The Kid Stays in the Picture

The Kid Stays in the Picture

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DVD details

• Condition: New
• Format: DVD
• Closed-captioned; Color; Dolby; DVD; Subtitled; Widescreen; NTSC

DVD Reviews of The Kid Stays in the Picture

DVD Review: Why Robert Evans Matters
Summary: 5 Stars

"The Kid Stays In The Picture" is a documentary based on Evans' book of the same title. The film is narrated by Evans in a voice that can only be described as undescribable. Evans tells his story, for the most part, chronologically beginning in New York where Evans and his brother, as young adults, were involved in the production of women's clothing. Having childhood ties to the movie business, Evans was discovered(or some would say rediscovered)while swimming in a pool in Beverly Hills. From there, he got a role opposite James Cagney in "The Man With 1,000 Faces." He appeared in two more feature films before it became clear that he didn't have a promising acting career ahead of him. Having always a desire to be behind the camera, Evans moved ahead, made some very smart moves, and ended up being picked by Paramount head Charles Bludhorn to be the top film producer for the studio.

It becomes clear that Evans' rise to the top of the industry is not only due to his take charge and gutsy personality but also his uncanny future vision. At the same time Evans was beginning his career at Paramount in the the mid to late 60's, the youth movement across the country was in full bloom. There was clearly a "new guard" vs "old guard" mentality in Hollywood that
was emerging. Unlike a lot of producers at the time, Evans was smart enough to find and attract the young writers, directors and actors who began to make up the "New Hollywood" in the late 60's and early 70's. With movies like "The Godfather", "Love Story"(he ended up marrying star Ali McGraw), "The Odd Couple", and "Chinatown", Evans moved Paramount from last to first in annual ticket sales.

If Evans' story had stopped in 1975, he would have already been a legend in Hollywood. Unfortunately, in Hollywood, what goes up always comes down, and Evans was no exception. Admitting that prior to the 70's, he rarely drank, Evans tells his story of how he became one of many cocaine victims during the decade and was, ultimately, shunned by Hollwood for years. To make matters worse, by the time the mid- 80's rolled around, Evans' name was being conected to a drug related murder in which he was never a suspect.

All these details are told with fascinating intensity by Evan as he narrates his life story over a surreal montage of still vintage photos and videos. One of things I love about this movie is how honest Evans is with himself. Yes, he may seem cocky or pompous, however, there is a very clear self-depreciating attitude thought out the film as well. He is also not afraid to have some of his contempt(justified or not)spill forward. His famous conflicts with director Francis Ford Coppola are now Hollywood folklore and are documented here(when receiving his Academy Award at the Oscars for "The Godfather", Coppola "forgot" to thank the producer).

After viewing the "The Kid Stays In The Picture", I began to wonder why I loved it so much. I grew up in the 80's and 90's and I didn't really know much about Evans until I read Peter Biskind's masterpiece, "Easy Riders, Raging Bulls". That book, along with this film, records an incredible age in Hollywood that exisited in the late 60's and 70's. An age where the films that were produced were films bursting energy and creativity which we have not seen since that time. Producers, directors, actors and other involved wanted to make money but they also wanted to make smart, cutting edge films that didn't always conform. Today, with marketing at the center of the creative element in today's films, conforming is now the desired result. "The Kid Stays In The Picture" recalls a brief period of time in Hollywood when that wasn't so.

Note: Watch the credits of this movie. Dustin Hoffman does an amusing Robert Evans bit.

Description of The Kid Stays in the Picture