Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 1 rating
Opposites attract when, during their college days, Katie Morosky, a politically active Jew, meets Hubbell Gardiner, a feckless WASP. Years later, in the wake of World War II, they meet once again and, despite their obvious differences, attempt to make their love for each other work.
The Way We Were is elevated primarily by the chemistry and performances of Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford, both delivering nuanced, emotionally rich work that transcends the material. The plot weaves political backdrop (McCarthyism, Hollywood blacklist) with romantic melodrama in a way that feels thoughtful if occasionally formulaic. Cinematography is handsome but conventional for the era. The film's novelty lies in its willingness to let political conviction genuinely fracture a love story rather than resolve neatly — a somewhat unusual choice. The ending is its most distinctive and resonant element: the bittersweet, unresolved farewell on a New York street became iconic precisely because it refuses a Hollywood happy ending, making it a genuine standout.