Oh, wow. Where to begin. First of all, you're welcome. I've watched the movie in it's entirety and now you don't have to. I've always been curious about this musical because I love Barbra Streisand and I like the title song. So, here's the plot as written on the DVD cover:
"Streisand is Daisy Gamble, a kooky chain-smoker desperate to kick the habit. She finds the perfect cure in the form of Dr. Marc Chabot (Yves Montand), a psychiatrist who uses hypnosis. However, when Daisy goes into a trance, she can regress into past lives and different personalities--including "Melinda," a 19th-century English coquette. And before you can say "amour," Dr. Marc has fallen in love with the enthralling, elusive Melinda . . . while Daisy, in turn, finds herself falling head-over-heels for the handsome hypnotist! Bob Newhart and Jack Nicholson add to the tune-filled fun in this romantic romp."
Can you believe this movie even got made? Just to be clear, Bob Newhart and Jack Nicholson do NOT add to the tune-filled romp. Streisand and Montand are the only characters who ever sing. Newhart and Nicholson are featured for about ten minutes of combined screen time. The movie is directed by the great Vincente Minelli, making this an excellent case of "When Bad Movies Happen To Good People." This movie narrowly escapes an "F" grade only because Daisy is a very watchable character. Melinda on the other hand . . .
Fast forward moment: All flashbacks, Yves Montand singing, anything without Daisy.
Grade: D
This isn't a Rewind That! moment. I thought it was the perfect representation of just how bad this movie is. Here you have the most bizarre example of flirting I've ever witnessed:
Scattered December
1 day ago
6 Wisecracks:
I made it a minute and 35 seconds into that clip. Booooo. Is that supposed to be a French accent (Barbra's)? Yikes.
The second I saw your post I thought about how I was forced to watch it as a child and how uncomfortable I was during the wine glass scene.
I believe that's Babs' British accent, nicole.
I love how you have so many stories about movies you were forced to watch as a kid, Liz!
just for fun, aron and i watched the full 8:44. okay, for real, did minelli think that someone would really want to watch that? i love how her mother refers to her talents. all i saw was a lady in a non-period gown with a huge bedazzled turban measuring the length of her nose with the length of her wine glass and then wiping it across her forhead and down to her cleavage. did she really think no one else in the room would catch her doing that? probably not because the women around the man were chowing down like they were in fast motion.
thank you for watching that movie so that we didn't have to.
can't wait for the next review!
I watched this in my "I love all things Barbra" phase years ago. Never did return to this one. I think it was the turban. :D
I actually saw a high school production of this (Idaho Falls, I think?) and checked out the movie because I was so confused. The high school was better than the movie and that is saying a LOT!
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