The Kid Stays in the Picture

Rating:
Summary: Being Robert Evans Means Never Having To Say You're Sorry
Review: There's an apt little epigram that appears on screen as the movie opens. "There are three sides to every story," it says, "my side, your side and the truth. And no one is lying. Memories shared serve each one differently." The speaker is Robert Evans, upon whose memoir, "The Kid Stays in the Picture", this rousing and raucous documentary is based. The epigram not only serves as a fancy little bit of wordplay to get the picture off on the right foot, but it also acts as the film's (and, more specifically, the subject's) credo.

Evans narrates the events of his life as they unfold on the screen. His gravelly voice is a soothing guide, but it is the content of what is said that is addictive. If this film had been made independently by directors Nanette Burstein and Brett Morgen, without Evans' help, it would have been just another rise and fall and rise again Hollywood morality tale. But Evans' presence lends it something more. It gives the filmmakers, based solely on the forceful and gargantuan nature of his personality, license to tell this story only from Evans' myopic point of view. Usually documentarians have a responsibility towards objectivism. But with "The Kid Stays in the Picture", they're not really documenting Evans' life story, but his persona. Which makes for a much livelier tale.

So we get Evans' version of why Mia Farrow, after enduring much heat from her then husband Frank Sinatra to quit, decided to stay in "Rosemary's Baby": because Evans, the slick operator, fed her dreams of Oscars and glory; and because Mia, a flighty and whiny little girl, had an actress' ego that needed massaging. Is Mia given an opportunity to defend herself? No! Of course not! Does it matter? No! Of course not! Because Evans', and here is where the epigram comes in handy as an excuse, can tell a good story, especially when he comes out of it looking like a genius hero. If he is to be believed, than "Rosemary's Baby", "Love Story", "The Godfather", and "Chinatown" were all made by the singular vision of Robert Evans, and no one else (the only subject on which he is not completely egotistical is his acting; he rightfully acknowledges how lousy he was -- and offers video evidence to prove it! Another gutsy move). There's a lot of tall tales here, and a lot of toes stepped on. And if Evans were any less charming, the whole picture would crumble under the weight of his huge ego. But he is exceedingly charming, and it is on this charm that the picture coasts.

Farrow isn't the only one raked over the coals by Evans. If you're going to live in his circle, you better be as outrageous and thick-skinned as he is. There is much childish name-calling here: Roman Polanski is "The Little Pollack", Ali MacGraw is "Miss Snot Nose", and Francis Ford Coppolla is repeatedly called, always with a sneer of contempt, "The Prince". Evans refuses to pull his punches, to let anyone off easy, be they friend or foe. He can do this because he takes none of it seriously. As he says about Coppolla, in a contemporary interview clip from "The Cotton Club" days, "We've fought many times before." Implying that despite their differences, he and Coppolla will eventually allow this melee to pass too. Evans is a man who lives for the battle, especially when it's a battle fought for the sake of movies.

Besides the Tasmanian Devil-persona of its subject, "The Kid Stays in the Picture" has a lot of stylistic things going for it. The look of the film is mostly achieved through Evans' personal photo collection, each picture manipulated so that the people in the foreground appear to float over the background. It makes what could have been a very static collage come alive with action and movement. This is most effectively used in the way the film portrays Charlie Bludhorn, the owner of Paramount Pictures who gave Evans his own studio to run. Bludhorn's bald, bespectacled, toothy visage (along with Evans broad impression of his speaking voice) floats throughout the film; but we never see video of the man. Doesn't matter, for his gruff, straightforward character shines through. Old interviews and film clips from some of Evans' more famous movies are also thrown into the mix, giving the film a vibrant and manic feeling.

Except, that is, when the subject of Woodland comes up. Woodland has been Evans' home for the past thirty years. He lost it during his mid-1980s troubles, only to regain it thanks to Jack Nicholson. It is his refuge away from the Hollywood hustle and bustle, and whenever he speaks of it, Evans gets a nostalgic and romantic lilt to his voice. Burstein and Morgen allow their camera to float around Woodland, from its lush and colourful backyard, to its deep blue pool, to its comfortable corridors, making it a silent co-conspirator in Evans' story. When he's riding high, Woodland seems like an oasis, a Xanadu, a utopia. But when Evans is going through a rough spell, Woodland offers a sad reminder of his past glory, of what he has lost. When he returns in triumph, Woodland is there waiting for him, arms open. At times it felt like the house was a major character in the film, and I suspect that's not too far from Evans' own truth.

