---
title: "Paper Moon: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/paper-moon/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/paper-moon"
critics_score: 78
critics_reviews: 7
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Paper Moon (1973): what the critics said

Critics' score 78 from 7 reviews: 5 positive, 2 mixed, 0 negative.

Most critics warm to Paper Moon, and the praise clusters in the same places. Several call it a cynical charmer, a Depression-era comedy whose affection for its two leads stops the bleaker material from taking over. Tatum O’Neal’s debut draws the strongest notices, described as sensational and mesmerising, and Madeline Kahn is singled out alongside her. Laszlo Kovacs’s black-and-white photography is credited with giving the road journey its affectionate sheen, and more than one review notes the blend of Hawksian comedy and Fordian lyricism.

The reservations are faint. Time Out finds it charming and not too sentimental, which is approval with the brakes on. The spread runs from a four-star notice to full marks from The Skinny, which calls the film perfect and sweet. Two of the seven reviews, from The New York Times and RogerEbert.com, cannot be read in full, so their verdicts are unconfirmed and the consensus really rests on five voices.

## Slant Magazine — Jake Cole

Rating 4.5/5. 26 November 2024. 

The review praises the film as a cynical yet charming comedy whose affection for its leads keeps its bleak social commentary from overwhelming it. It particularly singles out Tatum O’Neal’s mesmerizing performance and the way the camera conveys Addie’s perspective.

[Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/paper-moon-4k-uhd-blu-ray-review-peter-bogdanovich/)

## Variety — Variety Staff

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1972. 

The review is strongly positive, praising the film’s performances. It singles out Tatum O’Neal’s screen debut as sensational and Madeline Kahn as excellent.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/1972/film/reviews/paper-moon-1200422981/)

## Radio Times — Tom Hutchinson

Rating 4/5. 

Hutchinson calls the film a cynical charmer, illuminated by Bogdanovich’s directorial talent. He especially praises Laszlo Kovacs’s monochromatic photography for giving the journey an affectionate sheen.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-jpgnj8/paper-moon/)

## Time Out — GA

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 

The available description presents the film as charming and not too sentimental. It singles out the blend of Hawksian comedy and Fordian lyricism for praise.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/paper-moon)

## RogerEbert.com

Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 

The critic's verdict cannot be verified from the blocked page. No praise or complaint can be reliably extracted.

[Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/paper-moon-1973)

## The New York Times — Vincent Canby

Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 17 May 1973. 

The page identifies a New York Times article about Paper Moon, but its review text is inaccessible. I cannot determine the critic’s verdict or what the review singles out for praise or complaint.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1973/05/17/archives/bogdanovichs-paper-moon-at-coronet.html)

## The Skinny — Ian Mantgani

Rating ★★★★★. 25 May 2015. 

Mantgani calls the film perfect, sweet and playful. He praises the tender bond between Moses and Addie, forged through comic scams against the hardships of the Depression.

[Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/dvd-reviews/paper-moon)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/paper-moon.md