Scan barcode
A review by eksexton
The Kid Stays in the Picture by Robert Evans
1.0
I have a soft spot for old Hollywood glam and I love a good memoir for an insider take on the fabulousness of Hollywood before social media and the Kardashians. Robert Evans produced some of the best films ever released and had friends and girlfriends amongst the most famous stars of all times and I was curious to see how he lasted so long in a cut throat business. Unfortunately, while I know he made it through to 86 years old today, I am bit confused as to how. The stories were choppy and I truly missed the part explaining how anything actually got done when people were constantly calling, screaming, and then hanging up on one another. I was disappointed, both in the quality of the writing and in learning that Evans could not be more misogynistic if he tried; looking back it’s obvious my expectations were much too high.
Maybe I’m missing the boat here, maybe I’m reading too much into this, and maybe with the current state of affairs in the world 13 years after this book was published the story has just lost a bit of it's shine for me. So I’ll take a step back. Trying to look at this book objectively, Evans definitely has some outlandish stories for anyone who enjoys reading about life in Hollywood starting back in the 1940s. He is entertaining in that you can tell by his writing style he probably captures everyone’s attention at a dinner party. Maybe that’s what made him so successful to begin with.
Honestly, I thought there was a chance for this book to be a lot more interesting. I missed how it got such rave reviews when it feels like every story he tells never makes it to the conclusion because someone is slamming the phone down on the other end of the line. It’s such an interesting business with a crazy history, but with the entire cast of characters being old white men I just found the attitude of the writing to be pompous and arrogant. The writing was poor, he uses the same analogies and cliches over and over. He is a misogynist in every sense of the word, and don’t let his “love of women” fool you. I can’t imagine that any of the Hollywood actresses he rented cars for 40-50 years ago appreciate his taking credit for the reason they developed successful careers. I’d much rather read Ali McGraw’s take than any word Evans has left to right.
I think if you go in knowing what to expect maybe you can appreciate Evans more for who is he and how he presents himself. He was there as film worked itself into the business it is today, and he obviously was dedicated and hardworking. He needed to be cocky and sure of himself to be successful, and that quality definitely has not diminished even slightly.
After writing this I realize that perhaps I had clouded expectations, I’m seeing more clearly now that where I’m taking issue with the story is probably what helped it sell so many copies. I think the glamor of old Hollywood can still be fascinating, but Robert Evans is not the one I want to hear the history of Hollywood from ever again.
Maybe I’m missing the boat here, maybe I’m reading too much into this, and maybe with the current state of affairs in the world 13 years after this book was published the story has just lost a bit of it's shine for me. So I’ll take a step back. Trying to look at this book objectively, Evans definitely has some outlandish stories for anyone who enjoys reading about life in Hollywood starting back in the 1940s. He is entertaining in that you can tell by his writing style he probably captures everyone’s attention at a dinner party. Maybe that’s what made him so successful to begin with.
Honestly, I thought there was a chance for this book to be a lot more interesting. I missed how it got such rave reviews when it feels like every story he tells never makes it to the conclusion because someone is slamming the phone down on the other end of the line. It’s such an interesting business with a crazy history, but with the entire cast of characters being old white men I just found the attitude of the writing to be pompous and arrogant. The writing was poor, he uses the same analogies and cliches over and over. He is a misogynist in every sense of the word, and don’t let his “love of women” fool you. I can’t imagine that any of the Hollywood actresses he rented cars for 40-50 years ago appreciate his taking credit for the reason they developed successful careers. I’d much rather read Ali McGraw’s take than any word Evans has left to right.
I think if you go in knowing what to expect maybe you can appreciate Evans more for who is he and how he presents himself. He was there as film worked itself into the business it is today, and he obviously was dedicated and hardworking. He needed to be cocky and sure of himself to be successful, and that quality definitely has not diminished even slightly.
After writing this I realize that perhaps I had clouded expectations, I’m seeing more clearly now that where I’m taking issue with the story is probably what helped it sell so many copies. I think the glamor of old Hollywood can still be fascinating, but Robert Evans is not the one I want to hear the history of Hollywood from ever again.