# What's your favorite Robert Redford movie? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 16, 2007, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-robert-redford-movie/419433 "2007-09-16T23:56:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2007, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-robert-redford-movie/419433/21 "2007-09-17T04:00:28Z")
_Butch Cassidy_, hands down. Redford is “B” grade actor. He’s pretty good, but not good enough for many of the films he’s been in. Imagine _Out of Africa_ with someone in Redford’s role who could stand up to Streep. It’s not that he’s bad, he just isn’t good enough. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2007, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-robert-redford-movie/419433/22 "2007-09-17T04:17:07Z")
Someone said that Redford and Klaus Maria Brandauer should have switched roles in _Out of Africa_. Accents aside (and where was Redford’s English accent, anyway?), I agree. There is usually too much reticence in Redford’s performances to really engage. This helps for enigmatic characters like Jay Gatsby, where we and Nick Carraway are always wondering who is there inside the enigma. His best performances? _Barefoot in the Park_, oddly enough, where in Neil Simonland no thought passes through a character’s mind without being spoken; and _The Candidate_, where he and the title character are working overtime to sell themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2007, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-robert-redford-movie/419433/23 "2007-09-17T11:00:46Z")
_Butch Cassidy, The Sting and The Natural_ ---
**Author:** ![denquixote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9bd4f/32.png) [@denquixote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/denquixote)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2007, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-robert-redford-movie/419433/24 "2007-09-17T11:06:01Z")
Favorite: 1. Three Days of the Condor 2. Electric Horseman 3. The Natural Worst movie of all-time: The Clearing ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2007, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-robert-redford-movie/419433/25 "2007-09-17T11:09:57Z")
[QUOTE=John Mace] _Butch Cassidy_, hands down. Redford is “B” grade actor. He’s pretty good, but not good enough for many of the films he’s been in. Imagine _Out of Africa_ with someone in Redford’s role who could stand up to Streep. It’s not that he’s bad, he just isn’t good enough. [/QUOTE] I agree that he’s not a great actor. But he’s in really good movies and his co-stars seem to be able to bring out the best in him. I think he’s good enough in great movies that he creates the illusion of an all-around great production. Actually, I thought one of _his_ better performances was in An Unfinished Life. Lots more dimension than you find in many of his other movies. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2007, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-robert-redford-movie/419433/26 "2007-09-17T11:11:33Z")
[QUOTE=Walloon] Someone said that Redford and Klaus Maria Brandauer should have switched roles in _Out of Africa_. Accents aside (and where was Redford’s English accent, anyway?), I agree. There is usually too much reticence in Redford’s performances to really engage. This helps for enigmatic characters like Jay Gatsby, where we and Nick Carraway are always wondering who is there inside the enigma. His best performances? _Barefoot in the Park_, oddly enough, where in Neil Simonland no thought passes through a character’s mind without being spoken; and _The Candidate_, where he and the title character are working overtime to sell themselves. [/QUOTE] According to Sydney Pollack, he did “ok” with the accent but they decided it wasn’t integral to the part. In my opinion, he didn’t pull it off so they altered the character a bit. I’m cool with that. I definitely think his greatest strength is behind the camera; not in front of it. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2007, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-robert-redford-movie/419433/27 "2007-09-17T11:45:55Z")
Barefoot In The Park Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here The Great Waldo Pepper ---
**Author:** ![SkeptiJess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@SkeptiJess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkeptiJess)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2007, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-robert-redford-movie/419433/28 "2007-09-17T11:54:36Z")
Funny – I just watched _Electric Horseman_ for the first time since seeing it in theaters almost 30 years ago. I loved it in 1977 and was pleasantly surprised to see how well it held up. Many of the movies I liked as a kid don’t. Redford’s rather low-key style really worked in that film. And Jane Fonda is not a favorite of mine – too jittery and bug eyed, but jittery and bug eyed worked for her character. And, damn! Didn’t Willy look _young_? ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2007, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-robert-redford-movie/419433/29 "2007-09-17T13:01:35Z")
