Paper Moon

Ryan O'Neal and daughter Tatum are Moses Pray and Addie Loggins, a pair of wisecracking con artists in Peter Bogdanovich's loosely structured but effervescently endearing 1973 Depression-era-set comedy that finds the team moving from one comic situation to another, as they work out various schemes for bilking people out of their money. A pleasant diversion is Madeline Kahn in an Oscar-nominated performance as Trixie Delight, a woman on the make--her business-like talk with Addie about her immediate plans for Moses (as in: shoo, little girl) nearly steals the show. Tatum O'Neal picked up an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress (becoming the youngest Oscar winner). Filmed, as they say, in glorious black-and-white, Paper Moon boasts a luminous, sharp DVD transfer, clear Dolby Digital mono sound, and a few notable extras: an incisive commentary track from Bogdanovich, and three new "making of" featurettes (with Bogdanovich, associate producer Frank Marshall, production designer Polly Platt, and cinematographer Laszlo Kovacs--but, unfortunately, no sight of either O'Neal). Highly recommended. (R. Pitman)