incredible period visuals & beautiful cinematography. Likewise, the uncompressed monaural soundtrack is fantastic, giving you all of the dialogue, sound effects, and music in excellent quality. Overall, as usual, Criterion has done a phenomenal job in both areas, with no complaints to be had.

Special Features:

Commentary with Director Peter Bogdanovich

Introduction by Peter Bogdanovich (9 Minutes)

Keep Your Sunny Side Up: The Ballad of Addie and Moze (25 Minutes)

The Making of Paper Moon (35 Minutes)

Polly Platt (18 Minutes)

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (11 Minutes)

Location Scouting (16 Minutes)

Criterion's new edition comes with an excellent selection of special features that includes a commentary from the director, a fascinating visual essay, and a fantastic three-part documentary series about the making of the film, which includes lots of intriguing behind-the-scenes footage. Definitely more than enough here for anyone looking to learn more about the film.

Conclusion:

Peter Bogdanovich's "Paper Moon" combines charming characters/performances, excellent direction, a marvelous screenplay, and remarkable period details to give us a delightful classic that has proven to be one of the director's most popular & enduring works. As expected, this new Criterion edition looks & sounds great, and gives you plenty of behind-the-scenes material to delve into, making this a remarkably easy recommendation for any film collector.

Score: 4/5

Available on Criterion Blu-ray starting tomorrow.

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