Peter Bogdanovich seems to have chosen John Ford's underrated Will Rogers vehicles of the 30s (
Judge Priest,
Steamboat 'Round the Bend) as the models for this 1973 Depression comedy; the images (by Laszlo Kovacs) have a lovely dusty openness—a realistic view of the midwestern flatlands fading into a romantic memory. Ryan O'Neal is a con man and Tatum O'Neal is the foundling who may or may not be his daughter. Though their relationship is conventionally drawn, it has a heart that Bogdanovich hasn't been able to recapture. With Madeline Kahn and John Hillerman. 102 min.
By
Dave Kehr