Redford's 'movie with a lot to say..

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Here's an interesting question, posed over the weekend by the Los Angeles Times' Glenn Whipp: "Can [Robert] Redford be relevant again?"

The question was prompted by the news that distribution for Redford's next movie — which he directed and stars in — has just been bought by Sony Pictures Classics.

The movie, "The Company You Keep," is a political thriller that stars Redford as a former Weather Underground radical who has to go on the run when his identity is exposed by a young reporter (Shia LaBeouf).

"This movie has the potential to re-establish him," Tom Bernard, co-president of Sony Pictures Classics, told Whipp.

Bernard said the movie's multigenerational cast — which includes Susan Sarandon, Julie Christie, Brit Marling, and 12-year-old singer Jackie Evancho — could make the film a commercial success.

"It's a movie with a lot to say, and I think that movies with a lot to say are working in the specialized arena," Bernard said. "People are looking for smart movies."

"The Company You Keep" will be making the fall festival double-play, screening at Venice and Toronto. No U.S. release date has been announced.

Redford's 'movie with a lot to say' gets a distributor