A PAPER LIFE

"Nauseous, nauseous, nauseous," Tatum O'Neal confides to her diary during her first pregnancy. The comment could be applied to the events in A PAPER LIFE, which might well be titled "A Poisoned Life." The physical and mental abuse of her father, actor Ryan O'Neal, merges with her nightmarish marriage to bad boy tennis superstar John McEnroe, whose violent, irrational behavior on the courts spills over into their private life. O'Neal also confesses to her harrowing struggles with drug addiction. O'Neal's narration is stiff and subdued for that of a seasoned actress, but when she relives her vigil with her dying alcoholic mother and tragic moments with her children, the heartbreak in her voice is so real, so honest, that imperfections can be forgiven. M.T.B. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/MAY 05]