Funny Girl (1968)

A Disappointing Continuation

I have absolutely never seen anything like this movie before. You have to see this movie.

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.

Barbra Streisand gave a tour-de-force performance in Funny Girl, the film that won her an Oscar for Best Actress of 1968. She played the stage actress Fanny Brice in this musical biopic, and while the film starts out showing her comedic talents, it takes a darker turn once she falls in love. It's always that way, isn't it? But at least, Jule Styne and Bob Merrill wrote her some beautiful songs to express the romantic drama, and Barbra displayed serious dramatic talents powerful enough to reduce every woman in the audience to tears.It was Babs's first film, and when you watch the intense, high energy performance that runs the gamut of human emotions, it's no wonder she tied with Katharine Hepburn at the 1969 ceremony. The song "My Man", although not written for the show, was one of the real Fanny Brice's signature tunes. Once you've seen and heard Babs sing it, you'll never be the same. I wouldn't really recommend anyone watching this movie who hasn't yet had a heartbreak, because she won't really understand what's going on. Girls over the age of 15 will cry, cringe, and hope throughout Barbra Streisand and Omar Sharif's romance. It's mesmerizing, realistic, painful, and beautiful. Speaking of beautiful, Irene Sharaff's costumes went without recognition during the American awards season, but at least the BAFTA Awards nominated her talent. From Barbra's famous leopard coat to her striking orange ensemble, all authentic-looking costumes add to the drama and flair of the movie, helping to show Fanny's journey through show business and her personal growth.I love Funny Girl; it's one of my go-to movies when I'm in need of a good cry. I love how Barbra switches effortlessly from comedy to drama, and how she always put her whole heart into her performances. My mom used to make me squeal with laughter when I was a kid, performing "I'm the Greatest Star" a la Babs, and when I saw the real scene as a teenager, it was that much funnier. Everyone has their own favorite song from Funny Girl, and while most pick "People" or the show-stopping "Don't Rain on my Parade"-Harry Stradling's cinematography in that scene is still incredibly exciting even 50 years later-mine has to be "I'm the Greatest Star". I'm sentimental.

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.

Of course, this is contrived Fanny Brice. If one looks back on her rise to fame, it is quite different than that portrayed here. No question, however, that she was the top female performer of her era and that her rise had bumps and bruises. Enter Barbra Streisand to play this role. She of the big voice and personality. She, of course, is not classically beautiful, but one puts that all aside when one hears her or sees her. This is the perfect casting. What carries this along are the songs and the production numbers. "Don't Rain on My Parade" is one of the most perfect expressions of a song ever to appear in the movie. The more subtle songs that progress the plot and the love story make it a lot of fun. A really fun musical with a sensational talent.

For years I have heard of Barbra Streisand as an iconic and brilliant singer and actress but I can't honestly say that I've seen her in much. I have had very little Streisand experience. Cineplex running the classic movies has been such a great experience for me. I am finally seeing these amazing iconic films that I keep saying I will see but never do. Funny Girl was...simply put...fantastic. Its a moving, often funny, sweet and touching romantic musical that absolutely showcases why it is such an iconic classic. The film is very long, much longer than I think it really needs to be. Its pretty stupid of me to even say something negative about a film that has withstood 40+ years and is loved by nearly everyone but I think the movie could have easily been edited to a much tidier 2 hours or less. There were a few scenes in the film (perhaps carried over from the Broadway play) that were simply unnecessary and felt that way. I definitely enjoyed the first part of the film more than the second but it also has many different tones throughout the movie as well. The start of the movie is more comedic, the songs are more upbeat and there are more of them. The latter half of the film is emotional, even sad at times and has less songs. Regardless this was a stunning romantic film that shows you just about every part of a passionate romance from beginning to end.The person who impressed me most in the film was Barbra Streisand. Her comedic timing was amazing and her performance was absolutely worthy of her Oscar. Fanny Brice is a down to earth girl raised in meagre surroundings with a low opinion of herself. She is also insanely talented and her brash, strong personality rockets her to stardom. She is riveting on screen and her charisma is absolutely undeniable. Not to be outdone Omar Sharif is also excellent. He is suave and cool and also lights up the screen. While it would seem that Streisand and Sharif are not a good match, their chemistry is terrific. Sharif is perfect for the role and his character is so flawed and goes through so much in the course of the film. There isn't a large supporting cast but there are definitely some performances worth mentioning. Kay Medford as Streisand's mother is a lot of fun in a small but noticeable role, Walter Pidgeon as the curmudgeonly theatre producer and Mae Questel as the hilarious and sly Mrs. Strakosh.Director William Wyler is a legend. He has so many classics under his belt that its clear he knows how to create a near masterpiece. I still think the film could have been edited better but Wyler tells his story without holding back any details. This is obviously a musical but at the same time, the songs aren't the driving force behind the story. They have a distinctive place in the film (most cases are while Fanny Brice is performing) and they don't overwhelm the film so even if you're not a huge fan of musicals but love classics then you can still enjoy this!! That being said I loved most of the songs and was perhaps only underwhelmed by that iconic "People who need people" song but maybe perhaps it was only because I was so amped to hear it for the first time in its original content. No matter how you look at it, I loved Funny Girl and loved seeing it on the big screen. If you are like me and had no experience with the Streisand of her day then do yourself a favour and watch this because you will understand a little about why she is such a legend. 9/10