Last night the dogs and I watched a movie and ate popcorn while my husband was at his chorus rehearsal. I get to pick whatever I want and somehow I chose an older movie with Robert Redford and Brad Pitt called "Spy Game". It's about choices and regrets, and how Redford's character gets to make up for something he did to his protege Pitt. He's ready to risk it all on the eve of retirement to put things right and save his friend's life. But what impressed me again, as with the recent films "Truth" and "A Walk in the Woods" is how honestly Redford is aging. Every crease and wrinkle and sag is there for all to see. He may dye his hair for some rolls, but he has not resorted to surgery. Thus, he shows the weathering of a life lived outdoors, and the turbulence of marriages, children, friends and work. It's as if he's saying this is what almost eighty looks like, but I'm still intelligent, have a sense of humor, and am so damn interesting I know you'd love to have dinner with me and chat.
My friend and I almost managed the later a few years ago, when we were eating out at a small hotel restaurant next to a river in a wine country town. Our table was at the street window and my friend saw Redford first, getting out of an SUV with his wife. They were wisked away to a back table, but my friend "went to the restroom" to get a better look, and sure enough, it was him. We were discreet, as was everyone else in the place, but it made him seem more real, like someone you might know and like.
He was such a gorgeous man, beautiful really, that I appreciate the statement he makes letting his face tell his story. He's still doing some terrific acting, because he has his mobility of features and the wear and tear of life proudly worn. As I age, I'm grateful to those who do so along with me, gracefully and without falsity.
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