BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment

Lawbolisted Powerful

InformationRap This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Kaydan Christian A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

JohnHowardReid A disappointingly watered-down version of the original stage play. Apparently producer Ray Stark was actually married to the daughter of Fanny Brice and Nicky Arnstein and he yielded to his wife's pressures to whitewash her dad on the screen. This has resulted in a very bland adaptation indeed, with the now colorless story occupying an inordinate amount of running time. Lackluster acting by Omar Sharif further compounds the tedium. Even the ebullient Miss Streisand is swamped by the often pointless verbosity of the dialogue. Her efforts to spark this threadbare material into some semblance of dramatic life are usually undermined by lack of co-operation. No vigor or warmth from her mechanical co- star, no effervescence from Wyler's lumbering, heavy-handed direction. Herbert Ross has staged the musical numbers in an equally elephantine fashion. Even his helicopter shots fail to soar. Fortunately, no amount of sabotage can strangle Miss Streisand's vocal talents. Her songs are still the high points of this plodding, pedestrian, unwieldy and over-produced musical.OTHER VIEWS: This garishly expensive but doggedly flat-footed remake of "Rose of Washington Square" dares to downgrade Alice Faye's wistfully beautiful, soul-searching Rose into a self-centered, unashamedly ambitious Brice. Despite her sterling efforts to shape the picture to her personality, Miss Streisand cannot defeat either the dead hands of her co-players or the clinging script. Generally unsympathetic direction allied with occasionally self-glorifying camera-work doesn't help. The best thing about the film is the songs — and the best of these are the oldies. It's fascinating to compare Streisand's throbbing version of Brice's signature tune, "My Man", to Alice Faye's more straightforward yet just as emotionally highly- charged rendering. Interesting too that James F. Hanley's "Second Hand Rose" has been selected for Funny Girl to match the same lyricist's "Rose of Washington Square". Both songs are strikingly similar.

Syl Okay I don't know much about Fanny Brice's life. This movie is quite a tribute to the Funny Lady that had a funny face. In this film, Barbra Streisand earned her Academy Award for playing Fanny Brice from aspiring singer to comedienne and singer on stage. Fanny's brash talent for singing and comedy go hand in hand at a local stage hall before she makes it big with the Ziegfield Follies. The numbers are big splashy musical numbers with lots of dancing, costumes, and scenery. This film has a first rate cast with Omar Sharif playing Fanny's love interest, Nick Arnstein; Walter Pidgeon as Florenz Ziegfield; Lee Allen as her friend, Eddie Ryan; and others to mention. This film has great sets, costumes, and art direction but I felt it was missing something and that was the script. The script was weak without the singing and it could have been better. Anyway, it's a great classic film.

pearl18 I just watched the entire film "Funny Girl" for the first time. I of course had seen the tug boat "Don't Rain on my Parade" scene countless times (gotta love DVD select chapter feature) and "People", but had never seen the entire film. How can one even begin to criticize a film with a legend like Barbra over 40 years later? It might not even be worth a shot but here it goes. The worst thing about the film are the inconsistencies in the production. Which time period are they depicting: late 19th century (judging from the costumes and furnishings) or early 20th century (there are motor cars)? The kitsch is never-ending, even for someone who enjoys that sort of thing. But it was Hollywood and the film is over forty years old. The Swan Lake scene is so unfunny and borderline offensive to dancers. I realize that Omar Sharif was the heartthrob of the time but he is shallow and not very convincing in this role. Again, times have changed. The film is too long and drags on between musical numbers. I gather from reading other reviews that this might be due to the hack job they did to the original Broadway musical to make a film out of it. Now for the good parts: Barbra. Her carefree acting and character are still refreshing even by today's standards. Her voice, Lord that voice. It is interesting to hear the crystalline timbre she had at that age, despite the slight technical flaws. Her delivery is always moving and perfect. The high notes are tense and at times scary, but that's what makes her exciting. What else can be said? I know that Barbra Streisand tends to elicit extreme love/hate reactions from people and I have never been a fanatic. But her natural talent has always kept me interested enough over the years despite the eccentricities of her personal life and the plastic side to the Malibu persona she has become. Her recent release "Love is the answer" stayed in my CD player for six months straight and is still my favorite record at the moment. Ironically I love her voice on the album for reasons similar to those I mentioned above. You can hear it crack sometimes on the high notes, but it is so moving, especially in a jazz context. To this day, no one (outside of opera) can make their voice soar like she can. The lady has staying power and it is fascinating (even for non fans) to witness her budding talent in Funny Girl. Brava Barbra!! By the way, now that I've suffered through the entire film once, I'll stick to the "select chapter" function and jump straight to "Don't Rain on My Parade" (Number 16) from now on.

Movie_Muse_Reviews The '60s was the decade of the movie musical with "West Side Story," "The Sound of Music," "My Fair Lady," and "Oliver!" all taking home Best PIcture. It's fair to say "Funny Girl" might've been on that list had it not came out the same year as "Oliver!" But the Academy had it right in giving this musical romantic comedy's one Oscar to its best attribute and greatest asset: Barbara Streisand.Only in her mid-20s and in her big-screen debut, Streisand plays like a veteran. She brings the film to its highest points, makes it bearable through its lowest, is responsible for all of the laughs as well as all the touching moments and she does it while defying the "standards" of beauty in Hollywood.Streisand's nose might be the most famous body part in movie history, yet she holds her head high confidently and gives the mirror a smile as she utters the film's first line "hello, gorgeous." She's an average Jewish girl from Brooklyn but here she is -- and that's what makes her perfect as Fanny Brice, the famous Zigfield Follies comedienne."Funny Girl" is a typical musical love story only its main character is a famous (and wealthy) musical performer and there's a bit more attention on the dramatic aspect of her relationship with Nick Arnstein (Omar Sharif). As she sings about people who need people being the luckiest in the world, the story becomes less about her rise to fame and more about finding the right man and making him part of her life. Keeping the focus on Fanny is legendary director William Wyler in one of his last pictures. Wyler keeps us focused on the talented Streisand and together they keep our attention on Fanny's story -- what's going on in her head. The love story can get awfully bland at times, but its Fanny that keeps our interests and brings the film its few poignant moments.Streisand has many faces in this film and that's why she's so good. She's not necessarily deeply moving or able to give a truly affecting performance, but she's believable and she's honest with the part while also giving it some comedic zing with the over-the-top Jewish New Yorker routine. There might not be any notable epiphanies in her performance, but she clearly guides us through Fanny's emotions and realization of her own flaws.~Steven CVisit my site at http://moviemusereviews.com