Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

They were funny, witty and charming...yes, I'm talking about the bad guys!  And even though I'm often a bit conflicted to watch movies where the bad guys are the heroes, I loved this one! 

I'm sure you know that I'm talking about Paul Newman and Robert Redford, who starred as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.  They're lovable outlaws who spend their time running from the law, then relaxing at the local brothel before the next big heist.  But when they find it difficult to outrun one particular posse, they hightail it out of the U.S. and head to Bolivia. 

There were a couple of scenes that seemed to drag on unnecessarily - in one particular part of the movie, they are shown traveling through the desert and wilderness, and it just seems to go on and on...we watch them ride their horses for what seems like forever.  Another scene that also seems unnecessarily long, is when they travel to Bolivia.  We are shown still shots of their trip..and that part also seems to go on for a while!  Those parts almost felt like they were just there to fill time.   But I so loved the rest of the movie, that I was willing to overlook those scenes. And actually, it was ok, because those long scenes gave me time to run to the kitchen for something to drink!

The dialogue was great- very funny lines, and I especially loved the deadpan delivery they each had.  In one scene where they were cornered by the posse, Butch is trying hard to convince Sundance to jump off the cliff into the river below.  Finally, Sundance admits he cant swim.  Without missing a beat, Butch says, "You cant swim?  Hell, the fall alone will kill you anyway!"

This movie has immortalized these two actors - I'm sure that Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is the first movie we think of when we hear either of their names. They are at their prime here - extremely handsome and charming!  This is a must see!  I might even watch it again!

The Way We Were (1973)

I was really expecting this one to more romantic that it actually was.

Barbara Streisand and Robert Redford play Katie and Hubbel. They attend the same college and she's got a crush on him. But she's a political activist and he's a writer and they have very different views on life and politics.

The movie begins 10years or so after college, as she runs into him at a restaurant. As she looks at him, we go back in time to their college days. Once their past is established, we go back to them at the restaurant. He's quite intoxicated and goes home with her, where he passes out on her bed.

They sort of start up a romance after this evening. But their relationship never quite seems comfortable for either of them. Their rocky romance spans years. They almost give up a few times. Eventually, they give up for the last time. They are just too different.

That's it in a nutshell, and I think it's ok to write the spoiler since its a very old movie.

Here's what I didn't like about Katie and Hubbel's story. To begin with, Katie was just too desperate. She was begging him to be with her, while he just looked aloof. This is really evident the first night they were together. In that scene, they are in bed, he's drunk and passed out, so she takes off her clothes and slips into bed. He comes over to her and eventually passes out again. She taps him and says something like, "Hubbel? Its Katie. Did you know it was Katie?". For such an educated and outspoken woman, Katie was just the desperate school girl in love with the jock. Their love AND their conflict lacked any passion at all, which made me not really care what happened in their relationship.

In the last scene they run into each other after years of not having seen on another. He's with his wife, and as they exchange pleasantries, he asks Katie if she's still married. They hug...for a long time. It's obvious they still love each other. But again, I just didn't really care because their story did not touch me. The got together and they broke up. That's about the extent of the romance. Not very memorable.