"The Kid Stays in the Picture" is rousing fun, regardless of its veracity. Evans is a no-holds barred narrator, giving equal measure to his glorious highs and his agonizing lows. You may find the man too slimy to ever want to meet in real life, but the 91 minutes you spend with his voice and his life story will be an hour and half worth giving up.

Rating:
Summary: Perfectly awful and I loved every minute
Review: This documentary, which is based on Evans' autobiography of the same name, would have been unbearable if Evans didn't take himself so seriously. Evans narrates it with his rough smoker's voice. And the director did the smartest thing by not editing or punching up any of Evans' monolouge. Every piece of narration is from the book verbatim. If you think of the narration in 30's and 40's detective stories with the stereotypical Hollywood slang, you'd have Evans' speaking style. Even when Evans talks about being conncected to an industry murder, you've got to laugh at his casual Hollywood drawl. And this film would be a punchline if Evans didn't have such an impressive track record. He started his career with "Love Story" and made Paramount the top production house with "Marathon Man", "Chinatown" and the "Godfather" series. If anything the film is funny because Robert Evans made great films and had an ego so big I'm sure Paramount had to house it in a separate building. However, there's also some heart to the film. Evans did get kicked around a lot in the eighties and for moment, it seemed like he couldn't evolve with the industry. (He was responsible for "Jade" and "The Out Of Towners") But, the ending images are of a man who is so immersed the art of the deal, he just won't give up. And since this film, he has produced "How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days". That kind of single minded devotion (or stubbornnes) is admirable. However, even if the industry's underbelly is not your bag, you'll still want this DVD just to watch Dustin Hoffman do a ten minute impression of Evans in a homemade short while the credits roll.

Rating:
Summary: It's a wonderful life with a few bumps in the road
Review: This is quite possibly the best documentary that I've ever seen. From his beginnings of being "discovered" at a Beverly Hills Hotel swimming pool to his marriage to Ali McGraw to his stint as the head of Paramount Pictures, all of his stories were great. Robert Evans shoots from the hip, tells it like it is (or was) and pulls no punches. The producers of the film did a wonderful job in casting Mr. Evans as the narrator for his own life story. His insight was told in a way that only the person that lived this life could have told it.

If you like movies and what takes place behind the camera then this movie is a must see. Better than any E! True Hollywood Story that you've ever seen.

Rating:
Summary: A Producer, Actor and Businessman's ups and downs!
Review: This movie opens up with the most breathtaking view of Evan's home. I really loved his home. Evans seems like an honest man who tells it like it is without pretense or defenses. I liked this about him. He talks about his life openly starting out with beginning his clothes line in the East, Evans and Piccone, and being picked out by Shearer to star in a movie opposite her. The movie tells of his job at paramount and the great movies he had a hand in bringing to the big screen.The film was orignal and stands out from most documentaries that seem to be illustrating some dramatic point. This movie was dish but it also has a note of seriousness. Evan's life was not all a fairy tale, there seems to have been some real sadness and lonliness going on that comes out more fully near the end of the picture. I never knew that he and Ally Mcgraw had been married. Well see this movie if you want a special experience at the theaters, something out of the ordinary. The style of the film is exceptional!
Lisa Nary

Rating:
Summary: WHAT A HISTORY!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: This true History is powerfull, amazing, awesome, overwhelming, inspiring, I cant nothing but admire Mr Evans , a true man, a true visionary, is great to conquer the mountain, but you step to another level when you fall and reach the floor and the only thing left to happen is almost death and the you put together new strengt and scape from a terrible end and rise again and take back your victory and conquer again , thats when you get legend status, and obtain peoples admiration , real men sometimes fall from the mountain not always remain on top forever that would be so booring, and after the fall they climb the mountains once again to prove that fisrt time was no just luck and leave a clear message: that they can win not just one time, they can win two, three , four and many times , this true life history has prooved that we can reach sucess many times and at every age. see this movie, you gonna feel very motivated
HM

Rating:
Summary: A life fully lived (and richly imagined)
Review: We saw the San Francisco premiere of "The Kid Stays in the Picture." Robert Evans showed up to introduce the movie and answer questions afterwards. It was a great juxtaposition: the young lion Evans on screen vs. the Evans in the flesh who had a serious stroke a couple of years back. Its obvious that he's fought a tough road to recovery.

