praxistens

When this was in the theaters, I declined an invitation to see it. Ironic, since I watch whenever it's on cable. Let's face it: Redford, Pitt are eminently watchable. The Harker character's a minor gem: a bean counter that's been Redford's foil thruout gets his.

The plot's been rehashed here @IMDb. The pace makes this a genuine thriller: Redford's the oldest guy in the class, but he stays 2 steps ahead of the (ultimately) risk averse Lumpencouncil. & As in all really good movies, a main character has a change of heart: whatever promise Redford's character made ages ago means nothing against bland accession of the senior staff to the global status quo. You're pleased that Redford slips into retirement while his colleagues will conduct damage control.

When Barney bemoans the cost of keeping the house since Blanche left, Archie & Harry suggest Barney take in lodger to make ends meet.

Archie's choice of housemate?: Al Snyder ("semi-retired from the shoe business but very well heeled"), a first-order curmudgeon, played by Don Rickles.

It had to happen: Rickles's insult humor meets Archie's cockeyed political correctness. When Barney finds that Al's taken his steak from the fridge, Al assures him it's no loss: "It tasted like carpet!" But even Al's fatalism is no match for Archie's unpolished sincerity:

Al: You're always on the scene whenever ... there's a world disaster ...and you follow me to the ends of the earth!

Archie: I just met you!

This is an unheralded gem: when Barney implies that he wants the exacerbating Snyder out of his house ("I'm sorry."), Al fires back, "Why be sorry, Barney? I'm not going anywhere! ... I have a rental agreement!" But Rickles's Al is great just arguing with a TV games show:

Emcee (to blonde contestant): Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

Rickles: What's to tell: she's an imbecile!

Contestant: I have six beautiful children and one on the way!

Rickles: She's also a nymphomaniac!

Emcee: Do you have any hobbies?

Rickles: We know her hobby; let's start the game!

It's priceless!

A few years ago, when we found that the "SyFy" channel had a Twilight Zone marathon, me & the missus sat down to watch. I'd seen many of these as a kid; she'd seen almost none.

This is one of her favorites: a dream of Willoughby is the ideal antidote to Mr. Misrell's (Mr. Miserable's?) relentless "push, push, push!" James Daly is outstanding as the exhausted & disillusioned ad manager, on the cusp of what they probably still call "a breakdown." Soon, there is nothing to separate the commuter train he rides each evening from the one his dreams.

Dozens of Twilight Zone episodes involved seeking solace in small towns (think: Of Late I Dream of Cliffordville, with Julie Newmar): this one of the best.