The defence The Prestige Tourist
“Form is the argument.”
Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.
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Paper Moon
Comedy · Crime · Drama · 1973
During the Great Depression, a con man finds himself saddled with a young girl who may or may not be his daughter, and the two forge an unlikely partnership.
Movie details
Paper Moon
“As P.T. Barnum put it, "There's a sucker born every minute."”
1973 Comedy · Crime · Drama 1h 42m
Critical arithmetic
The consensus, allegedly.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
IMDb
8.1 / 10
58.4K votes
Rotten Tomatoes
91 %
Tomatometer
Metacritic
77 / 100
Metascore
TMDB
7.9 / 10
Community rating
External scores via OMDb · CC BY-NC 4.0. Values normalized for display; availability varies by title.
During the Great Depression, a con man finds himself saddled with a young girl who may or may not be his daughter, and the two forge an unlikely partnership.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over Paper Moon?
For the defence
The Prestige Tourist
“You like your greatness pre-approved.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Popcorn Loyalist
“Big screen, big feelings, no apologies.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Where it lives
Watch in your region.
Cinema release signals and current streaming, rental, and purchase options for your region.
Streaming availability data supplied by JustWatch.
Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Peter Bogdanovich
Written by
Alvin Sargent
Ryan O'Neal
Moses Pray
Tatum O'Neal
Addie Loggins
Madeline Kahn
Trixie Delight
John Hillerman
Deputy Hardin / Jess Hardin
Burton Gilliam
Floyd
P.J. Johnson
Imogene
James N. Harrell
The Minister
Court is in session
Put Paper Moon on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist
“Technique in search of a pulse.”
Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.