Full disclosure, I don’t cry at movies. While there are definitely movies that I find sad like Make Way for Tomorrow (1938) or the end of Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993), I have yet to actually cry at a film. The Way We Were (1973) always seems to make the list of classic tearjerkers, which is why I picked it; but I would like to argue that I didn’t find the ending sad. In fact, I found the ending of The Way We Were (1973) to be very satisfying.
The Way We Were spans a 20-year period, starting in the late-1930s and ending in the late-1950s. It also features a non-linear narrative, with the film beginning in 1944 towards the end of World War II. Barbra Streisand’s character, Katie Morosky, works at a radio station and goes to a nearby nightclub in New York City after work for drinks. She runs into an old acquaintance, Hubbell Gardiner (Robert Redford) at the bar. He’s dressed in a Navy uniform and seems like he’s had one too many drinks. In what ends up being an extremely questionable scene, she ends up inviting him back to her apartment to “rest” and the two reconnect and start a romance.
Prior to Katie and Hubbell’s reunion at the nightclub, they were college classmates in the late-1930s. In the college scenes, Katie is shown to be a bit of a plain Jane and very involved in political activism. She seems to always be protesting against something, whether it be politics or war. It’s also made very clear that she’s Jewish, which definitely is a sharp contrast to her WASP classmates like Hubbell. Hubbell is shown to be naturally handsome, athletic and seems to coast through life without much effort at all. This is particularly evident in a scene where Katie is shown to be working on writing a paper for hours and Hubbell sort of just slaps his paper together in a fraction of the time. The professor is impressed with Hubbell’s paper and praises it in front of the class. Katie is infatuated with Hubbell (because duh, it’s Robert Redford), but sees him as being clearly out of her league.
After Katie and Hubbell reunite in 1944 at the nightclub, they become a couple. However, their personal differences quickly surface with the death of Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1945. Hubbell’s friends make jokes and Hubbell is indifferent. Katie is furious that they would dare to make jokes about FDR’s death as well as Hubbell’s complete lack of interest in politics. She is also unhappy about Hubbell’s unwillingness to support her and tell off his friends. On the flipside, Hubbell does not care for Katie’s bluntless and unrelenting insistence on being right. They end up breaking up, but get back together shortly after.
Hubbell proves himself to be a naturally gifted writer, a talent that I’m sure both infuriates and pleases Katie. He easily whips out a novel without exerting too much effort. His novel proves to be a hit, to the point that he receives an offer to come out to Hollywood and help adapt his novel into a screenplay. Katie worries that Hollywood is beneath Hubbell’s talents; but they move to California despite her hesitations. Hubbell’s contract proves lucrative, which allows him and Katie to live lavishly. Because of their comfortable lifestyle, there is an expectation that Katie will stay at home. However, she quickly becomes involved in protesting against McCarthyism and the infamous blacklist which starts to endanger Hubbell’s career and reputation.
Katie’s activism and Hubbell’s absolute nonchalance about everything comes to a head when her activism becomes bigger and more outspoken. She also discovers she’s pregnant, which only further strains Katie and Hubbell’s marriage. Hubbell eventually escapes the marital issues by having an affair (because obviously), which causes Katie to realize that he’ll always find a way to avoid dealing with anything difficult. She ends up divorcing him and moving back to New York City.
Now here’s where the tearjerker part comes in. If you haven’t seen The Way We Were, then I’m sorry for discussing the ending. It is now the late-1950s, the television era. Katie is on a busy corner opposite the Plaza Hotel in New York City protesting the nuclear bomb. She’s remarried and raising her and Hubbell’s daughter. Suddenly, she spots Hubbell and another woman coming out of the hotel. She runs over to Hubbell and asks what he’s doing in New York City. He explains that he’s writing for television. There is a tinge of hope that maybe Katie and Hubbell will find each other, reunite, and this time it will be different–except this time it doesn’t happen. They exchange pleasantries. Hubbell asks Katie about their daughter. Katie says she’s fine. Katie then invites him out for a drink. Hubbell declines, they embrace and part ways. Perhaps never to cross paths again.
Apparently people just sob about there being no happy ending for Katie and Hubbell. However, I would argue that their divorce is probably the best thing that could have happened to both of them. The main motif throughout the entire film is that Katie and Hubbell are opposites in almost every way–physically, personality-wise, ambition, etc. However, both are too stubborn to even try meeting their partner in the middle. Katie was very outspoken politically whereas Hubbell was indifferent. She could have perhaps tried to be a little less outspoken, or at least less public about it, especially when it was negatively affecting Hubbell’s career and potentially their livelihood. Hubbell could have also tried, even a little bit, to learn about some of the issues that Katie was passionate about and tried to form an opinion–even if he wasn’t outspoken about it. Katie and Hubbell spent so much time arguing over each other’s differences, instead of finding common ground.
While I don’t disagree that Katie and Hubbell were truly in love, I think this is a case where two people can love each other deeply; but cannot be together. At the end, when Katie and Hubbell see each other, there is a brief moment of tenderness when they are reminded of their love for each other, despite the strife and unhappiness they endured together, i.e., “The Way We Were” as the title song says. However, that innocent drink that Katie offers is not that harmless. That drink has the potential to reignite Katie and Hubbell’s tumultuous relationship–after all, the film started with Katie and Hubbell having drinks together and starting their romance. Hubbell was wise to decline.
