This is a fun, startling movie. When I see black-and-white I tend to reach for the insulin syringe, but I found that this movie surprisingly sugar-free. First of all, it's from the seventies, shot in black and white to give the feel of an earlier time. It's definitely absent of most black-and-whites' prudishness and "on the nose" dialogue.
This is a great movie for anyone who loves kids, or anyone who hates them. Tatum O'Neal is adorable precisely because she's NOT adorable. She listens to the radio too loud while smoking a cigarette, and douses herself in cologne. She lies, she cheats, she steals. And I'd adopt her in a second.
The plot is easy to follow and lots of fun. It's basically a discovery story, where we learn more and more about the characters as we go along, and delight in every minute of it. They get themselves in all sorts of trouble and then con their way right back out. There's lots of fun atmosphere, too, as can be expected from any story set in the 1930's involving a traveling Bible salesman. Rednecks, floozies, and hypocrites abound.
It's hard to imagine who wouldn't like this movie, truthfully. It's just edgy enough to please Gen-X-ers like myself, but cute enough to make my Grandma chuckle (though she'd likely be blushing while she did it). Ryan O'Neal and his real-life daughter make a fabulous team, and the resemblance between them gives a neat emphasis to a question that hangs over the whole movie... is Moses Pray this girl's father, or not?
The only weak point of the movie is the ending. After a sequence where an important character gets eliminated from the storyline, the movie seems to run out of gas, but sputters along strangely for longer than you'd expect. And the last scene, though really what you thought you'd want, somehow doesn't satisfy. At least, it didn't satisfy me.
Overall though, this is a delightful film to watch when you want a few genuine laughs. Great supporting characters, great leads, great dialogue, great costumes, great ambiance. It's a perfect Sunday afternoon movie, and ideal for watching with friends or family.
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