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Paper Moon

(1973, Rated PG, Drama, Starring Madeline Kahn, Ryan O'Neal, Tatum O'Neal)

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 11, age appropriate for kids over 12; suggested age 12.

  • Is it any good?

    4.0

  • Common Sense says

    Tatum O'Neal's smoke- and booze-filled caper.

Why We Rated This on for Ages 12 and Up

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    Addie and Moze fleece widows, bootleg liquor, escape from the police. Generally, their bond is over being criminal.

  • Violence:

    Moze and Addie are shot at by police during a car chase. Moze and a guy wrestle and fight, with Moze punching him. Moze is attacked and beaten off-screen and seen beaten, with blood on his face and a split lip. Addie sits in the driver's seat of a car with no brakes.

  • Sex:

    Moze kisses a woman in the doorway of his hotel room, with Addie looking on. Lots of talk about Addie's mom being a "slut." Moze dates a woman who's a prostitute and Addie tries to talk the woman into turning a trick while Moze is out. Lots of talk of "putting out."

  • Language:

    Lots of salty language, including "ass," "damn," "s--t," "son of a bitch," "tits," and "godammit."

  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Addie, Moze, and Trixie all smoke cigarettes pretty regularly. Once, Moze even lights it for her. Addie's mom died in a drunk driving accident. Several characters drink alcohol, and they steal alcohol, too.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Paper Moon

Parents need to know that even though this movie stars a 10-year-old Tatum O'Neal, there's plenty of drinking, smoking (even by Tatum's Addie), and corruption on display. The movie actually starts with Addie's mother's funeral. Some scenes are thematically intense, especially when Ryan O'Neal's character Moze is chased down by corrupt policemen and beaten. Characters are also dragged into the police station for selling stolen bootleg liquor.

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about life during the Great Depression. This film makes light of the desperation and dispair of life in the Great Depression, but perhaps now would be a good time to talk to kids about your own family's experience during the Great Depression. How were grandparents and great-grandparents affected by it? This film is a good opportunity to talk about what brought about the Great Depression and how many families made ends meet.
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