User reviews

"The Way We Were" released in 1973, stars two of the biggest names in show biz then and now, Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford. The story is basically a weepy melodrama, but who cares? Both of these superstars are the reason to watch. At first, we cannot imagine what they see in one another. They meet in college, circa 1937 -- Katie (Streisand) is a wallflower political activist, Hubble (Redford) is the Golden Boy track star. Yes, both were too old to play college students, so it is obvious the director surrounded them with people their own age, with some decent supporting actors like Lois Chiles and a younger James Woods. The two are reunited by World War II, Redford is in the military but also part of the uppity "Beekman Street" crowd, Streisand is a liberal who is nuts about FDR and working on various political causes. The unlikely twosome fall in love, get married, and do not always have an easy time. Redford doesn't mind his wife's political activity, but he is bored by politics and cannot relate to them. The turbulent 1950's hit, Redford is a writer in "Red Scare" Hollywood who takes the easy way out; Streisand believes people should always stand up for their principles, no matter the cost. Sydney Pollack directed this fine film, and had to convince his friend Redford to take on the part of Hubble Gardner; Redford was reluctant, and it is easy to see why. His character, while a decent guy at heart, is also shallow, somewhat superficial, and doesn't take life seriously. The film obviously exploits Redford's golden boy looks, something he always detested. Streisand's part is obviously the more interesting one, as the part was exclusively written for her. And while her character may not fit in on "Beekman Street," she looks fabulous here. All in all, this is one of the finest romances to come out of the 1970's that also has intelligence and class.

The theme of a golden boy falling for a girl from "another world", be it social class, the "wrong side of the tracks" or fill in your cliché here, is one that goes back to the silent film era. One of the most famous examples is Sydney Pollack's 1973 film "The Way We Were". Set from the 1930's through the 1950's, Barbra Streisand plays Katie, an outspoken member of the Communist party and campus activist who does not have anything handed to her; she works two and sometimes three jobs in order to pay for her living and college tuition. Hubble (Redford) is your typical aforementioned golden boy, a "big man on campus" who indulges in sports, debutantes and all-around good times. The two know each other from the diner Katie works at (he being the patron) and at one point before graduation, briefly bond over their shared passion for writing. Cut to a few years in the future and Katie encounters Hubble at a bar. Hubble is in the armed forces and Katie is characteristically working a couple of jobs while volunteering for various social causes. After a night of drunken sex (Hubble being the drunken one) they embark on an unlikely relationship that spans over a decade and includes a move to California (when Hubble becomes a screenwriter in Hollywood) and the conception of one child. They are happy, but realize that regardless of their desire, they can't completely cross social lines and certainly can't change one another, particularly Katie's ever-ferocious dedication to social causes; a fight that becomes exponentially heated during McCarthy's Red Scare. The two have to decide whether they can sustain enough raw emotion for one another to persevere over everything else that is stacked up against them.

There are several things about "The Way We Were" that require suspension of disbelief (the fact that despite never having had much contact with one another that after one night of drunken lust and an awkward "morning after" being enough to kick start a relationship the magnitude of theirs is the first thing that comes to mind) but the bottom line is that it really is a well-written, well-directed and well-acted film. The two principal characters are full and complex, regardless of whether we are talking about the socially conscience Katie or the socially acceptable Hubble. I suspect they somewhat were written with the intent of familiarity for the purpose of effectiveness, and if this is true, it worked on me. The era in which these two characters were set was a very interesting time in American history, and the characters' actions during these times created some compelling cinema, particularly when it touched on the Red Scare.

But who am I fooling? The main reason people watch this movie, whether for the first time or for the fiftieth is for the doomed romance, and Streisand and Redford deliver in spades. "The Way We Were" was written for Streisand, (something that cause Redford to turn down the part at first, because he knew the film was going to be hers) and her portrayal of Katie is excellent. There are so many perceptions of Streisand nowadays (some of them correct, to be sure) that it's easy to forget that she really does have some serious acting chops, and she exhibits them to full effect here. I also happened to learn that the soft filtered lens thing with her didn't just start with her later movies, for whatever reason she was filmed with that lens more often than not here, but that didn't do anything more than slightly distract me because I couldn't help but chuckle. Redford gives a typical solid performance as well, though his initial doubts about taking the role turned out to be valid; he is not the dynamic figure in the film. However, his character is a strong one and Redford does a good job.

