Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Barbra Streisand | ... | Katie Morosky | |
Robert Redford | ... | Hubbell Gardiner | |
Bradford Dillman | ... | J. J. | |
Lois Chiles | ... | Carol Ann | |
Patrick O'Neal | ... | George Bissinger | |
Viveca Lindfors | ... | Paula Reisner | |
Allyn Ann McLerie | ... | Rhea Edwards | |
Murray Hamilton | ... | Brooks Carpenter | |
Herb Edelman | ... | Bill Verso | |
Diana Ewing | ... | Vicki Bissinger | |
Sally Kirkland | ... | Pony Dunbar | |
Marcia Mae Jones | ... | Peggy Vanderbilt | |
Don Keefer | ... | Actor | |
George Gaynes | ... | El Morocco Captain | |
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Eric Boles | ... | Army Corporal |
The often unlikely joint lives of Katie Morosky and Hubbell Gardiner from the late 1930s to the late 1950s is presented, over which time, they are, in no particular order, strangers, acquaintances, friends, best friends, lovers and adversaries. The unlikely nature of their relationship is due to their fundamental differences, where she is Jewish and passionate about her political activism both in political freedoms and Marxism to an extreme where she takes life a little too seriously, while he is the golden boy WASP, being afforded the privileges in life because of his background but who on the most part is able to capitalize on those privileges. Their lives are shown in four general time periods, in chronological order when they attend the same college, their time in New York City during WWII, his life as a Hollywood screenwriter post-war, and his life as a writer for a New York based live television show. It is during college that Hubbell finds his voice in life as a writer, and ... Written by Huggo
Oh, the way they used to make movies. Robert Redford and Babs. The ultimate star-crossed lovers, him a privileged golden boy for whom everything came too easy, but he knew it, and her a socialist politico who had to work harder for everything because she was plain, jewish, and poor.
Through Beekman Place, McCarthyism, Hollywood, World War II and the fact that they simply weren't cut out for each other, they tried until they couldn't try any more. Barbra is deep and intellectual, at least she wants to be, but ends up being the ultimate drama queen, "I'm not pretty enough for you, am I?" and "Nobody will ever love you like I do." Redford is aloof and chilly and beautiful and as shallow as a mud puddle.
BUT, if you can watch that last scene, "I can't Katie." "I know." and not open up the waterworks then pack up your DVD player and give it to the Goodwill, because movies are not for you.
Epic and anchored by the history of the century, The title, The Way We Were refers to all of us. It's how we once were when things mattered and we cared. Too often dismissed as a chick flick or a tear jerker, this is two of the best there ever were at their personal best.