The Kid Stays in the Picture
A flamboyant Hollywood titan narrates his ascent, implosion, and improbable return through the mythology of the movies he helped make.
Overview
A legendary producer's rise and fall in Hollywood reveals the price of fame and ambition.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- witty
- brash
- nostalgic
- film history night
- documentary double feature
What critics said
Critics broadly found the documentary irresistibly entertaining despite its lack of objectivity and reliance on Evans's self-mythologizing narration.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Robert Evans narrates his own rise, scandals, and comeback in a voice marked by confidence, theatricality, and selective self-presentation.
The film combines Evans's narration with photographs, clips, graphics, and animated treatments rather than relying on conventional talking-head interviews.
Evans's tenure at Paramount is presented through the production history and cultural impact of films such as The Godfather, Rosemary's Baby, Love Story, Harold and Maude, and Chinatown.
The account moves from Evans's discovery as an actor to studio leadership, cocaine arrest, murder-related rumors, near-obscurity, and renewed prominence.
Films like The Kid Stays in the Picture, and why
The Celluloid Closet
Show-business biography with a charismatic, self-mythologizing subject and an entertaining blend of ambition, scandal, and archival storytelling.
Hollywood Babylon
Hollywood documentary centered on industry history, personality, and archival material with a witty, critical perspective.
Marley
Stylized documentary portrait of a larger-than-life cultural figure whose public legend intertwines with professional triumph and personal collapse.
Movie Details
- Directors
- Brett Morgen, Nanette Burstein
- Release Date
- 2002-08-16
- Runtime
- 93 min
- Rating
- 6.6 / 10 (102)
Cast
- Robert Evans
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Kid Stays in the Picture about?
- A flamboyant Hollywood titan narrates his ascent, implosion, and improbable return through the mythology of the movies he helped make.
- What is The Kid Stays in the Picture like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Kid Stays in the Picture as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Kid Stays in the Picture violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Kid Stays in the Picture as mild.
- What did critics think of The Kid Stays in the Picture?
- Critics broadly found the documentary irresistibly entertaining despite its lack of objectivity and reliance on Evans's self-mythologizing narration.
- Which films are like The Kid Stays in the Picture?
- Films with a similar feel include The Celluloid Closet, Hollywood Babylon, and Marley.
- How long is The Kid Stays in the Picture?
- The Kid Stays in the Picture runs 93 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Kid Stays in the Picture?
- In United States, The Kid Stays in the Picture is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
