L'amore ha due facce

About the only redeeming characteristics are that Jeff Bridges' character realizes that he has been a schmuck, and Lauren Bacall's character realized how hurtful the cumulative effect of words can be. Otherwise, I found myself becoming annoyed at the overall message.

First off, why must a woman re-make herself totally in order to be seen as sexually attractive? Rose looked far better at the start of the movie than she did at the end. Secondly, What was wrong with the way "Rose" looked at the start of the movie? Totally comfortable, quirky, and sensible. And the idea that a size eight is considered "fat" .... well, I just rolled at that one.

Rose does repudiate sheer looks by the end of the film, but the moment is almost too tiny to be noticed. The bulk of the film shows a woman thinking she's ugly, when she is far from it (but that's a Streisand trope: Babs, you have a big nose, and who cares? You look fine and very attractive), and thinking that comfortable clothes mean frumpiness. It encourages the over-awareness of body--since when has a size eight been "too fat"?????? Basically, Rose's re-awakening to the importance of mind and self, not external standards of beauty, is too little to compensate for all the rest of the film.

I just want to begin by saying that, yes, I am a Barbra Streisand fan. However I am not the type of fan that regards everything she does as perfect. For instance I can safely say that "Yentl", while a very good idea and a noble effort was overindulgent and in desperate need of editing. Now as far as this film is concerned I never went to see it because I was told that all it was about was some ugly Jewish girl who in order to get her man bleaches her hair and loses weight. But after a spontaneous rental I was surprised to find myself actually enjoying it. At the end I realized that it wasn't as "sexist" and "anti-woman" as I had initially believed. Instead, it took seeing the "made-up" Barbra for Jeff Bridges to realize how beautiful the "un-made" Barbra was. The film was well acted all around, and well directed by Ms. Streisand.

The mirror has two faces: Barbra Streisand and ... surprise! ... Barbra Streisand! More explicit: the funny Barbra Streisand and the divine Barbra Streisand. Well, this miraculous metamorphosis is of course kind of disgusting and I wouldn't be the first person to argue that Barbra Streisand has a tendency to fancy herself pretty much (and I myself was already able to tell so from the unnecessarily long ending of "The Prince of Tides" - a very good movie). But as annoying as it may sometimes be, this is an extremely well-done and multi-faceted movie. Let me try to tell you, why I voted "7".

It starts rather mediocre when Streisand and Jeff Bridges get to know each other, talk some silly stuff and behave like little children. From time to time it gives a number of very good lines to Lauren Bacall, who is perfect as Streisand's mother. By the time Streisand and Bridges get married you are tempted to say: "Yes, very nice, but it's crap actually, isn't it?" But you won't think of saying that in the end.

The movie is a romantic comedy - containing a couple of cliches, fine - but with a new, non-cliche structure. This is no kitsch, not at all, oh no! Instead, it's made up of very good lines and very truthful moments. These are connected in a way that makes our emotion rise but leaves us unable to tell which words, which gestures made it rise. How come? The romance doesn't develop in the way we would expect it and have seen it many times before, no, this romantic comedy goes the long way round: First there is only a small deal of attraction, then there is previously unknown disillusionment - a black hole almost - and then love enters the stage. The final romantic scene fits into romantic comedy conventions, but it also fits into the picture and Streisand and Bridges deserve it. What a wonderful movie!

Basically Barbra Streisand is a good actress, but she loves exaggerating. She is able to manage difficult scenes, but she tries to be funny where being funny can't work and sometimes she's just hopping through the scene like a twittering sparrow instead of performing the emotions required for that scene. And after her metamorphosis she's more interested in her make-up than in her character.

Lauren Bacall plays a mean, self-addicted and vain old beast with a heart and a vulnerable soul. The scene where mother and daughter talk openly in the kitchen is wonderful. Even Pierce Brosnan is better than I would have expected.

Finally, the movie shows us the great versatility of Jeff Bridges: you've never seen him so very soft before (rude as he was in "The Fabulous Baker Boys", cool in "Nadine" or smooth and evil in "Jagged Edge"). However, he is exaggerating, too: which man can act this untruthful and affected?! In the scenes from Streisand's and his marriage his character is almost eerie - may this be good or bad for the movie...

A little pretentious at first (thinking of that lecture on love). But the movie blossoms in to something quite mature, and fresh. It has its faults. The message is a little dated. The arc about being attractive kind of came from out of nowhere and didn't feel relevant. BUT, overall a very enjoyable film.

The Mirror Has Two Faces is one of Barbra's finest works. In this movie you have two people,(Barbra and Jeff Bridges),who are both weary and skeptical about "true" love, but both have different outlooks on it. Barbra is optimistic and hopeful, while Jeff Bridges feels that the only way to make a relationship last is to completely take the sex out of it and have a loving friendship only,(one based strictly on companionship). The movie explores both of the main characters inner fears and inner struggles in a way that, not unless you're not human, you can certainly relate with. For instance: In reality, Barbra's character felt inwardly about herself that she wasn't good enough....wasn't attractive enough. She liked the idea of marrying Jeff Bridges character under the premise of strictly a loving companionship only because her character feels...well, my goodness! Here's a really handsome man that really likes me and likes being with me. He wants to take sex out of the equation, but...that's okay. It's NOT what I really want, but I'll "SETTLE". On the other hand, Jeff Bridges character, Gregory, feels that with all his failed relationships of the past, that if he takes sex out of the picture, that maybe, just maybe, it'll last. He wants a true, loving, one on one relationship with another woman but he really doesn't want to have it be without physical love either. But...out of fear that it wont last, he decides that he's got to take the physical part out of it, even though deep down inside, he doesn't really want that. So...he "SETTLES" as well. In reality, they have both truly fallen in love with each other, but both are trying to abide by what they both agreed to; a loving friendship only, with absolutely no physical love. This creates many, many tense situations between them that end up creating very funny scenes and lines. Theres a scene right after they get married and the two of them are in their home, all done for the day unpacking and getting settled. Jeff Bridge's character says to Barbra's..."So! What do you want to do now?" Barbra, innocently meaning to suggest they both go to sleep, shrugs her shoulders and says..."Go to bed". Jeff's eyes get all nervous looking and he starts having difficulty breathing. Barbra's character replies..."No! I mean, to sleep, that is! One goes to bed...to sleep!" A little later on she is unloading all this frustration and tension to her sister Claire in a phone conversation. She says..."I don't know how to ask for it Claire!" Meaning sex. She continues to say..."Sometimes we're so "polite" to each other I feel like we're two roommates living in a charm school!" Her sister replies..."Just give him a "look" that makes him "know" you want sex!" Barbra's character then replies..."I tried that once. He thought I had something in my eye!" Yes indeed, there are many great moments in this film. In the end, what's great is that both of the characters understand that what they did was "settle", and "settling", especially with something as important as true love is never a good idea. But more importantly, they learn that in the end, anything truly worthwhile, sometimes you have to take risks for. Unless you are really that jaded, you can not leave this movie by it's end without feeling,(even if just a little),good! The supporting cast is great, including Lauren Bacall, Brenda Vacaro and George Segal. A wonderful film. Truly one of Barbra's finest.