ART HOUSE CHIC: I saw two movies tonight, and both had key locations that were merely blocks away from the theater at which I saw them. The first was "The Kid Stays in the Picture," a fascinating documentary about '60s and '70s Hollywood producer Robert Evans. Narrated by Evans himself, it weaved together that narration along with old film clips and still photographs to create such a fascinating look at 30 years of Hollywood history that we almost forgive Evans for being such an unlikable cad.
When you get past its creepy premise (15-year-old prep schooler lusts after his stepmom, instead has affair with her best friend), "Tadpole" is quite a charming and funny little film. It doesn't fit into the Younger Man/Older Woman pantheon of "The Graduate," "Harold & Maude," and "Rushmore," but it also doesn't deserve some of the vitriol it's received: Andrew Sullivan (among others) has accused it of condoning pedophilia, while Armond White of New York Press called it "'The Graduate,' as if directed by a freshman." And as I've mentioned before, the director is Gary Winick, who is not to be confused with disgraced former Global Crossing CEO Gary Winnick.