I don't know if Pollack knew he was creating a screen classic when he directed "The Way We Were" but he did make a very good film. If you can make it past some major melodrama and some plot holes (what was the deal with their child?) watch this film, and just sit back and appreciate it for what it is – a chick flick that guys don't have to feel ashamed watching. 7/10 --Shelly

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.

My girlfriend in college took me to see this in the fall of 1973. I thought it was pretty good and she loved it. There was a lot of hype over this movie that lasted through the holiday season. Streisand and Redford were at the top of their game and the radio was playing the theme song incessantly. The other day, my wife put this on tv and I sat down to watch it with her. The direction by Sydney Pollack, the cinematography, set decorations, and costumes are still top notch. Really an attractive looking film. But, almost 50 years later, I feel that the performances of the leads just do not stand the test of time. This was no doubt a vanity piece for Streisand at the time, but now her acting just seems a little high-handed and hammy. Redford looks like he's bored with the entire affair. Any chemistry between their two characters just seems sort of forced. I read during the intervening years that many excellent scenes with talented actors Viveca Lindford and Bradford Dillman were edited out of the final release, which is a shame. Their characters were somewhat intriguing. That being said, it is glaringly apparent that Dillman was edited during the famous sailboat scene with Redford towards the end. At one point, Dillman's character laughs, and you don't even know what he's laughing at. Pollack claims that the editing was done to crank up the romance story as opposed to the Hollywood blacklist plot line. But severe editing was done on the great Anne Francis in Streisand's "Funny Girl" in order to make sure no one upstaged Streisand. Was the same thing being done here again for both Streisand and Redford ? In any event, this is a watchable movie, but in no way is it a timeless romance or drama, and if you want to see Streisand and Redford give some really good performances, look elsewhere.

It's WWII. Katie Morosky (Barbra Streisand) is a Jewish girl working in New York radio pumping out patriotic programming among her many activist jobs. In a nightclub, she runs into former crush and Naval officer Hubbell Gardiner (Robert Redford). In college, she was a communist student leader struggling to rally against Franco with Frankie McVeigh (James Woods). He was the WASP star athlete, the man around campus, and outwardly lived a carefree life. He's taken with her tenacity and she admires his writing. In the post war years, they are married in Hollywood where he writes for the studio and she fights against Mcarthyism.

She has the better part. He's playing the trophy wife. His hemming and hawing with his writing is a bit infuriating. He's too cool for school except for a few emotional outbursts. Those are great for showing some depth in his character although the couple seems to have only two polar opposite gears. As for her, Streisand gives it her all. There is a grating edge to her character which is not that appealing. I do like that these two flawed characters struggle with their undeniable connection until I can't take their unending fight about politics. Another issue is the unchanging Grecian God beauty of Redford's look. This movie takes place over decades. He needs to change. Maybe give him a buzz cut during the war years. There is the famous song which I wouldn't diss or praise. Pollack delivers a solid melodrama although the relationship gets too melodramatic at times.

This movie seems very much a star vehicle for singer Barbra Streisand, who plays undergraduate student Katie Morosky. Set in 1930's America at the start of the movie, Morosky is a politically active communist on campus, who hands out flyers and speaks at anti-war rallies. The man who will become her love interest is Hubbell Gardiner, played by Robert Redford. Gardiner is more a part of the elite than Morosky and is not politically active at all...he's more hedonistic, hence their being a potential odd couple.

For this early part of the movie, you have to suspend disbelief over how much older Streisand and Redford seem in relation to the characters they play. In other words, they look too old for their parts. However, Redford gives a completely winning performance early in the piece as an undergraduate student. He is all easy charm, manners, and engagingly amusing to boot...in contrast to oh so serious Morosky.

