Monday, November 11, 2024

Jane Fonda, Robert Redford Score Premiere Triumph of “Our Souls at Night” Despite Megyn Kelly Ambush

Share

The very stupid Megyn Kelly could not keep Hollywood royalty like Jane Fonda and Robert Redford down last night. Netflix threw them a star studded premiere for their new film, “Our Souls at Night,” which premieres Friday on the streaming service but also opens in theaters in New York and Los Angeles.

The Fonda-Redford screening was at the Museum of Modern Art followed by a packed reception at the Oak Room of the Plaza Hotel. Megyn Kelly was the farthest thing from anyone’s mind during the night. I ran into a ton of stars including my old pals actress Brenda Vaccaro and former Today show host Jill Rappaport (who’s got her own show now).

But the focus was on Fonda and Redford who previously starred together in “Barefoot in the Park” in the 1960s and Alan Pakula’s “The Electric Horseman” in the late 1970s. They’ve always wanted to do another film together. “Our Souls at Night” is based on the best selling novel by the late novelist Kent Haruf.

A sparsely told tale in print, “Our Souls” comes alive on screen with these two famed actors. They each give exquisite performances, detailed and moving. Each of the characters– Addie and Louis– has been widowed for some time in their small town of Holt, Colorado. One day Addie simply knocks on Louis’s door, says she’s lonely, and proposes that they sleep together at night– not sex, just sleep and talk.

Soon it comes to more than that– not just sex–but a deeper understanding of how the two people have conducted their lives. “Everyone has a past,” Addie says to those who question the relationship. There has to be a time when all is forgiven. Life is too short to hold on to mistakes.

Netflix is on a roll this week. “Our Souls” will be joined by Noah Baumbach’s “The Meyerowitz Stories,” one of the best movies of the year, next week. But for fans of beautifully made films, “Our Souls at Night” should be a go-to choice this weekend on the streaming service.

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.

Read more

In Other News