HOLY CRAP!!!! I thought this movie was INCREDIBLE. The beginning was a little boring but at the end..!!!! I loved it!! Does anybody agree???? Babs was soo good!! The only reason I decided to see this is that I am such a HUGE fan of hers and I thought she did an incredible job. I am used to seeing her funny and I thought it was cool to see her soo serious!! I LOVED IT WITH PASSION!!!!
Lorelai:The government will close that day.Barbra Streisand will give her final concert... again.
Meryl Streep has never given a performance that tops this one. Streisand has always been under-rated by her peers in hollywood...but fans know best, despite the political-ridden decisions of hollywood. One only needs to watch this film...see her perfect performance...the way she lost herself in this character. Make no mistake...Streisand WAS Claudia Draper in this film. She was beyond brilliant, and I am not an easy critic.
Despite the fact that Streisand was probably a *hair* too old to play the character...she made it work perfectly. She was brazenly sexual...brilliantly bitter...and exquisitely intelligent and witty. Dreyfuss had to run to keep up.
Screw the awards. Streisand can look back on this performance with pride. She is one of the top 3 greatest Hollywood actresses of all time. Hands down.
Agreed with everything said in this thread. Perhaps some people are afraid because Barbra not only is an incredible actress but she is also a brilliant mind. That's probably (in the screenplay) why Leslie Nielsen attacked her: he was frustrated because she (the character Claudia Draper) is way too bright for him.
Barbra is the only person I can think of who can make and star in films where she - on the surface - is just full of herself, but she actually always speaks for a very important cause and most likely millions of women can easily identify with her.
I only keep on forgetting including her in a 'best actress' list because I always see her as a singer - and no symphonic orchestra will ever be big enough for her.
And, oh yes, Richard Dreyfuss was an excellent choice. He (and his character Aaron Levinsky)was bright enough to let her play first fiddle. I loved the way it was handled how the two fall in love with each other ('aren't you supposed to be with the misses?'- 'No,it's right here where I have to be'). Damn, that's great stuff! It is very 'between the lines' and subtle, making it all the more powerful. Well, that's the way I see it.
I have always loved this movie. It has an incredible screenplay, great acting and lovely music by Babs herself.
But I must take issue w/2 things nitratestock35 said: "Perhaps some people are afraid because Barbra not only is an incredible actress but she is also a brilliant mind. That's probably (in the screenplay) why Leslie Nielsen attacked her: he was frustrated because she (the character Claudia Draper) is way too bright for him."
This makes no sense. Barbra's intelligence is why a character in a screenplay that knew nothing of what actress would get the role attacked a character in said same screenplay???
2nd, imho, Aaron Levinsky wasn't in love with Claudia. When he said, "No, no I'm supposed to be right here." He didn't mean that in a romantic way- he meant it as one hurt and injured human being to another. But that's just my opinion after several viewings.
Yep - good observation - I got it mixed up: Barbra more often than not seems to play herself - which is fine. So I took a shortcut. I meant: since the character Barbra is playing is obviously very smart (like herself)....
I also think that Richard Dreyfuss' character definitely grew fond of Claudia (Barbra) in a romantic way. This is just being hinted at in the movie and definitely open to interpretation.
I agree. This film was amazing. Streisand should been nominated for something. I thought her performance was to good to have been overlooked for at least a nomination for best actress that year. You did see some of the Streisand humor in bits at times. this is what gave her a heart and why I loved Claudia. Sorry I cant find my glasses. Just incase I misspeled anything
I agree. While Meryl Streep is probably my favorite female actor, Streisand, at times, is right up there. This role is one such example.
If you critically watch her performance, she executed virtually every nuance and subtelty in every phrase almost perfectly. She and Streep have a way of perfectly stating a line with almost perfect emotion, whether it be subtle or assertive. The way she looks up slighly when she's acting "contemplation" in addressing the judge at the end...the way she sometimes moves her lower jaw to the side when saying a line...her expressions...they are all so believable and make her acting so skillful.
I love the scene where she is having the drink with Leslie's character and at one point, something he says to her makes her slightly tilt her head to one side in curiosity. Just that sort of subtelty...and the way she says, "I'm about to slide off my chair" was simply perfect. She totally sold the sensuality of a high-class call girl.
This was almost perfect casting, as well. Dreyfuss was brilliant and the mediocre lawyer and Maureen Stapleton was also perfect. She played the dismayed and disillusioned wife/mother very effectively. As much as she was to blame for Claudia's pain...you couldn't help but forgive her in the end when she says, "Can...can I touch you?"
I agree with everyone. I just watched this movie again tonight for the upteenth time and I love it every time. Such great casting. Everyone from the judge to her 1st attorney- even the prosecutor was great. I loved when she went into lurid detail about what she did & then asked him, did you get that? The look of reaction on his face is great.
Dreyfuss didn't strike me as a "mediocre" lawyer though- working in the public defender's office doesn't necessarily mean you're mediocre, it may be to help people- not everyone is after a nice big sleazy buck. He struck me from the beginning of the movie as a good lawyer with a conscience.
And I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it is CLAUDIA, not her mother that asks at the end, "can I touch you?" But it's not really "bad" news because it is for that very reason, Claudia allowing her mother back into her world that makes it that much more powerful- it's the age old story of the victim forgiving their abuser. But is there any other way for the victim to move on, than to forgive? no. it is their only salvation too. On some deeper level, Claudia knew this.
I taped this last week mainly for Richard Dreyfuss (one of my favorites), but I was apprehensive about Streisand and was very close to deleting it. It took about 15 minutes for me to get into it, but boy did it hook me in... I figured out what she was hiding and it was a bit predictable, but the performances were incredible. I never knew Streisand could be that good of an actress and she really made this movie for me. IMHO, her performance was better than Nicholson's in "A Few Good Men". I am really surprised that this movie did not win more awards than it did.
This movie was incredible. I saw it in a video store one day...had never heard of it, which amazed me because I'm a HUGE Streisand fan. Took it home and was blown away. Have watched it at at least a dozen times since. It is the best performance of Streisand's career, no contest. Riveting from start to finish. She should have received an Oscar nomination for this performance. It was the year Cher won for MOONSTRUCK, one of the most overrated films ever made. I wouldn't even have nominated Cher and would have had Streisand the fifth Best Actress nominee. An amazing film and a triumph for Streisand.
This movie came out on my birthday and during my freshmen year we watched in a English class and I hated it. Streisand was 45 when she made this movie, prime age for a hooker. It's too bad that the girl was abused when she was young but killing Frank Drebin. She is a hooker and someone tried to rape her. It's like pretty women, just because she has sex with people for money doesn't mean she is a loser or a bad person, YES it does. So is such a waste of skin.
Wow, Bill, could your review be anymore useless? If you have issues with prostitutes on the whole, talk to a therapist about it. We're discussing a movie here, not your personal hang-ups and prejudices.
I was not expecting to enjoy this movie but did so - in no small part to Streisand's brilliance - one of the best pieces of acting I've seen of hers. It's a good ensemble piece but so nice to see Barbra featured for her acting (which can be irritating at times) instead of her voice - which I love, of course.