Some movies just don’t stand the test of time. The Way We Were was a huge success in 1973, garnering the adoration of Streisand and Redford fans and six Academy Award nominations. But today, the film feels stilted, contrived and clumsy. Maybe it is the formulaic nature of the all-too predictable mismatched coupling of WASP-ish golden boy Robert Redford and Jewish princess Barbra Streisand. Perhaps it is the much too frequent 1970s montages of lovers frolicking on the beach, in a sailboat, setting up house, all to the sickly strains of music written by Marvin Hamlisch. More likely it is because director Sidney Pollack filled his picture with simplistically drawn characters, a plodding plot, strident themes developed through tedious arguments, and acting, particularly by Redford, that is decidedly prosaic.
The story is set just before, during and after the Second World War, a time of unparalleled American political radicalism. Streisand plays Katie Morosky, a university student and vocal leader of the Young Communists. She is drawn to the strikingly handsome, athletic and intelligent Hubbell Gardner (Redford), whose glibness and All American good looks anger and attract Katie, while also masking his apparently fine writing talents. One must say 'apparently', as we are never given any indications of what makes him such a fine writer. In fact, we are given little indication of what makes him a worthy object of the much more interesting, active and intelligent Katie’s desire. If her attraction is simply to his Hellenic beauty, this seriously undercuts the great romance the filmmakers have attempted to construct.
While the story purports to be an insightful examination of the conflicting political ideas of its two leads, matching Katie the red against Hubbell the conventionalist, their exchanges lack tension. The blandness of Hubbell’s ideas leaves one without sympathy for either participant, as he looks dull and she looks foolish for mooning over such a mediocre fellow. Further, against Redford’s watery performance, Streisand looks nervous and mannered, her face a race of twitches and ticks. It's hard to fathom why their coupling is considered one of film's great pairings. They look about as natural together as Salman Rushdie and Ayatollah Khomeini.
Lastly, a blast at the ubiquitous Academy Award-winning theme. Layered over every scene of even the slightest emotional importance, this has to be one of the most syrupy themes in film’s history. Diabetics, be forewarned.
