“Turn Every Page — The Adventures of Robert Caro and Robert Gottlieb” celebrates many things: aging, friendship, walking, and New York City. Reminiscent of a pair of British knights playing two different bishops of Rome in “The Two Popes,” Lizzie Gottlieb’s highbrow documentary sheds light on a rarefied and complicated relationship.
Of course, Gottlieb descends from Robert Gottlieb, the indefatigable book editor whose 2016 autobiography “Avid Reader: A Life” perfectly sums him up. Together with Robert Caro, the Pulitzer Prize winning writer, their 50-year friendship forms the film’s core. From there, the story takes the viewer on an intellectual odyssey very much still in progress.
Lizzie Gottlieb knows a thing or two about highly intelligent people. Notably, this is her second film about a family member. The first focused on her brother, who lives with Asperger’s Syndrome. Still, she had to cajole both her father and Caro, the two “Bobs,” to participate in the making of “Turn Every Page.”
Thank God for persuasive women. “Turn Every Page” captures two incredible thinkers who belong to the demographic cohort known as The Silent Generation. Yet most of the scenes in this Rotten Tomatoes-certified fresh biopic with a 100% audience score show only one Bob or the other. Not until the very end do we truly see them together.
They are searching for a #2 pencil like two professorial geeks on a scavenger hunt. When our heroes finally park themselves side-by-side, they delve into the latest installment of Caro’s final volume in his Lyndon Johnson series. They also impress upon Gottlieb the director their desire to protect the work. Thus, they communicate their wish that she cut the mic during this scene; they agree to be seen, but not heard.
As expected, “Turn Every Page” does depict a certain tug-of-war inherent in every editor-writer relationship. Luckily, we glimpse a breathtaking level of old-school craftsmanship before high-stakes negotiations begin. Concessions for the sake of clarity involve word choice, punctuation, syntax, and paragraph order. And because such things matter, perhaps a comma here, but not there. One synonym replaces another, while paragraph arrangement carries more and more heft. Finally, the rough draft painstakingly becomes chapter and verse.
The tools of the trade also matter a great deal to both men. Besides #2 pencils, Caro’s swoonworthy relationship with his Smith Corona Electra 201 typewriter harkens to another era. The same is true for all who keep actual carbon copies—in 2023! Nevertheless, viewers of “Turn Every Page” will experience all the feels for excellence in writing and publishing. Cameo appearances by the likes of Bill Clinton, Ethan Hawke, and Conan O’Brien also advance the story.
You’ll even get a sneak peek at Gottlieb’s famous plastic handbag collection, a scene that lingers in the visual mind. Naturally, I share his wife Maria Tucci’s concern about toxic chemicals in the bedroom. Then again, Gottlieb is that rara avis who insisted “Catch-22” not be “Catch-18.” Go figure.
Meanwhile, Caro’s focus on writing about power carries so much authority itself, the New York Historical Society acquired his archive in 2019. And at 86 and 91 years old respectively, Caro and Gottlieb clearly continue to collaborate on their own reverential terms. Their individual and shared genius is a marvel to behold and an erudite reminder that two heads are better than one.