Now, not being versed in the history of this production, it does come across as Streisand pulling all of the strings. She is not a conventional leading lady, and her pairing with Redford would not seem an obvious choice. To me, their early attraction was glossed over, which made Morosky seem a little bit creepy when she does get into bed with Gardiner for the first time! So, if Streisand did pull a lot of strings to make this movie, it perhaps represents some 'wish fulfilment' on her part! And, as if to explain her presence in this film, Morosky does say some things which seem to have psychoanalytical weight for Streisand's own situation (i.e. Morosky's views on her looks, which may engage the audience member wondering why Streisand is paired with Redford).

The undergraduate Morosky may seem a tad annoying early on, but the more mature Morosky does engage more...not being so militant, and ridding herself of that overgrown mop of hair on her head which didn't sit right with me. It's then that it becomes more understandable why Gardiner would be attracted to her.

Theirs is an intriguing relationship, especially in how Morosky deals with Gardiner's friends, who are more like him than her. During the period that they are in university together (or maybe it's called 'college' in the US), attention is paid to Gardiner's writing ability. It is this part of the story that will later have a life of its own in the movie. Initially this branch of the story seemed quite odd...why focus on this if this is meant to be a love story? Things become clearer later on, as the historical context of the film's setting becomes clearer. This historical context may prove to be an eye-opener for Americans who are "Generation X" or "Generation Y".

When I jotted down notes on this film, I wrote: "The ending is sort of established, so, like the start, you wonder about the specifics". Hmmm, not sure what I meant by that!

Anyway, I give this film 65/100. Intriguing, and Redford shows his star qualities here-the Brad Pitt of his day.

I recall a line from The Alamo in which John Wayne says to Linda Cristal that political differences don't make for good breakfast talk between a man and a woman. That's a piece of wisdom that Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford should have remembered for their characters in The Way We Were.

Meet Hubbell Gardiner and Katie Marofsky from the Thirties at Columbia University. Redford as Gardiner is your all American athlete and the Prince Charming of many a young girl's dreams. An elegant WASP Ivy League future is in store for him if he wants it.

One of those girls who thinks Redford is Prince Charming is Barbra Streisand as Katie Marofsky. She's a member of the young Communists and is one eloquent campus radical for her cause. When we see her she's got a picture of Lenin in her dormitory room. We see her talking about the cause of Republican Spain and the budding young Ivy League Republicans on the campus are hooting her down. All, but Redford who's impressed by her convictions even if he doesn't share them.

But when the USA does get into World War II and Redford is in the Navy and Streisand now working for the Office of War Information now meet. Politics seem to take a back seat to romance and Streisand lives out a real life fairy tale as a Brooklyn Jewish Cinderella.

Their love gets really tested in the post World War II period during the Red Scare. Streisand's not quite the Communist she once was, a picture of FDR is now in her room. That was in fact one of FDR's main contributions to our body politic, winning over budding revolutionaries like Streisand to support our democratic, (big and small "D") way of life. But he's gone now and the Soviet Union has become our cold war enemy. A lot of people are now caught in the post war reaction.

Because Hollywood is the glamor capital of the world and right-wing politicos can't get any mileage out of investigating Communist plumbers, it's to the movie capital that the House Un-American Activities Committee turns. Redford is now working in that industry as is Streisand.

Redford sees the problem in personal terms, Streisand sees the big picture, but that's all she does see. How things resolve themselves is the basis of The Way We Were.

With all the political differences there beats the heart of one of the best love stories ever done in Hollywood. When Redford's around, Streisand lights up the screen with her passion for him. But it never quite covers the different world views they have.

With such detail given to the stars by director Sydney Pollack, the supporting cast and it's a good one, never really establish their characters. Maybe that's what he wanted, to have them appear as plastic as Streisand's Katie Marofsky thinks they are.

The Way We Were contains the title song written by Marvin Hamlisch and Alan and Marilyn Bregman which became one of Streisand's best loved ballads. Her singing of that song is unforgettable whether heard on record or if fortunate, live at one of her concerts. Bing Crosby also made a nice recording of it for one of his last albums. Hamlisch also won an Oscar for Best overall Musical Score that year, they were the only two Oscars won by The Way We Were.

