THE MIRROR HAS TWO FACES
A film review by Michael John Legeros
Copyright 1996 Michael John Legeros
(TriStar) Directed by Barbra Streisand Written by Richard LaGravenese Cast Barbra Streisand, Jeff Bridges, Lauren Bacall, Pierce Brosnan, Mimi Rogers, George Segal, Brenda Vaccaro MPAA Rating "PG-13" Running Time 125 minutes Reviewed at Mission Valley Cinemas, Raleigh, NC (09NOV96)
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THE MIRROR HAS TWO FACES is a mess. Babs' new movie is a tedious exploration of a woman's appearance and her self-opinion therein, disguised as an old-fashioned romantic comedy about two college professors (Babs and Jeff Bridges) who enter into a chaste marriage because "sex ruins everything," set in an indulgent fantasy world populated by beautiful people like Elle Macpherson (as Bridges' ex- girlfriend!) and Pierce Brosnan (as Babs' old beau!), and shot through an endless series of hazy filters, or, perhaps, a year's worth of old pantyhose. The laughs are there, sometimes intended and sometimes not. I howled as an over-pronounced saxophone (on the soundtrack) circled the two during an intimate moment. And how about that busy Marvin Hamlisch score, that you half-expect Babs to break into song with?
Mr. Bridges is great fun to watch as the button-downed, bow-tied intellectual whose idea of a good time is bringing a spectral analyzer to a Christmas concert. (How much are those, anyway?) His character is perfectly serious (and perfectly believable) when he says "I'm sure if sex is something that interests you, I would provide that on occasion." Also very funny are Lauren Bacall and Mimi Rogers, as Barbra's mother and sister, respectively. (George Segal and Brenda Vaccaro, in supporting roles, are largely wasted.) As for Babs herself, well, it's quite a stretch to believe her as an ugly duckling spinster. Especially given the care that she's taken to look good in every. single. frame. Maybe if she had a fat suit, a la Eddie Murphy in THE NUTTY PROFESSOR?
Grade: C+
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Mike Legeros - Raleigh, NC, USA, Earth legeros@pagesz.net (h) - legeros@unx.sas.com (w) I'm also on the Web! http://www.pagesz.net/~legeros/
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