Review of The Way We Were (1973) by Barbara D — 14 Feb 2009

I'd been wanting to see this movie for a long time. The concept of it sounds really interesting, with the idea of two lovers who aren't right for each other in the long run and are torn apart by their political differences. I must say that to an extent, I was disappointed, since I was expecting it to be heavy and hard-hitting. I just heard the song from the film and sadly, the song was more moving than the film.

This movie wasn't a failure, but at the same it wasn't a triumph. It was tolerable and I might watch it again, but at the same time I had a lot of problems with it.

My first and main problem was the costume and hair design. None of it looked remotely 1940s, especially Robert Redford's hair. He's supposed to be a white conservative! A white conservative in the 40s would not be seen walking around with messy hair like that. Well, it's neat by our standards, but it would've been considered messy by their standards. The costume and hair design was much too 60s and because of that, it barely convinced me that it was set in the 40s.

I also had a problem with how vague the movie was. It's hard to tell when and how the movie takes place. Does the relationship last for months? A year? Decades? It's nearly impossible to tell because it's so vague!

Apart from the negatives, Barbra Streisand's performance was fantastic and the score was brilliant. The scenery was also stunning. But still ...

The movie had so much potential with such a good concept. Everyone is talking about how it's a classic and that, but it just didn't do it for me. It could've been awesome, but it wasn't.