The sad thing about The Way We Were is that Streisand and Redford hold such different views and yet are fundamentally decent people who cannot agree to disagree. It's what makes The Way We Were such a beautiful, yet ultimately sad film.

The music, the directing and acting are just fine in the movie. The only problem for me (and others may NOT care about this) is the basic relationship problem. Robert Redford is stunningly handsome, rather quiet, rich and conservative in the movie. So WHY would he be interested in Barbra Streisand's character? She is loud, exceptionally opinionated, liberal and not attractive (this is a BIG acting stretch for her, I know)--at least in a conventional sense. We have all heard the old saying "opposites attract", but it is only an old saying and really isn't true. If it were, then believing this relationship would be a lot easier. The problem is, they just don't seem to have ANY common ground. If they were incompatible but had SOME mutual interests or similarities, I could buy the conflict.

Fans of "Babs" no doubt think I'm a moron for not understanding or appreciating her greatness. While I may be a moron (the jury's still out), most Americans either adore her or can't stand her films. I'm one of the latter ones.

Actually, "The Way We Were" is both, and happily so. It's a classy romantic period drama about a 1940s wallflower in New York who blooms in love with her ex-jock boyfriend (an old acquaintance from their college days), and the movie overflows with star-power. None of today's celebrities have the kind of chemistry Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford bring to the screen, and Streisand in particular is so deeply into this character that the herky-jerky editing and breathless writing don't harm her or get in the way (the faults can easily be overlooked). When writer Redford adapts his novel into a screenplay and the couple marries and moves to Hollywood in the McCarthy-Blacklist era, her passion for politics gets them both in hot water; that's where this script hits a snag, with increasingly melodramatic plotting (Redford's affair with a former flame) and confusion in the character motivations (this primarily due to hasty, eleventh-hour editing). Still, it is a handsomely-produced movie with a great tearjerker ending and two fine stars who plow right through the nonsense and bumpy continuity. They transcend the make-believe surroundings, turning the picture into something really special, something to remember. ***1/2 from ****

I wasn't quite convinced by this big-star, big budget post-war Hollywood background love story and even though I was committed to watching it all the way through, it seemed to me an uneasy mix of a love-story set to the backdrop of the anti-communist witch - hunt of the day. While it has some points in its favour, I found the writing and acting of not quite the highest standard leaving a sense of unfulfilment by the end.

Hollywood in the 70's was at last ready to confront openly its own shame at its treatment of left-leaning actors writers and directors ("The Front" starring Woody Allen was soon to follow) and "The Way We Were" must have been something of a trailblazer in that respect which is certainly to its credit. Furthermore it's laudable to present the viewer with a deeper than usual love-story against this background, with many of the conversations of the leads debating interesting points on artistic integrity, political correctness and the shallowness of much of the general public's response to freedom-challenging issues of the day. In the end though I got the sense that director Pollack was more interested in the love story angle than the political angle (perhaps with an eye on the box-office) and this throws the film off-kilter.

Streisand gets the showiest part (and, interestingly, her name in front of Redford's over the titles) and is mostly good. She's usually better when she says least (for example when Redford crudely and drunkenly "makes" her at her apartment) although her motor-mouth delivery obviously helps with her character's verbosity. More than once, though, you can see her acting and obviously hoping that Oscar was watching (he obviously wasn't). Redford is altogether more natural in his part as the handsome hunk with something approaching a brain but who ultimately can't accept Streisand's at times over-strident political philosophising. However one's sympathy for his character was dissipated by his turning love-rat on a now-pregnant Streisand and then abandoning her and their child almost the minute the child is born. Both these actions are loathsome in the extreme (not to mention an offensive homophobic remark he makes at another juncture) and by the time he's walking out on her for the last time at the conclusion (having also now sold-out the writing talent which Streisand alone had encouraged), you realise you've been watching a "woman's" film after all with the dice loaded in favour of Streisand's character. I was disappointed with this revelation as to Redford's character's true colours and felt it inconsistent with much of what had gone before.

The film was obviously on a two-header basis which doesn't leave much room for the supporting actors to shine although Brad Dillman and Lois Chiles do okay with what they're given. Director Pollack keeps the narrative moving although some of the settings and costumery employed looked at times too contemporary. I'm also bound to state that I never got the impression that either lead was ageing down the years.

