Ryan O'Neal was a big star when I was a teenager and young man. But I didn't think he was a good actor save for WHAT'S UP DOC?--an ensemble comedy, and PAPER MOON, co-starring his daughter, Tatum O'Neal, both directed by Peter Bogdanovich. PAPER MOON made Tatum, who was about ten years old at the time, a big star. As a result of her startling good performance, she became the youngest actor to ever win an Academy Award in competition as best supporting actor. She had a hit and miss career, but she grew into adulthood with many problems, plus a marriage to tennis pro, John McEnroe. Eventually, her marriage, career and life unravelled because of her excessive dependence on drugs and alcohol. Her mother, Joanna Moore, a once promising actress, suffered a long slide into drugs and alcohol abuse, and with accompanying health problems, to die of cancer with her daughter at her side. Her son, Griffin O'Neal, would also experience years of drug and alcohol abuse and troubles with the law. RYAN & TATUM: The O'Neals, is a multi-part series that charts the long road to acceptance and forgiveness between a father and daughter.
At the beginning of the series, Tatum O'Neal is trying desperately to fix her life, and find a way back to her father after a twenty-five year estrangement from her famous father. Her relationship with her father is extremely complicated. Ryan O'Neal took custody of Tatum and Griffin when their mother was in no shape to raise them. Father and daughter became inseparable pals, and then stardom hit Tatum at age eight with PAPER MOON. Now famous, she continued to be the apple of her father's eye until he met Farrah Fawcett, who became the love of his life. Abandoning his children, O'Neal moved in with Farrah, which put additional stress on a family in free-fall. As Tatum entered the peak of her teenage years, drugs and alcohol, and the fast life of a famous actress took over. She married tennis superstar, John McEnroe, together they had two sons and a daughter.
Again, alcohol and drugs scuttled her marriage to McEnroe and led to a lolng custody battle between Tatum and McEnroe. She lost legal custody of her children, and then a few years later published, a memoir (A PAPER LIFE, 2004), in which she details her long slide and particularly the pain abandonment of her dad, who was a hero in her eyes, to another woman.
Tatum is a bundle of pain, neurosis, fragile, full of tears, and angry at her father's neglect when the series starts. Ryan, his career as a leading man is long gone. He's also suffering from various cancers. He living in his house in Malibu mostly alone. He also hasn't seen his son, Griffin, in a number of years. He an angry father, feeling betrayed by both kids, especially Tatum. Tatum has written a new volume, of her memoirs. So when we see them, there is an angry father who is scared to death that his daughter has written more unflattering things about him. Yet Ryan seems to want to find a way back to his daughter, and she has provided the vehicle for reconciliation by asking him to go into therapy .
The series is often painful to watch. Ryan is staggeringly clueless at times. At one point he dismisses his daughter feelings of betrayal. He's the movie star here. He's used to being the blameless golden boy, though he rarely stops his charming banter to consider that he's so disconnected from his feelings to consider the damage he is causing. He never lets anyone forget that Farrah was the love of his life and he has no remorse about abandoning his children to co-habit with her. Fawcett doesn't seem to be the villain here. Ryan always seem to think that it was okay to dump his kids because he's be right back to them. It never happened. So they are angry, deeply wounded, and self-destructive in the process. A movie star for his entire life, Ryan seems to think he's the victim here. You can see his occasional feelings of remorse, but it is fleeting and it doesn't seem to be genuine enough. That doesn't stop Tatum for exacting pain on her father, and he deserves most of the lashings she serves him. But she genuinely wants to reconnect. Her sobriety has been hard-earned. It's much more difficult for Ryan to forgive his daughter. He's got a temper and an insistence on being obeyed and it backfires on him all the time. This series shows this tug of war between father and daughter, and it's touching to see them as they slowly break through their walls of pain and disappointment, and his overweening ego to arrive at a place of acceptance. I liked this series. And I hope they are doing well.
At the beginning of the series, Tatum O'Neal is trying desperately to fix her life, and find a way back to her father after a twenty-five year estrangement from her famous father. Her relationship with her father is extremely complicated. Ryan O'Neal took custody of Tatum and Griffin when their mother was in no shape to raise them. Father and daughter became inseparable pals, and then stardom hit Tatum at age eight with PAPER MOON. Now famous, she continued to be the apple of her father's eye until he met Farrah Fawcett, who became the love of his life. Abandoning his children, O'Neal moved in with Farrah, which put additional stress on a family in free-fall. As Tatum entered the peak of her teenage years, drugs and alcohol, and the fast life of a famous actress took over. She married tennis superstar, John McEnroe, together they had two sons and a daughter.
Again, alcohol and drugs scuttled her marriage to McEnroe and led to a lolng custody battle between Tatum and McEnroe. She lost legal custody of her children, and then a few years later published, a memoir (A PAPER LIFE, 2004), in which she details her long slide and particularly the pain abandonment of her dad, who was a hero in her eyes, to another woman.
Tatum is a bundle of pain, neurosis, fragile, full of tears, and angry at her father's neglect when the series starts. Ryan, his career as a leading man is long gone. He's also suffering from various cancers. He living in his house in Malibu mostly alone. He also hasn't seen his son, Griffin, in a number of years. He an angry father, feeling betrayed by both kids, especially Tatum. Tatum has written a new volume, of her memoirs. So when we see them, there is an angry father who is scared to death that his daughter has written more unflattering things about him. Yet Ryan seems to want to find a way back to his daughter, and she has provided the vehicle for reconciliation by asking him to go into therapy .
The series is often painful to watch. Ryan is staggeringly clueless at times. At one point he dismisses his daughter feelings of betrayal. He's the movie star here. He's used to being the blameless golden boy, though he rarely stops his charming banter to consider that he's so disconnected from his feelings to consider the damage he is causing. He never lets anyone forget that Farrah was the love of his life and he has no remorse about abandoning his children to co-habit with her. Fawcett doesn't seem to be the villain here. Ryan always seem to think that it was okay to dump his kids because he's be right back to them. It never happened. So they are angry, deeply wounded, and self-destructive in the process. A movie star for his entire life, Ryan seems to think he's the victim here. You can see his occasional feelings of remorse, but it is fleeting and it doesn't seem to be genuine enough. That doesn't stop Tatum for exacting pain on her father, and he deserves most of the lashings she serves him. But she genuinely wants to reconnect. Her sobriety has been hard-earned. It's much more difficult for Ryan to forgive his daughter. He's got a temper and an insistence on being obeyed and it backfires on him all the time. This series shows this tug of war between father and daughter, and it's touching to see them as they slowly break through their walls of pain and disappointment, and his overweening ego to arrive at a place of acceptance. I liked this series. And I hope they are doing well.
