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The Way We Were (1973)

Rate: 3
Viewed: 9/23

WayWe
9/23: The major selling point of The Way We Were is the pairing of Robert Redford and Barbra Streisand.

Otherwise, there isn't anything noteworthy. The dialogue is awful that becomes increasingly worse during the second half. The scenes are random, none of the secondary characters is fully developed, and there's no plot in sight. Instead, the audience is kept busy by Redford's blond hair and Streisand's sparkling eyes despite their lack of chemistry. Well, it worked; they got fooled while Hollywood raked in big bucks.

Robert Redford is okay, but it's a shallow part for him. He'll do a better job in The Great Gatsby. Obviously, Barbra Streisand signed on so she could kiss him and play with his hair. Her character Katie is easy to hate and then impossible to stand. Having raped Hubbell when he's unconscious and drunk, she smokes and drinks while pregnant. There's a good chance her kid will be fucked up. All of a sudden, Hubbell isn't interested in sticking around for his daughter. What a douchebag.

Hubbell was ready to break up with Katie halfway but let it go. That's when I knew I was in trouble with one more hour left. Of course, the doomed couple ultimately did because they had nothing in common. No matter how much time has passed, nobody ages the least bit. For a while, I didn't know who J.J. was. Ditto for my failure to understand the jumps from college to WWII service to the beach to Hollywood to the House Un-American Activities Committee.

All in all, don't be fooled by the massive star power that Robert Redford and Barbra Streisand bring to the table because The Way We Were is a bad movie.