Overview
A con artist and a clever young girl form an unlikely partnership in a world of deception and adventure.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- witty
- warm
- wistful
- lazy sunday
- classic film night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a beautifully photographed, sharply written period comedy-drama elevated by the exceptional chemistry and performances of Ryan and Tatum O'Neal.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The itinerant Bible scams, roadside towns, poverty, carnivals, and Midwestern landscapes define the film's period texture.
Moses and Addie become an effective con team while gradually forming an unconventional parent-child bond.
Addie's precocious judgment repeatedly exposes or outmaneuvers Moses's assumptions and hustling methods.
Laszlo Kovacs's monochrome photography gives the road journey an instant-antique appearance while preserving social hardship.
Films like Paper Moon, and why
Bonnie and Clyde
shares a depression-era road movie setting, crime comedy, and an unlikely partnership shaped by hustling and mutual loyalty
The Sting
combines black comedy, period Americana, criminal schemes, and a warm but unsentimental character bond
The Last Picture Show
features a child-centered journey, regional landscapes, episodic encounters, and bittersweet coming-of-age warmth
Movie Details
- Director
- Peter Bogdanovich
- Release Date
- 1973-05-09
- Runtime
- 102 min
- Rating
- 7.9 / 10 (875)
Cast
- Tatum O'Neal
- Ryan O'Neal
- Madeline Kahn
- John Hillerman
- Jessie Lee Fulton
- Noble Willingham
- Randy Quaid
- P.J. Johnson
- James N. Harrell
- Burton Gilliam
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Paper Moon about?
- A Depression-era con man and a fiercely perceptive orphan turn a forced trip across the Midwest into a sly, affectionate partnership.
- What is Paper Moon like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Paper Moon as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Paper Moon violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Paper Moon as mild.
- What did critics think of Paper Moon?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a beautifully photographed, sharply written period comedy-drama elevated by the exceptional chemistry and performances of Ryan and Tatum O'Neal.
- Which films are like Paper Moon?
- Films with a similar feel include Bonnie and Clyde, The Sting, and The Last Picture Show.
- How long is Paper Moon?
- Paper Moon runs 102 minutes.
- Where can I watch Paper Moon?
- In United States, Paper Moon is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
