Yesterdays post about For Pete's Sake got me thinking about another obscure Streisand film. Nothing is going right for George Dupler (Hackman). He's been demoted at work for losing his temper, his marriage has hit an iceberg, his son (Dennis Quaid) is stepping out with an older woman (Streisand) with a jealous husband and when George meets her, she takes a liking to him. This story of mid-life crisis has an off-beat charm to it and reminds you not to take life too seriously.
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The film originally had a low budget and Hackman was the only name attached. When Streisand came on the scene, it acquired a higher profile. Though it wasn't considered a success at the box office, it did have its champions among critics, including Pauline Kael. The casting of Streisand in the role of a ditzy sex pot was rather brilliant. A more classically beautiful woman would have deprived the role of the quirky edge. She gives a clever and unexpected performance as a talentless singer/songwriter. Also look for Diane Lane as Hackman's long suffering wife.
Though available on DVD, it could be described as Striesand's lost film. It's not well remembered and doesn't immediately come to mind when her films are mentioned. There isn't much online video of it available. The TV trailer for it is above, uploaded to YouTube by robatsea2009.
Obscurity factor: 7 (on DVD, known mostly to hard core Streisand fans)
The story goes that she fired Sue Mengers, her longtime agent, after she talked her into doing this. Apparently it was done as a favor. Maybe you know more about it, or some others on here do.
ReplyDeleteI only know what's on the Wikipedia page about it. Would be interested in hearing more of the story...
ReplyDeleteI've only seen three Striesand movies. Maybe four. Can't remember if it was Funny Girl or What's Up Doc I saw on television when I was a kid. Maybe both.
ReplyDeleteI've seen Nuts (from 1987 I think) & Meet the Fockers :)
Need to watch more Striesand movies.
Yes, there are some good ones... My favorite film of all time is What's Up Doc.
ReplyDeleteI was flipping through the new Robert Redford biography in a bookstore. It mentioned that in the early stages of "The Way We Were" it was being considered for Barbra and Ryan O'Neal. However, the author wrote that they just did "What's Up Doc?" and that had not been a success. What? How could the author have said that? In what universe was that film a flop? I was in the bookstore thinking that every reference I ever read about it said it was a big hit. When I got home I looked up the box office listing for the year it was released and it was #3, following "The Godfather" and "The Poseidon Adventure." Not a success, indeed! I don't see how the author could have come up with that nugget of information.
ReplyDeleteHuh, what was he smoking? It was a very successful film. Maybe he meant they didn't want people to associate the comedy from it with the more serious romantic drama?
ReplyDeleteNo, the author distinctly said that "What's Up, Doc?" was not a success, and I think he or she meant box office. I think he or she also wrote that because of that the people behind "The Way We Were" cooled to the idea of Barbra and Ryan re-teaming for it.
ReplyDeleteIt's obviously flawed research - you checked the box office reports for the year... very strange.
ReplyDeleteI would love to see Yentl. I should order some Striesand films next time I have the money :)
ReplyDeleteYou should also look at Up The Sandbox. It's wonderfully weird.
ReplyDeleteI will look that movie up.
ReplyDeleteThanks Ben :)
You can read up on it here: http://theobscurityfactor.blogspot.com/2011/02/barbra-streisand-in-up-sandbox-1972.html
ReplyDeleteBen, It's Diane Ladd not Diane Lane ( I think Diane Lane might've been 2 at the time the film was made which would make her relationship with Gene Hackman much more interesting). Lisa Eichorn was originally in the Streisand role and was fired. It was director Jean Claude Tramont's big Hollywood break and his wife was Sue Mengers, when the studio saw the rushes they demanded that "something" had to be done or they would shut the movie down. It seems that they felt that Hackman name and character couldn't carry the movie. Mengers called in a favor to Streisand and Streisand said yes. It was a short shooting schedule for her ( I beleive 3 and a half weeks ) and she wouldn't have to do any promotion for the film if she didn't wish to. ( My memory is that she didn't do any citing scheduling conflicts). It flopped and faded away. I don't beleive Tramont ever directed another Hollywood picture ( IMDB will tell us) and it damaged Mengers reputation in Hollywood as well.
ReplyDeleteOf course! Diane Ladd. That was a monumental typo. Thanks for the background...
ReplyDeleteIt should have been the opportunity...experience...of a lifetime, especially for a gay man. To meet the one and only Barbra Streisand...OMG. But was it a dream come true or a nightmare? In his new book Marc Freden describes meeting, talking with or interviewing three of the most iconic women in Hollywood. In his chapter "The Good, The Bad & The Ugly", Freden talks about an interview he had with Barbra Streisand...could she have rated Good, Bad or Ugly in Freden's eyes. Well, suffice it to say, Freden believes he must apologize.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdTW6B3ocFA