Paul Newman & Robert Redford collaborations - overrated
Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2005 11:38 am
In what must be a slow newsday, Paul Newman and Robert Redford came up on CNN's latest, useless on-line poll (a crappy result of the "USA Today" effect that was grandfathered through the web - "What toothbrush are you buying?" - and not surprisingly a mainstay at certain braindead forums)
Yeah, I know The Sting and Butch... are their most popular pictures, and after 30 years probably the only ones that can turn a decent buck in re-release, but they're not THAT good.
Paul turns on the charm, but when I think of Newman's 10 best performances, neither one would make the list. Hud, Harper (still f***ing out-of-print, I think I last saw it on UHF one Saturday morning), The Hustler, The Color Of Money (which doesn't stand so well on its own, but works nicely as a sequel), The Verdict, Nobody's Fool, Hombre, Cool Hand Luke, Absence of Malice, even Slap Shot are better or more enjoyable performances.
Redford, I'm not as impressed with his work, but The Candidate and All The President's Men are still nice period pieces. The latter's kind of dry and if you're not familiar with history, you'll walk out confused and possibly bored to tears. Quiz Show was pretty good, if that counts.
Seriously, given the choice between Butch and The Wild Bunch, which came out that year, which one would you pick? The one that made more money and got the Oscar nomination for BEST PICTURE or the one that isn't a nostalgia trip 30+ years later, the one that good filmmakers actually cite as a major influence? And The Sting, well, check out Lisa's last words in the Simpsons parody, with guest star Ed Norton.
Yeah, I know The Sting and Butch... are their most popular pictures, and after 30 years probably the only ones that can turn a decent buck in re-release, but they're not THAT good.
Paul turns on the charm, but when I think of Newman's 10 best performances, neither one would make the list. Hud, Harper (still f***ing out-of-print, I think I last saw it on UHF one Saturday morning), The Hustler, The Color Of Money (which doesn't stand so well on its own, but works nicely as a sequel), The Verdict, Nobody's Fool, Hombre, Cool Hand Luke, Absence of Malice, even Slap Shot are better or more enjoyable performances.
Redford, I'm not as impressed with his work, but The Candidate and All The President's Men are still nice period pieces. The latter's kind of dry and if you're not familiar with history, you'll walk out confused and possibly bored to tears. Quiz Show was pretty good, if that counts.
Seriously, given the choice between Butch and The Wild Bunch, which came out that year, which one would you pick? The one that made more money and got the Oscar nomination for BEST PICTURE or the one that isn't a nostalgia trip 30+ years later, the one that good filmmakers actually cite as a major influence? And The Sting, well, check out Lisa's last words in the Simpsons parody, with guest star Ed Norton.