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THE KID STAYS IN THE PICTURE Send This Review to a Friend
Welcome a one of a kind film about a one of a kind guy. Producer and one-time actor Robert Evans is a fabled Hollywood icon who has had his ups and downs and ups and told about them in his autobiography, "The Kid Stays in the Picture," on which this film is based. Evans narrates the screen adaptation in a tough, staccato style that resembles the hard-boiled dialogue of detective yarns. He shoots from the hip with colorful comments, profanity, confessions and braggadocio as he surveys what would be enough for a few lifetimes. There is no pretense at objectivity. This is Evans's story as he sees it, and therein lies its value as an entertaining document that's a must for anyone who likes to zero in on Hollywood lore. Often outrageous and studded with amusing illustrations, it overflows with references to an array of celebrities, famous films, drugs, murder and Hollywood friends and foes.
There is ego-inflation, of course, in this work directed by Brett Morgen and Nanette Burstein, who co-produced it with Graydon Carter. But Evans is a man with credentials. Discovered by Norma Shearer while he was still in the Evan-Picone ladies wear business, he first became an actor, then became chief of production for Paramount Pictures, holding the post from 1966-1974, during which time he oversaw "The Godfather," "Rosemary's Baby," "Love Story," "The Conformist" and "Chinatown" among others. In those days he was a mover and shaker.
Frequently in a whirl of publicity, he was married to Ali MacGraw (the marriage failed). He was married and divorced five times. He was credited with having had a string of love affairs with beautiful stars, including Ava Gardner, Grace Kelly, Lana Turner and Raquel Welch. He was busted for cocaine use and ageed to do an anti-drug film, and when a killing was labeled "the 'Cotton Club' murder," with Evans producing "the Cotton Club," his name figured prominently in the headlines. As co-director Nanette Burstein put it in an interview, "he was never a suspect and was never charged in any way whatsoever."
But the combination of the drug situation and the bad press contributed to his downfall and he lost virtually everything he had built up in Hollywood, including the home he loved, but after a protracted down period, Evans bounced back to a new life with the help of friends and his own determination. He even got his house back.
The film catches him in the frenzy of his life story. I have interviewed Evans on several occasions, including when he was making "Cotton Club," and once he was a lively guest at my New York University film class, which he mentioned in his book. The film accurately picks up the whirlwind energy projected by Evans perpetually on the move and spinning his stories.
"The Kid Stays in the Picture" ends in 1991, capped by catch-up postscripts and a hilarious imitation of Evans by Dustin Hoffman, who caricatures Evans's fast-talking pace on the telephone and the hectic feeling he can generate. Given the source material, the overall result is a salute to Evans by Evans, many warts admitted to, some events played down, but always an engrossing screen autobiography, a brand of highly personal cinema of a kind not usually seen, and that's what makes it fun. A USA Films release.
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