Though the world of film lost some true giants in 2025, few loomed larger than Robert Redford. Redford, who died in September, was among the most iconic faces of the New Hollywood of the 1960s and ’70s, the devastatingly handsome and absurdly charismatic leading man of countless instant classics. To celebrate this singular body of work, The Brattle Theatre has programmed a weeklong program of Redford’s greatest work in front of (and behind) the camera. It’s a concise and expansive tribute to a screen legend and a handy primer for those looking to brush up on the man’s work.
The series begins, appropriately enough, with “All the President’s Men” (1976), a film which would feel timely even if it weren’t for Redford’s passing. Redford stars opposite Dustin Hoffman as the legendary reporting team of Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein as they unravel the web of corruption and incompetence surrounding the president of the United States (sound familiar?). It’s paired Thursday with Sydney Pollack’s similarly paranoid “Three Days of the Condor” (1975), followed by an encore matinee on Sunday. A touch more easygoing is the good-hearted baseball drama “The Natural” (1984), which screens Friday and Saturday.
If there was one actor who could go toe to toe with Redford in the charisma department (and there truly may have been only one), it was Paul Newman, and Saturday brings a double feature of the duo’s legendary collaborations: the timeless buddy-western “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” (1969) and the twisty-turny caper comedy “The Sting” (1973). The former would, of course, become Redford’s calling card: It’s the namesake of the Redford-founded Sundance Film Festival, which arguably eclipses even Redford’s greatest performances as his most lasting contribution to the medium.
The remaining selections showcase the deceptive versatility of Redford’s presence. In “The Candidate” (1972, screening Sunday), Redford plays a boyish, idealistic lawyer who is manipulated into becoming a generic, glad-handing politician; in “Jeremiah Johnson” (also 1972, screening Monday), he’s a 19th century fur trapper who dedicates himself to becoming a full-blown mountain man. On paper, these roles could hardly be more different, but they are united by Redford’s singular persona. Both men are clear-eyed dreamers whose hearts are broken by the harsh realities of the world; we implicitly empathize, thanks to the sheer goodness that Redford can’t help but project.
The series closes Tuesday with the film that won Redford his only competitive Oscar – not for acting, but for directing. “Ordinary People” (1980) was Redford’s first turn behind the camera, and it is as shockingly assured a directorial debut as any; in addition to Redford’s award, it won Oscars for Best Picture, Adapted Screenplay and Supporting Actor (for Timothy Hutton’s haunted performance as Redford’s son). If Redford’s career consisted of only one of these paths – the face-of-a-generation actor, the achingly humanist director, the forward-thinking festival mogul – he would be remembered for years to come. As all three, his immortality is assured.
In non-Redford news, those looking for a dose of holiday cheer can pop into the Center for the Arts at the Armory Friday for a “Naughty & Nice” double feature of Christmassy classics – one family-friendly, the other decidedly less so. The festivities begin in the early evening with “Home Alone” (1990), in which pint-sized Macaulay Culkin defends his home from would-be grinches Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern. Following an intermission fashion contest (ugly sweaters for the grown-ups, PJs for the kiddos), you can settle back into your seat for the is-it-a-Christmas-movie action classic “Die Hard” (1988). While the movies are nominally quite different (and parents should consider whether they want to trundle their little ones home after the first feature), they share a gleeful sense of comic-book violence and a genuine streak of twinkly holiday cheer. Merry Christmas, ya filthy animal. Yippee-ki-yay.
The Somerville Cine-Club returns Monday to the Somerville Public Library’s West Branch for its final screening of the year – and bringing a special guest. Danvers native Matt Farley is perhaps best known for his tens of thousands of keyword-spamming novelty songs on Spotify, but he is also a notable cult filmmaker and actor, collaborating with director Charlie Roxburgh and a repertory company of friends and relatives on a string of homemade, cheerfully low-budget epics. The famously gregarious Farley will be on hand for a Q&A after the Cine-Club’s free screening of “Magic Spot” (2022), his off-kilter comedy about a fictional North Shore town that happens to contain an interdimensional portal. Farley’s films are nothing if not a celebration of local community – and what better way to experience them than among members of your own.
Oscar Goff is a writer and film critic based in Somerville. He is film editor and senior critic for the Boston Hassle and his work has appeared in the monthly Boston Compass newspaper and publications such as WBUR’s The ARTery and iHeartNoise. He is a member of the Boston Society of Film Critics, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, and the Online Film Critics Society.
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