The Kid Stays in the Picture (2002)

Documentary about legendary Paramount producer Robert Evans (the film shares the same name as Evans's famous 1994 autobiography).

Directors:

Nanette Burstein, Brett Morgen

Writers:

Robert Evans (book), Brett Morgen (screen adaptation)

Stars:

Robert Evans, Eddie Albert, Peter Bart

4 wins & 13 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Robert Evans	...	Narrator
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Eddie Albert	...	Himself (archive footage)
Peter Bart	...	Himself (archive footage)
Charlie Bluhdorn	...	Himself (archive footage)
William Castle	...	Himself (archive footage) (as Bill Castle)
Francis Ford Coppola	...	Himself (archive footage)
Catherine Deneuve	...	Herself (archive footage)
Charles Evans	...	Himself (archive footage)
Josh Evans	...	Himself (archive footage) (as Joshua Evans)
Mia Farrow	...	Herself (archive footage)
Errol Flynn	...	Himself (archive footage)
Ava Gardner	...	Herself (archive footage)
Karen Greenberger	...	Herself (archive footage)
Ernest Hemingway	...	Himself (archive footage)
Arthur Hiller	...	Himself (archive footage)

Storyline

This documentary captures the life story of legendary Hollywood producer and studio chief Robert Evans. The first actor to ever to run a film studio, Robert Evans' film career started in 1956, poolside at the Beverly Hills Hotel. His good looks, charm and overwhelming confidence captured the eye of screen legend Norma Shearer, who offered him a film role. After a glamorous--but short-lived--career as a movie star, Evans tried out producing. At the age of 34, with no producing credits to his name, he landed a job as chief of production at Paramount Pictures. Evans ran the studio from 1966-1974. During his tenure, he was responsible for such revolutionary films as The Godfather, Rosemary's Baby, Love Story, The Odd Couple, Harold and Maude and Chinatown. By the early '80s, the Golden Boy of Hollywood was losing his luster. After a failed marriage to Ali MacGraw, a cocaine bust and rumored involvement with the Cotton Club murder, he disappeared into near-obscurity. Only through ...

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Plot Keywords:

reference to an awards show | reference to the golden globes | murder | cocaine | love | 

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Taglines:

Success. Scandal. Sex. Tragedy. Infamy. And that's just the first reel...

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Genres:

Documentary | Biography

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some brief violent and sexual images

Details

Official Sites:

USA Films - synopsis, trailer, etc. [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 August 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

A kölyök képben marad

Filming Locations:

Beverly Hills Hotel & Bungalows - 9641 Sunset Blvd., Beverly Hills, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$89,087, 28 July 2002, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$1,434,436, 6 October 2002

Company Credits

Production Co:

Highway Films, Ministry of Propaganda Films, Robert Evans Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The soundtrack narration, in which Robert Evans portrays all the other characters as well as himself, is taken directly from the recording of the audio-book version of his autobiography.

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Goofs

The closing credits say that Evans has been at Paramount for over 35 years, "more than any other producer on the lot." However, A.C. Lyles has been with Paramount for 75 years (as of 2003), though he is no longer actively producing.

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Quotes

Robert Evans: Luck is where opportunity meets preparation.

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Crazy Credits

All actor credits are from archives, including some from movie clips. Actors not marked "uncredited" were credited by Robert Evans, the narrator

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Connections

Edited from Harold and Maude (1971)

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Soundtracks

Rosemary's Baby
Written by Krzysztof Komeda (as Christopher Komeda)
Courtesy of Famous Music Corporation and Paramount Pictures

User Reviews

An excellent telling of a great Hollywood story

Documentaries are a dime a dozen, and I've seen my share. Being the type of person who would watch a documentary on anything, I was excited to catch this film about a man who has had one hell of a career in Hollywood. I knew I would find the subject matter interesting, but was completely surprised at how much I enjoyed the way the story was presented.

The Kid Stays In The Picture is the story of Robert Evans, told in Evans' words and narrated by Evans himself. His amazing career highs and lows are detailed in fantastic cinematic fashion, utilizing photographs and film clips from Evans' acting, then producing career while accompanied by Evans' enrapturing narration. The stories told by Evans were so effective and interesting that it could have been overlaying a blank screen and would have riveting. He is truthful, arrogant and most importantly, self-deprecating. He isn't afraid to admit the mistakes he made in his career, which is a refreshing turn from so many self-serving documentaries.

If anything, this film is worth watching for two scenes: When Evans tells the story of his near-suicidal moments that are harrowing in itself, but is accompanied by appropriate images from some of the films he produced. The other is during the final credits, when you see Dustin Hoffman do an incredible and hilarious impersonation of Evans on the phone. I certainly hope that Evans was proud of the way this documentary portrayed him, and should be commended in the way he portrayed himself.

--Shelly