The Kid Stays in the Picture

Reviewed by:
Paul Ulane

Robert Evans has lived an enviable life. The actor turned producer struck it big in the ’70s, overseeing the hits Love Story and The Godfather, among others. The Kid Stays in the Picture is the true Hollywood story—told strictly from Evans’ point of view—of how he got to the top of Hollywood, what happened once he was there, his downfall, and where he landed.

The documentary chronicles Evans’ transition from working in women’s retail—“You could say I was in women’s pants”—to being offered a part in Man of a Thousand Faces by Norma Shearer while sitting poolside at the Beverly Hills Hotel. This was the only break he needed as he rode a short acting career straight through to a position as chief of production at Paramount Pictures. As head of Paramount, from 1966 to 1974, Evans propelled the company to the top of Hollywood and was the talk of the town. What followed was the traditional stuff Hollywood legends are made of: drug busts, failed marriages, and, worst of all, obscurity. The Kid does a good job of mixing digitally enhanced photos with actual movie footage to create a collage of Evans’ life. Naturally, what the documentary gains from having first-person narrative—behind-the-scenes anecdotes, personal mementos from the stars—it loses in objectivity—bad times are glossed over and guilt is placed on others. Still, the man has had a fascinating life certainly worth hearing about. Just take his word for it.

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