It was also obvious that the release of 'Kid' was an important milestone for him. As the film shows, Evans has been a battler all his life, so why stop now? It's this atttitude that has brought him a whole new generation of fans.

The movie is like nothing you've ever seen before. When Evans' book was released in the early 90s, the print edition had no real impact. The audio edition, however, was a sensation. Narrated by Evans himself in his unmistakable gravelly baritone, the tapes became a cult sensation, passed around Hollywood like a forbidden, guilty pleasure.

The film simply takes those original recordings and uses them as the soundtrack. The majority of the images are compiled, amazingly enough, from photos of Evans' career, enhanced through some eye-popping innovation: somehow, the filmmakers have turned the photos into 3-D like montages which appear to burst through the screen. Combined with Evans' voice, it's a truly unique viewing experience.

What makes the narration so compelling is Evans ability to do both sides of the various conversations he recounts, whether it's ex-wife and muse Ali McGraw, Jack Nicholson, Francis Ford Coppola or, most notably, then-Gulf & Western CEO and conglomerater Charlie Bludhorn. The Bludhorn imitation stands out. Think Henry Kissinger as a modern-day robber baron and you get the idea.

Of course, you're getting Evans' view here, and Evans' view alone, unencumbered by rebuttal. In Evans' retelling, Coppola was headed into the abyss with 'The Godfather' until Bobby set him straight and gave him the appropriate vision. Somehow, I think Coppola and Mario Puzo might have had a bigger hand in that than what Evans' imagination leads him to believe. But you don't see this movie seeking the truth, just Robert Evans' version of it. For that alone, 'Kid' is a must-see.

Rating:
Summary: A life fully lived (and richly imagined)
Review: We saw the San Francisco premiere of "The Kid Stays in the Picture." Robert Evans showed up to introduce the movie and answer questions afterwards. It was a great juxtaposition: the young lion Evans on screen vs. the Evans in the flesh who had a serious stroke a couple of years back. Its obvious that he's fought a tough road to recovery.

It was also obvious that the release of 'Kid' was an important milestone for him. As the film shows, Evans has been a battler all his life, so why stop now? It's this atttitude that has brought him a whole new generation of fans.

The movie is like nothing you've ever seen before. When Evans' book was released in the early 90s, the print edition had no real impact. The audio edition, however, was a sensation. Narrated by Evans himself in his unmistakable gravelly baritone, the tapes became a cult sensation, passed around Hollywood like a forbidden, guilty pleasure.

The film simply takes those original recordings and uses them as the soundtrack. The majority of the images are compiled, amazingly enough, from photos of Evans' career, enhanced through some eye-popping innovation: somehow, the filmmakers have turned the photos into 3-D like montages which appear to burst through the screen. Combined with Evans' voice, it's a truly unique viewing experience.

What makes the narration so compelling is Evans ability to do both sides of the various conversations he recounts, whether it's ex-wife and muse Ali McGraw, Jack Nicholson, Francis Ford Coppola or, most notably, then-Gulf & Western CEO and conglomerater Charlie Bludhorn. The Bludhorn imitation stands out. Think Henry Kissinger as a modern-day robber baron and you get the idea.

Of course, you're getting Evans' view here, and Evans' view alone, unencumbered by rebuttal. In Evans' retelling, Coppola was headed into the abyss with 'The Godfather' until Bobby set him straight and gave him the appropriate vision. Somehow, I think Coppola and Mario Puzo might have had a bigger hand in that than what Evans' imagination leads him to believe. But you don't see this movie seeking the truth, just Robert Evans' version of it. For that alone, 'Kid' is a must-see.