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)
