The Company You Keep (2012)

[Frayed Knot]

When a 1960's radical decides to turn herself in for past crimes committed, it sets off a chain reaction involving others in her one-time circle, the FBI, and a reporter for an Albany, NY newspaper.

Robert Redford directs and heads an all-star cast
Susan Sarandon
Julie Christie
Nick Nolte
Chris Cooper
Terrence Howard
Stanley Tucci
Richard Jenkins
Anna Kendrick
San Elliot
Brendan Gleeson
Shia LeBoeuf

[Vic Sage]

so out of the loop am i that i never even heard of this one, and with this cast i'd have given it a shot.

stories about the aftermath of 60s radicalism... that's a list to come.

[Guest Mets � Willets Point]

Vic Sage wrote: stories about the aftermath of 60s radicalism... that's a list to come.

A slightly more interesting subset of the greater list of "Movies about Baby Boomer Navel-gazing."

[Vic Sage]

There are the films from the period: WILD IN THE STREETS (68), THE ACTIVIST (69), MEDIUM COOL (69), RPM (70), GETTING STRAIGHT (70), STRAWBERRY STATEMENT (70) and ZABRISKIE POINT (71), and you can also include HAIR (79), which came out later but was very much a work of the 60s.

But it's the RETURN OF THE SECAUCUS 7 (79), coming out the same year as HAIR, that is really the beginning of the retroactive introspection of middle-aged filmmakers about the impact of the 60s on their lives and the culture to come. A few years later, THE BIG CHILL (83) offered Kasdan's watered down apologia, suggesting that social activism of the SECAUCUS 7 was just a fashion of the time, and not genuine commitment to certain values (values which Kasdan had himself sold out by going from a college activist to a Madison Ave ad man).

The 80s also brought SMALL CIRCLE OF FRIENDS (80), DANIEL (83) and BIRDY (84), with 1988-89 offering a final burst of movies that dealt with the issues of the period: PATTY HEARST (88), RUNNING ON EMPTY (88), HAIRSPRAY (88), 1969 (88), MISSISSIPPI BURNING (89), RUDE AWAKENING (89), BORN ON THE 4TH OF JULY (89).

A few more came in the 90s: FORREST GUMP (93), GHOSTS OF MISSISSIPPI (96), PANTHER (95)

The trickle continuing into the "oughts": STEAL THIS MOVIE (00), TAKING WOODSTOCK (09), THE HELP (10), and now COMPANY YOU KEEP (12).

Most of these films are better, or at least more interesting, as sociological artifacts then they are as movies, especially the films from that period. But i would recommend HAIR, BIRDY, HAIRSPRAY and FORREST GUMP for their entertainment value (BIG CHILL, too, i guess, but solely on that basis, despite its moral reprehensibility). I also have a nostalgic affection for SMALL CIRCLE OF FRIENDS and SECAUCUS 7, despite their not being great movies. BORN ON THE 4TH and MISSISSIPPI BURNING, too, have their adherents; I'm not among them. RUNNING ON EMPTY, though not great, is a decent drama and substantially similar to COMPANY YOU KEEP in its narrative and themes about our radical 60s past haunting our current life.

[Edgy MD]

Kevin Costner films tend to be filled thematically with sorting out the meaning of our radical youth --- Field of Dreams speaking specifically about Baby Boomer radicalism, but also Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and Dances with Wolfies..

[Guest Mets � Willets Point]

Kevin Costner films tend to be filled thematically with sorting out the meaning of our radical youth --- Field of Dreams, speaking specifically about Baby Boomer radicalism, but also Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and Dances with Wolfies..

He also plays the stiff in The Big Chill.

[Frayed Knot]

Vic Sage wrote: RUNNING ON EMPTY, though not great, is a decent drama and substantially similar to COMPANY YOU KEEP in its narrative and themes about our radical 60s past haunting our current life.

This was the one that I thought of as most similar (helped by the fact that I haven't seen a good chunk of the others you mentioned).
The main difference here is that the movies were made a quarter century apart and therefore the protagonists are considerably older and their pasts further into the rear view. Hirsch and Lahti are among the few age-appropriate actors who Redford did not use; possibly because it might have been confusing to the audience as to whether they were in reprised roles.

Redford is also trying to make a point about press coverage in this one, a point that can only work if the small city (Albany, NY) reporter keeps beating the FBI to the clues, which, of course, he does. There's also a mystery aspect to this as part of what the reporter (LaBoeuf) uncovers is a secret involving a few of the leads that has nothing specific to do with their past crimes.

It's not a bad movie and has some good performances in the interactions of these past radicals--some still believers, some who have moved on, some who didn't particularly get along way back when--even if in fairly small doses (so many stars, so little time). But the whole mystery/over-reaching press angle is kind of clumsily handled and not all that shocking by the time they get around to it.

[Edgy MD]

Frayed Knot wrote: The main difference here is that the movies were made a quarter century apart and therefore the protagonists are considerably older and their pasts further into the rear view.

Redford seems to get confused about how old he is. In The Natural, he was supposed to be at the end of a typical baseball life --- 35-37 or so. He would have been about 47 at the time of filming.

In Legal Eagles, he was a big comer as the youngest DA in his city's history, when he actually would have been about 49.

He's developing now an adaption of A Walk in the Woods, a book Bill Bryson wrote about walking the Appalachian Trail in 1997, at the age of 46. Redford is 77. He originally wanted to cast Paul Newman as Katz, Bryson's contemporary, school chum, and walking companion. Newman, of course, is 88 and dead at the present time.

[Frayed Knot]

In this flick Redford's 77 y/o butt plays someone who would be 60-ish now that it's some 40 years after his character's college age crimes.

[Frayed Knot]

Edgy MD wrote: ... now an adaption of A Walk in the Woods, a book Bill Bryson wrote about walking the Appalachian Trail in 1997, at the age of 46. Redford is 77. He originally wanted to cast Paul Newman as Katz, Bryson's contemporary, school chum, and walking companion. Newman, of course, is 88 and dead at the present time.

Apparently it's going to be the now 72-y/o Nick Nolte to play opposite Redford in AWitW - so i gather there's going to be no attempt to recreate the book as it was written. I guess they just substitute old and bucket list for out of shape and getting reacquainted and run from there.

Nolte and Redford had a scene or two together in 'The Company You Keep' and I was thinking as I was watching the two on the screen that we are a long time removed from the day when those two were as big as any two blond heartthrobs that Hollywood had, like back when 'RICH MAN, POOR MAN', 'THE DEEP' and 'NORTH DALLAS FORTY' more or less coincided with 'ALL THE PRESIDENTS MEN', 'BRUBAKER', and 'THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR' [1976-1980]