The Kid Stays In The Picture

When it comes to Hollywood--or any other business for that matter--the old saying is true: absolute power corrupts absolutely. Nobody knows that better than legendary film producer Robert Evans, whose wild and crazy rollercoaster ride through Tinseltown reached spectacular highs and even more spectacular lows--lows that almost cost him his life.

Evans eventually published his memoirs in 1994's can't-put-it-down autobiography The Kid Stays in the Picture, and the result was an intimate, candid and fascinating look at the movie business at a time when the Old Hollywood Guard was pushed aside in favor of the New Hollywood Revolution. Not only was Evans at the center of it, but he may have been the cause of it, which is just one of the reasons why this groovy, hip and ultra-stylish fly-on-the-wall documentary is so engrossing.

Films like The Godfather, Chinatown and Love Story are cinematic classics in every sense of the word, but who would have thought that the driving force behind those movies was a failed actor himself? That was the case for Robert Evans, who quickly realized his shortcomings in front of the camera and wisely decided to step behind the camera.

And his timing was perfect. In the mid 1960's, Paramount Pictures was not the dominant force it is now, so it had little to lose by putting Evans in the driver's seat as its Senior Vice-President of Production. By taking chances on edgy fare, Evans quickly moved Paramount from the bottom of the barrel to the top of the heap, and the success of films like Rosemary's Baby, Serpico and the first two Godfather

> Then, just when he was at the top of his game as a studio head, Evans struck out on his own as an independent producer. He hit the ground running with the Dustin Hoffman starrer Marathon Man, but he soon realized that the bigger they are, the harder they fall. Over the next few years, a string of bad films, drug busts and his connection to the death of one of the producers of the failed Cotton Club meant that Evans couldn't even do business with the very studio that he helped revitalize. Health problems slowed him down even further, but he eventually fought back to his rightful place in the business to do what he loved most--making movies.

So that's the story, but make no mistake. The Kid Stays in the Picture is not just a big screen version of "The E! True Hollywood Story." Though the film glosses over his later debacles, Evans' pride when recalling his incredible success is obvious, as is his affection for ex-wife Ali MacGraw (who played the lead in Love Story). You can hear--and feel--his pain and regret when he admits how his self-absorbtion with his career cost him his marriage (MacGraw found solace from her distant husband in the form of her Getaway co-star Steve McQueen).

Even beyond Evans' personal triumphs, The Kid Stays in the Picture is required viewing for anyone with even a passing interest in the movie business. By the end of the 60's, the country was in the midst of an incredible transformation, which eventually affected the films that came out of Hollywood. Starting with Evans, the studios took advantage of the times by taking chances with innovative young filmmakers (like Francis Ford Coppola and Roman Polanski), and the moviegoing public responded by lining up in droves.

Absolute power may have corrupted Evans in his later years, but he still continues to produce movies to this day (including the 1999 re-make of The Out-of-Towners). Although his best work may be behind him--at least, for now--it is worth noting that before mega-producers like Jerry Bruckheimer and Joel Silver dominated the box office, there was one larger-than-life kid who started it all, and thankfully he's still in the picture.