[QUOTE=ArizonaTeach] I’ve got your back on **Sneakers**. Something about that movie gets the blood moving for me. [/QUOTE] Ditto on **Sneakers**. It’s the _Mission Impossible_ movie that should’ve been. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2007, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-robert-redford-movie/419433/30 "2007-09-17T13:43:24Z")
Favorite: **All the President’s Men** Least favorite: **Indecent Proposal** ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2007, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-robert-redford-movie/419433/31 "2007-09-17T14:23:51Z")
[QUOTE=GuanoLad] Ditto on **Sneakers**. It’s the _Mission Impossible_ movie that should’ve been. [/QUOTE] His scenes with Ben Kingsley were great. “We were supposed to save the world Marty.” ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2007, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-robert-redford-movie/419433/32 "2007-09-17T14:24:38Z")
I’d have to say _Jeremiah Johnson_. Despite his bungling of the character’s opening line, the rest of the movie adequately made up for it. Agreed that he’s rather limited in his range, although many of the flicks (_Butch & Sundance, All The President’s Men, 3 Days of the Condor, Barefoot in the Park_) were just such entertaining movies that that mattered not. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2007, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-robert-redford-movie/419433/33 "2007-09-17T15:11:24Z")
[QUOTE=Walloon] Someone said that Redford and Klaus Maria Brandauer should have switched roles in _Out of Africa_. Accents aside (and where was Redford’s English accent, anyway?), I agree. [/QUOTE] Yes. Even though it was quite a few years ago, I remember the film critic’s review that I read at the time mentioning exactly that-- KMB should have been Finch-Hatten. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2007, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-robert-redford-movie/419433/34 "2007-09-17T16:07:42Z")
His acting performance in _The Natural_ was underrated, but he put a lot of understated emotion into that role. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2007, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-robert-redford-movie/419433/35 "2007-09-17T16:23:41Z")
A very young Redford played the Angel of Death in a “Twilight Zone” episode, IIRC. I’d say: 1. _Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid_ - Rightly a classic; a near-perfect movie. 2. _All the President’s Men_ - Ditto. Just saw it again a few months ago; holds up very well. 3. _Sneakers_ - I should see this again; it’s been too long. 4. _Three Days of the Condor_ - Very tense and powerful. 5. _The Sting_ - I’m not as big a fan of this as some, but it’s still a good flick. ---
**Author:** ![Dunawake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85f322/32.png) [@Dunawake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunawake)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2007, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-robert-redford-movie/419433/36 "2007-09-17T16:37:34Z")
I’m not a massive Redford fan, but _The Sting_ is just all-round great. ---
**Author:** ![ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2007, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-robert-redford-movie/419433/37 "2007-09-17T16:59:34Z")
I’m probably most partial to _Out of Africa_ & _The Natural_, as they are favorites of my mother’s and are tied into a lot of personal nostalgia of pleasant hours spent with my mom. ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2007, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-robert-redford-movie/419433/38 "2007-09-17T17:09:35Z")
[QUOTE=Elendil’s Heir] A very young Redford played the Angel of Death in a “Twilight Zone” episode, IIRC. I’d say: 1. _Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid_ - Rightly a classic; a near-perfect movie. 2. _All the President’s Men_ - Ditto. Just saw it again a few months ago; holds up very well. 3. _Sneakers_ - I should see this again; it’s been too long. 4. _Three Days of the Condor_ - Very tense and powerful. 5. _The Sting_ - I’m not as big a fan of this as some, but it’s still a good flick. [/QUOTE] My list, except I’ve never seen Sneakers. Yes, he plays the Angel of Death (in the guise of a police officer who’s been shot). He comes for the little old lady who lives in the basement apartment. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2007, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-robert-redford-movie/419433/39 "2007-09-17T17:16:22Z")
I think most of his better-known films (_Sting, Butch_) are quite overrated. If I had to name my 3 favorites, they’d be: **All the President’s Men The Candidate Jeremiah Johnson** ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2007, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-robert-redford-movie/419433/40 "2007-09-17T17:22:03Z")
Butch Cassidy and The Natural, for sure. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-robert-redford-movie/419433.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-robert-redford-movie/419433.md?page=3)