Robert Redford and Jane Fonda get paired again for the first time in many years in this easy-paced Sydney Pollack-directed feature. To be honest, it rarely breaks out of a trot as it depicts Redford's commercially compromised, fading rodeo star's rage against the machine of corporate America, as personified by grey-suit man John Saxon and his entourage, which anger he improbably decides is best channelled by riding his drug-addled horse, a former champion itself, out of an Expo in Las Vegas out into the Nevada desert, to set the poor beast free to return to nature. Fonda is the inquisitive reporter who initially gets under Redford's Sonny Steel character's skin, but wouldn't you know it, ends up under his covers before the end.
That's about the plot, only Pollack extends the "drama", for want of a better word, to well over two hours. We're meant to root for Redford's unreliable womanising drunkard of a character, presumably cutting him some slack because he's obviously just not found himself yet, but Fonda's character, Hallie is even more problematic, a throwback to the Barbara Stanwyck / Jean Arthur persona of the hard-bitten reporter who turns out to have a heart of gold. In truth she brings neither warmth or nuance to the role, metaphorically and physically stomping all over the place in her high-heel boots. I didn't get much sense of chemistry between the two either, despite Pollack's best and worst efforts, the latter an undoubtedly blatant attempt to rehabilitate "Hanoi Jane" by having her heartily sing not one, but two American anthems on the road-trip.
In the film's favour, it's nicely shot and Willie Nelson's soundtrack songs fit to a "T", in fact his undemonstrative acting in what was his debut movie steals what little show there is here. Otherwise if you like watching Redford and Fonda coasting in blue jeans, this is the film for you.
That's about the plot, only Pollack extends the "drama", for want of a better word, to well over two hours. We're meant to root for Redford's unreliable womanising drunkard of a character, presumably cutting him some slack because he's obviously just not found himself yet, but Fonda's character, Hallie is even more problematic, a throwback to the Barbara Stanwyck / Jean Arthur persona of the hard-bitten reporter who turns out to have a heart of gold. In truth she brings neither warmth or nuance to the role, metaphorically and physically stomping all over the place in her high-heel boots. I didn't get much sense of chemistry between the two either, despite Pollack's best and worst efforts, the latter an undoubtedly blatant attempt to rehabilitate "Hanoi Jane" by having her heartily sing not one, but two American anthems on the road-trip.
In the film's favour, it's nicely shot and Willie Nelson's soundtrack songs fit to a "T", in fact his undemonstrative acting in what was his debut movie steals what little show there is here. Otherwise if you like watching Redford and Fonda coasting in blue jeans, this is the film for you.