Funny Lady      

By Jenny Brown

When Barbra Streisand played Fanny Brice in Funny Girl, she brought to life a sympathetic yet strong-headed performer of stage and radio. In the sequel, Funny Lady, Brice comes off as a harsher woman, slightly bitchy, without the tremendous charm she possessed in the first film. Herbert Ross takes over as director (William Wyler oversaw Funny Girl), and the film just seems to get away from him. This sequel picks up during the Great Depression, when even the great star Fanny Brice is suffering. Along comes Billy Rose (James Caan), a small-time hustler who's out to make it big in show biz. The two pair up, both professionally and romantically, although things are uncertain when her first husband, Nick Arnstein (Omar Sharif), reappears on the scene. Much to the movie's detriment, Funny Lady concentrates more on Brice's professional life than on her personal life, as the first film does. The songs are elaborately staged numbers that Brice performs in the theaters, and while they are visually lush and spectacular, they lack conviction. Caan is solid in his role as the bumbling producer, but overall, the film is a disappointment. If you want more Barbra and Brice, rewatch Funny Girl.

Academy Awards

Funny Lady received Academy Awards nominations for Cinematography (James Wong Howe), Costume Design (Ray Aghayan, Bob Mackie), Music Scoring Awards (Best Original Song Score or Adaptation Score; Peter Matz), Music Best Song (Fred Ebb - Music & Lyrics, John Kander - Music & Lyrics) and Sound (Richard Portman, Don MacDougall, Curly Thirlwell, Jack Solomon).

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