Rating: 
Summary: Just as great as "Funny Girl"
Review: "Funny Lady" is just as great as "Funny Girl."I still can't get over what a wonderfull singer James Caan is."Me and my Shadow" and "Its only a paper Moon" really amazed me. I love the idea of having a part 2 of the classic,"Don't rain on my Parade" with "Let's hear it for me." The most modern song on the album,and one record that could have released as a single,"It's gonna be a great day," is my favorite number from the soundtrack.All of Barbra's fans were waiting for years to see the follow up film from the classic "Funny Girl." It was worth the wait.
Rating: 
Summary: A Worthy and Cruelly Underappreciated Sequel
Review: After reading so many negative reviews of this movie, I was surprised to find that I actually loved it. To refute:She is bitchy because she has been bruised. Notice upon another rewatching of "Funny Girl" how Fanny slowly but surely learns to cover up her pain and anguish through her constant performativity. Whatever innocence was left in her is gone after Nick walked out the door. "Funny Lady" is a worthy sequel because, psychologically, it starts where the last movie leaves off. Fanny must learn to love again. The reason you don't see "sweet Barbra" until the train sequence is because the movie is ABOUT the re-emergence of the sincere woman. Pay attention to the kinds of lines the writers of both "Funny Girl" and "Funny Lady" give to Fanny Brice. This is the same woman. Only older. Wiser. More bruised. And to those of you who call the movie "cliché," I wonder if you missed the ending. Is the movie overproduced? Yes. Is it poorly written? No. I would argue that this movie very nearly merits its original in quality, but because it very sincerely tackles the problems of maturity, the problem of Life After Love, its themes may be too complex for those looking only for another tragic love story. As someone who knows the power of First Love, I found this movie honest and moving, worthy in nearly every way to its prequel, and though there's not enough room in this space to defend it fully, I count myself among those prepared to do so. The DVD gets four stars because there are no special features.
Rating:
Summary: A Worthy and Cruelly Underappreciated Sequel
Review: After reading so many negative reviews of this movie, I was surprised to find that I actually loved it. To refute: She is bitchy because she has been bruised. Notice upon another rewatching of "Funny Girl" how Fanny slowly but surely learns to cover up her pain and anguish through her constant performativity. Whatever innocence was left in her is gone after Nick walked out the door. "Funny Lady" is a worthy sequel because, psychologically, it starts where the last movie leaves off. Fanny must learn to love again. The reason you don't see "sweet Barbra" until the train sequence is because the movie is ABOUT the re-emergence of the sincere woman. Pay attention to the kinds of lines the writers of both "Funny Girl" and "Funny Lady" give to Fanny Brice. This is the same woman. Only older. Wiser. More bruised. And to those of you who call the movie "cliché," I wonder if you missed the ending. Is the movie overproduced? Yes. Is it poorly written? No. I would argue that this movie very nearly merits its original in quality, but because it very sincerely tackles the problems of maturity, the problem of Life After Love, its themes may be too complex for those looking only for another tragic love story. As someone who knows the power of First Love, I found this movie honest and moving, worthy in nearly every way to its prequel, and though there's not enough room in this space to defend it fully, I count myself among those prepared to do so. The DVD gets four stars because there are no special features.
Rating:
Summary: How Lucky?
