No,
Robert Redford and
Meryl Streep did not attend
Tom Cruise’s big dinner the other night honoring him by the American Museum of the Moving Image.
When I noted that the "
Lions for Lambs" stars were absent, an insider very close to the scene told me, "Meryl and Bob can’t stand Tom. In London, Tom kept trying to push himself into interviews. Bob said, 'No.' Tom wouldn’t listen. Meryl has done almost nothing for the movie. She wants nothing to do with him."
On the other hand, a supporter of the film said, "That’s mean. They’re great friends. Just look at their interview on '
Good Morning America.'"
Well, I did. It was pre-taped and not live. It was also highly edited. Cruise says nary a word. Streep sits between the two men. Of course, Redford and Cruise have no scenes together in the movie. But Redford directed him. They do not look like great friends now. Look, no one’s surprised.
Redford certainly would not have felt comfortable on Tuesday night. Cruise not only had big-shot Scientologist
Sky Dayton at his table, but also
Dan Snyder, Republican and owner of the Washington Redskins. That was not Redford’s scene.
A spokesman said Redford had always had a Sundance Institute dinner scheduled for that night. But usually in those cases, the absentees send video testimonials. Neither Streep nor Redford were involved in that kind of gesture.
"Lions for Lambs" is going to be problematic no matter who likes whom. Conversations take place in it that I would like everyone to hear. But few people will. The odds are "LfL" is a huge money loser. It should have been made for HBO or Showtime.
On the small screen, its sentiments would be much easier to digest. In a big theater, I don’t think so. Anthony Lane wrote in the New Yorker this week that "Lions for Lambs" is "most charitably described as Ibsen with helicopters."
Cindy Adams said Cruise could have been replaced by a paper bag. And those are the good reviews.
Cruise and his very smart partner
Paula Wagner follow "LfL" with "Valkyrie," the movie no one thinks they want to see about the attempted assassination of Hitler. It’s scheduled for Aug. 8. You know, in the summer, people love to see the star of "Mission: Impossible" high-stepping around the Fuhrer.
The tag line is: "You had me at achtung, baby." Neither of these films is destined to be a moneymaker. And that leaves a lot of questions for Merrill Lynch, financiers of the
United Artists slate.
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