The Company You Keep

— “The Company You Keep” kept me wondering what someone who did not live through the SDS and Weathermen would think of it. Mind you, the film does have a generational tug to it with most of the cast able to collect social security but still more liberal and more focused on change than they perceive is the case with younger generations. As one member of the Weather Underground is arrested after living for 30 years as a suburban housewife, more and more people’s lives are affected. The story unfolds, and it unfolds with a steady, slow ease that may be unfamiliar to a viewer accustomed to multitasking and sensory overload. One thing’s for sure, the mostly AARP-eligible cast is a thing of wonder and they all can act with a subtlety that is a joy to see (Robert Redford, Julie Christie, Susan Sarandon, Nick Nolte, Chris Cooper, Stanley Tucci, Brendan Gleeson, Richard Jenkins, Sam Elliott). Oh, and Shia LaBeouf manages to hold his own as a young, amoral reporter representing a generation with less anger and social commitment than existed in the sixties. I liked this film, but these are my contemporaries dealing with morality, so it makes sense to me.

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[2012. 125 min. Directed by Robert Redford. Starring Robert Redford, Shia LaBeouf, Julie Christie, Susan Sarandon, Nick Nolte, Chris Cooper, Terrence Howard, and Stanley Tucci.]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/gog/movies/the-company-you-keep,1244298.html