As for the music score, while Marvin Hamlisch's title song is pretty and has obviously become a standard, I felt its strains were just too intrusive throughout and felt it should have been left a titles-only piece.

A film then, at once ambitious and conservative, political and soporific, lush but talky - in the end I found it didn't enmesh these contradictions sufficiently well and missed its marks accordingly.

OK. So Barbra Streisand has a weird reputation (although I agree with her political views), and Robert Redford is...well, I don't know how to finish the sentence (although it seems that his politics are about the same as Streisand's). But "The Way We Were" does what it can to look at politics from the Depression to the postwar era. Streisand is the left-wing political activist, Redford the apolitical athlete, and they become lovers, but get forced apart by the red-baiters.

Apparently, when this came out, director Sydney Pollack wanted people to interpret it mostly as a love story, but also to pay attention to the politics. I still don't know whether the political aspect or the lovey-dovey aspect is supposed to dominate. As a political message, this is certainly a good movie, but do we need the love story? By the way, has anyone ever seen Gilda Radner's concert movie "Gilda Live"? In one scene, she appear as Lisa Loopner, describes this movie's plot, and plays "The Way We Were" on the piano. The things that we see in life.

It's a very good movie that was unfairly treated by audience though it had many true messages. The movie talked about a point that is rarely dealt with in romantic stories specially the new ones that stray away a lot from reality. The point is when two are in love but have different perspectives to life. It's truly a major issue in any relationship and was honestly dealt with in this movie because in the beginning when the passion is too strong both parties show the willingness to compromise but later when life takes over and time starts slowly killing this passion, both can tolerate the difference no more!

I loved so much the final scene when he sees her in the street and goes to say hi. She invites him to the house to see his own daughter but he refuses to saying: "You know I can't!". Waw! It means he is still in love with her because when a love that is too strong passes by you once, you know you will not forget it but you know that you can bury it alive!

Both actors Redford and Streisand were amazing in their roles and couldn't have though of somebody else replacing them. The roles were truly made for them.

I think the word for this movie is, gorgeous. Nothing I've seen (I haven't seen a lot, but still) has compared to the chemistry, the depth of feeling, and the realistic portrayal of two opposites both beautiful in their own right. This movie is a testament to the way we were really, how it was beautiful to be decadent and disgusting in the thriving 50's, of the attractive "waspishness" of Ivy leaguers, of politics and war. The movie is not dated either, its quality making it appealing to a whole spectrum of people who would normally not be interested in something this good. I first saw this movie in a history class and to my surprise most of the people in the class loved it, people who would normally go see "Titanic" and rave about it for days. I think that is, if not something else, at least evidence of this movie's depth, quality, feeling, (and although very sentimental) realism. If you enjoy the finer things in life, dim the lights, fix yourself a vodka martini straight up, and watch "The Way We Were".

Have always wanted to see this, and I got what they were doing. But man was it slooooowww. Could have easily been a 90 minute movie. A little more character development would have been beneficial. I think it could be remade today and be relevant in our political climate.

The Way We Were is undoubtedly the most romantic film of the 1970s Romantic, an intelligent script, beautifully written, wonderfully acted (what a cast!)/ and directed. and that score!! maybe its being taken for granted.. the score(points) here should be higher... its a wonderful film! The chemistry between Streisand & Redford is pure cinema magic.. Its a pity they did not act together again in a sequel or other property. Makes you laugh, cry, has a political message of great importance, yet its always warm, moving and interesting... not a dry eye in the house in 1973... & am always moved by subsequent video showings.. Streisand should have won her second Oscar.. people still talk about The Way We Were & her & Redfords performances... who won best actress in 1973.. ?few will remember.. only Oscar buffs (like me) Glenda Jackson!!! for A Touch of Class (Women in Love yes, "Class " no) ... this was the beginning of the anti Streisand sentiment in Hollywood... she & this film will live on.... Thanks to TCM for a wonderful letterbox screening today (7/14/02).... "memories "should always be as beautiful as this.....