The Way We Were is a 1973 American romantic drama film directed by Sydney Pollack. The screenplay by Arthur Laurents was based on his college days at Cornell University and his experiences with the House Un-American Activities Committee.

An underlying theme in the film is the elusive quality and role of beauty. The hero's perfect features, aristocratic air, and self-assurance sharply contrast with the heroine's homeliness, awkwardness, and agitated yearning. As the story unfolds, her sterling character emerges, while his gifts are squandered, untapped for any purpose beyond self-gratification. A bittersweet role reversal transpires, and she blossoms as a true beauty, while he fades into slack insubstantiality.