Paper Moon (1973)

We watched this at the Hollywood Forever Cemetary on Saturday. The surprise guest was Tatum O'Neal. I was really very cool of her to come out, and we mean her no disrespect, but we have to remain honest as reviewers, even though we know Tatum may read this...



Don't look so shocked, Tatum!

Me: What do you want to say about Paper Moon?
Jess: Oh my gosh. Well...
Me: Was it as boring as I made you think it was?
Jess: No it wasn't as boring, I did wonder how long it was going to be sometimes, but it wasn't as boring. I guess there was a lot more comedy than I was imagining.
Me: What did you think of Tatum O'Neal?
Jess: She was good at glowering. The real Tatum O'Neal was there.
Me: Did that add to your experience?
Jess: No.
David: Except that when we were clapping at the end, you felt that there was really someone there to clap for.
Jess: Yeah, I had probably forgotten about her by then. The problem is, I don't really know who she is.
Me: Did it pull at your heartstrings?
Jess: Excuse me? No, was it supposed to? It didn't really pull at my heartstrings because it all seemed so over the top. I wasn't really concerned about the little motherless girl.
Me: What about you, David?
D: I'm not really part of the blog.
J: You can comment. Did it pull at your heartstrings?
D: No, there was no pulling. I laughed.
J: I definitely laughed, that was the thing, I wasn't really concerned, it was just what silly things will they do next.
Me: Were there any parts that you thought were particularly funny?
J: I thought it was kind of funny when she was sitting up on the hill and the dancer-lady had to go and talk to her and they came to an understanding.
Me: I'm giving it two stars.
J: That's fine with me, I thought it was funny but I didn't love it.

Two stars, will not watch again.
Sorry, Tatum.



Awww, don't look so sad! You've still got the Oscar.
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J: For the record, I did not dislike this movie as much as Amy's posting makes it sound that I do. I found it really entertaining and funny. I was tired, and didn't know that my responses to the questions that were being fired at me were being typed up into a posting. That being said, I would see this movie again.

Here Comes the Groom (1951)

I almost missed out on blogging this one!

After the war, a war correspondent exasperates his fiance by staying in France, trying to convince families back home in America to adopt war orphans. She sends him a sort of a Dear John letter bemoaning all the children she should have if they had been married when they should have.

This gives him an idea to surprise her with an orphan.

In the first half hour of the film, the most memorable moment comes when a young orphan girl sings Caro Nome. They just let her sing the whole thing without interruption, and it's beautiful. It doesn't necessarily make some greater point in the movie, but it's moving, and it's something that would never happen in a modern movie, I'm sure. It doesn't feel like a moment too long.

The comedy picks up when you get back to America with Bing, orphans in tow, and learn that our girl back home has left him and it is the eve of her marriage to a blue-blooded millionaire.



Of course that doesn't discourage Bing - the hijinks that follow are partly about the clash of cultures when the humble daughter of a fisherman marries into a family of high breeding. It's more of a send-up of the wealthy than of the working class, but it does play both ways.

In the middle of it all is Bing, using wrestling to loosen up the upper class and bring them down to his level.

This movie is darling and wonderful. Four stars, will definitely watch again!