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Rewind: The outsider who's still 'in'
Elliott Gould's film characters reflected an era of questioning and social upheaval, but his wry, cynical humor assures his welcome in any generation.
By STEVE PERSALL, Times Film Critic
© St. Petersburg Times
published August 29, 2002
Elliott Gould was the Hollywood face of the counterculture in the late 1960s and early 1970s, as surely as John Wayne embodied the conservative expression. Gould played characters so confounded by social propriety that wry, aggressive cynicism was the only possible recourse.
Gould, who turns 64 today, had quite a run of roles during that period, often making comical points about cultural shifts in sexual mores and blind respect for authority. But he seldom played a person with all the right answers. Gould's characters were as confused about what was happening in America, and excited about the possibilities, as everyone else. He just wouldn't take it very seriously.
When the social climate cooled, Gould's shorthand castings as a rebel ran out. His iconoclastic nature wasn't necessary anymore since everyone had a little Elliott Gould in them by that time. Childish throwaways like Disney's The Devil and Max Devlin and the boxing-kangaroo flop Matilda effectively killed his "cool."
Gould was banished to the level of straight-to-video releases, foreign potboilers and independent film hirings.
He's enjoying a bit of a comeback these days, possibly since some viewers who idolized him 30 years ago are making movies now. Bit parts in American History X and The Big Hit, followed by a meaty turn in Ocean's Eleven, have him back in the "now." These home video selections are fond, funny reminders of "then":
Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969) -- Gould played Ted, one-fourth of Paul Mazursky's spoof of a sexual revolution that he viewed as all talk and no action. Gould received his only Oscar nomination, for best supporting actor.
M*A*S*H (1970) -- Forget what Wayne Rogers did to the role of Trapper John MacIntyre on the TV series. Gould rammed his Vietnam era sensibilities into Robert Altman's Korean War/medical satire, bristling at commanding officers and cracking chests like a pro from Dover.
Getting Straight (1970) -- Harry Bailey (Gould) is a college professor on the brink of earning his doctorate when campus unrest and a sexy co-ed (Candice Bergen) change his mind. Richard Rush's film may be the best of the college-uprising films of the era but arrived so late that few moviegoers cared.
Little Murders (1971) -- What a hidden treasure. Alan Arkin directed Jules Feiffer's pitch-black screenplay about a man (Gould) meeting his fiance's family while New York is plagued by a random sniper. Like many films created before its time, this was criminally overlooked by audiences.
The Long Goodbye (1973) -- Altman turned the classic gumshoe themes of Raymond Chandler upside down. Gould played a laid-back, pot-smoking Philip Marlowe on an indecipherable path through southern California sleaze. The movie will be released in DVD format on Sept. 17.
California Split (1974) -- One of the best movies ever about compulsive gambling. Altman directed Gould and George Segal through casinos and race tracks as two born losers keep thinking they'll be born again.
Harry and Walter Go to New York (1976) -- A pair of 19th-century con artists (Gould, James Caan) plan to rob banks under the guise of vaudeville performers. Diane Keaton and Michael Caine co-star as a snooping reporter and a veteran criminal, respectively.
The Silent Partner (1978) -- A bank teller (Gould) guesses he'll be robbed, stashes some cash away before the crime is carried out, and blames the full loss on the robber (Christopher Plummer), who isn't happy. This is a great little sleeper from Canada. The aquarium scene is one of the harshest acts of violence I've ever seen in a movie.
Bugsy (1991) -- Gould was practically forgotten when Barry Levinson hired him for a supporting role opposite Warren Beatty as mobster Bugsy Siegel. Gould played Harry Greenberg, a friend who gets sideswiped as Siegel builds an empire in the desert called Las Vegas.
Ocean's Eleven (2001) -- Another Vegas caper, this time with Gould playing flamboyant Reuben Tishkoff, bankrolling a multi-casino heist led by George Clooney and Brad Pitt.
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