Robert Redford As A Director: Should He Have Stuck To Acting?

Redford’s directorial debut, Ordinary People was his equivalent to The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band — except Redford should have ended it there. Scooping up almost every major award at the 1981 Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director, Redford proved himself a presence off-screen as well as on. The film was without a doubt a team effort, made on a humble $6 million. Mary Tyler Moore broke out of her bubbly TV personality shell and earned herself a Best Actress nod, screenwriter Alvin Sargent won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, and Timothy Hutton won for Best Supporting Actor. [GoWatchIt]

Redford knocked it out of the park with Quiz Show, following the Twenty One scandal of the 1950s which rigged contestants’ chances and changed the outcomes of winners on the popular game show. Though the film bombed theatrically, it was critically acclaimed. Redford was also praised for getting amazing performances out of a cast that included John Turturro, Ralph Fiennes, and Hank Azaria. Redford handles political subjects well, drawing out the suspense with tactful shots. Quiz Show earned him another Best Director nod at the Oscars that year — and rightly so. [GoWatchIt]

If Redford knows one thing well, it’s politics. Well, at least his characters seem to — see his leading roles in films like The Candidate and All the Presidents Men. His most recent directing project, The Company You Keep starring Stanley Tucci, Shia LaBeouf, Susan Sarandon, and Chris Cooper, finds Redford once again exploring controversial political issues. An anti-Vietnam militant (Redford) has been hiding from the FBI for 30 years when a young reporter (LaBeouf) exposes his true identity. Though it came and went quietly from the box office, the film was praised for it’s politically edgy tone and great performances from the entire cast. [GoWatchIt]

Not only did this snoozer of a film piss off animal-rights activists for not accurately portraying horse training, but it also ticked off Redford’s Sundance cronies — he blew off a handful of festival projects in limbo to take on his fifth directing title. A horse trainer (Redford) with an inexplicable gift has to help a teenage girl (Scarlett Johansson) get back in the saddle after an injury. Sound like a Lifetime Original? It would have been if Joe-Schmo’s name was on it instead of Redford’s. His saving grace, however, goes back to his need for Néstor Almendros-like cinematography, and it seemed to pay off in this case, grossing over $160 million at the box office. [GoWatchIt]

The only thing that made this movie even the slightest bit interesting was a hot, young Brad Pitt. Sure, the Montana landscape was breathtaking, but a movie about fly-fishing? Yawn. Redford’s shots are nothing to sneeze at, but between the professor-like voice-over and a boring novel adaptation, the whole thing felt like a History Channel special. [GoWatchIt]

Redford’s name could do next to nothing for this flop, which centers around the true story of Mary Surratt, the only woman charged in the assassination of Lincoln and the first woman to be executed by the government. The Conspirator was deemed an analogy to post-911 theories that blame the US government for their involvement in the terrorist attacks. The problem with this film wasn’t the execution necessarily, but rather how underdeveloped its females characters were considering they were the most important piece to the history lesson Redford was trying to tell. Other than Ordinary People, Redford has steered clear of stories that feature strong female leads. Maybe it’s for the best. [GoWatchIt]

The Milagro Bean What? Redford based his second directing project on the John Nichols novel of the same name. The wannabe western tells the tale of a bean farmer who’s losing out to The Man and eminent domain. There’s some drama with an irrigation ditch and… yep, that’s about it. In complete contrast to Ordinary People, Redford let the performances in his second project flop around like fish out of water. The fault is on Redford and his screenwriter David S. Ward, who left notable actors like Christopher Walken, John Heard, and Melanie Griffith out to dry. 

You would think that Lions for Lambs, with Redford directing and starring alongside Meryl Streep and Tom Cruise, would have some potential. Wrong. Not even Redford’s familiarity with acting in political dramas could guide him through this piece of crap. Between Lions for Lambs and The Conspirator, Redford apparently had an ax to grind with the government post-911 — but not many cared. Redford’s very pointed message about the government sending soldiers into battle knowing they wouldn’t have a chance fell on deaf ears (and a very small audience). Bottom line here: Redford can only play a politician because he sure as hell won’t ever be one. [GoWatchIt]

Here’s what a rich, white dude living in the rolling hills of Park City, Utah, thinks you should do to get out of your golf game funk: call Will Smith. This movie handled race dynamics terrible, which is a shame because Redford’s footage is stunning. Many blamed the director for casting Smith as the offensive caricature of the “magical Negro,” a plot device used in racially insensitive literature and film to help better the lives of white characters through inexplicable foresight. Bagger Vance (Smith) serves as former golf champ Rannulph Junuh’s (Matt Damon) caddy during a rough time in his life.Vance helps Junuh get his life back on track for no reward and then peaces out. Not kidding, that’s the entire story. [GoWatchIt]  

Like what you see? Follow Decider on Facebook and Twitter to join the conversation, and sign up for our email newsletters to be the first to know about streaming movies and TV news!