Review: Barbra Streisand doesn't talk about FUNNY LADY that much. She did not include any songs or references to it in her 1992 CD collection "Just For The Record". (The FUNNY LADY soundtrack was not recorded for her record label - another possible reason why it was not included). Several of the Streisand biographies "quote" Streisand as saying that Ray Stark (the producer behind the successful FUNNY GIRL) would have to drag her to court in order to make FUNNY LADY. It is also said that Streisand's burgeoning love affair with former hairdresser Jon Peters sustained her during the filming of FUNNY LADY - as if the the romance made up for the fact that the work on a FUNNY GIRL sequel was unfulfilling. Whatever the true story is, we now have a brand new FUNNY LADY DVD from Columbia Pictures. For people like me who made the jump from VHS to DVD (and skipped the laser disk revolution in the 90's), it is wonderful to finally view this film in all its WIDESCREEN glory! James Wong Howe (no relation, although I'm proud to share his surname) photographed FUNNY LADY, and it looks good! The color palette utilized by the film's designers is a bit bawdy for my tastes. In some scenes, though, the design is wonderful - especially in the "Clap Hands" musical number with Ben Vereen. As for FUNNY LADY, the movie, it has held up well. Some Streisand fans jokingly refer to the Fanny Brice character in FUNNY GIRL as "good Fanny" and the character in FUNNY LADY as "evil Fanny". The script for FUNNY LADY completely changes the character. Fanny, grown up, is shrewd, cynical, and curt. She calls everyone "kid". After not having seen this film for several years, I think Streisand does a great job! "Fanny Brice" in FUNNY LADY is a true character that Streisand plays with an edge. She's not a particularly attractive character - a little annoying - but, nonetheless, a fully realized character. I think some FUNNY GIRL fans want the melodramatic Fanny back for FUNNY LADY. They want more suffering and torch songs and romance. The love affair in FUNNY LADY is not combustible. James Caan (as Billy) is a schmuck. Fanny sings a song called "Isn't This Better?" One of the lyrics says: "Passion is fine, but passion burns fast. Passion's design seems never to last." FUNNY LADY, I think, is about Fanny's decision to love again, but in a different, "safe and serene" way than she loved Nick in FUNNY GIRL. Enjoy it!
Rating:
Summary: entertaining sequel
Review: Barbra Streisand reprises her masterful portrayal of Fanny Brice in this belated sequel to FUNNY GIRL, FUNNY LADY. Although this by no means is as good as the original (and what could?), on it's own terms it's not half-bad as a wonderful musical. The story picks up in the middle of the Depression. Ziegfeld has lost all his money and the "Follies" are washed-up. Fanny finds herself broke and unemployed, until brash showman Billy Rose (James Caan) helps her and puts her back on top. But not before staging the disastrous musical "Crazy Quilt", a horrible hotch-potch of numbers with waaaay too much scenery and too little substance. Fanny helps him to trim the show, and soon it is the toast of Broadway. Barbra is luminous, singing some great Kander-Ebb songs like "How Lucky Can You Get?", the ballad "Isn't It Better?", and the show-stopping "Let's Hear It For Me", which is reminiscent of "Don't Rain On My Parade". It truly is fantastic as a follow-on from FUNNY GIRL, and features Omar Sharif (reprising his Nick Arnstein), Roddy McDowall and Ben Vereen.
Rating:
Summary: Her Beauty Doesn't Hide Her Talent
Review: Beautiful movie stars always have the extra burden of proving their talent as actresses. Barbra Streisand's self assured performance in Funny Lady excells for the simple reason that Barbra didn't hide behind a self imposed veil of "dramatic non-glamour" so often resorted to by actress looking for a new appraoch ("Oh look! She's wearing slippers - and no make-up! She must be acting!") but rather embraced the physical beauty and glamour of her character and her self and still turns in a whoppingly great performance. I have alwasy regretted that this movie is somehow shunned (did any of you see it at the AFI tribute?) because it truly is one of the greatest film performances ever delivered by an actress. One reviewer said in 1975 (and I paraphrase) "Fanny warns Billy Rose that his entire production is swamped and in many ways the same can be said for Funny Lady the movie..." The review then went on to say that Barbra finds her dramactic calm in all that's going on around her and with a simple telephone conversation she can convey to the audience all the hurt, anguish, pain and love that goes into making a relationship work. (The reviewer awarded the film 4 out of 4 stars based mostly on Barbra's performance). I was eight years old when "Funny Girl" was released so I did not have the love affair with Fanny Brice that America had. I knew of Barbra Streisand in the same manner as I knew of Carol Burnett - somebody who was famous but I never got to stay up late enough to see their stuff. My first impact with Barbra at the cinema was "The Way We Were", so I've always known her to play strong women who chose self (or accepted the choice of self) over love so I was well able to accept the "harsher" realities of "Funny Lady" that it seems so many of the people who were in love with "Funny Girl" were not able to accept. Barbra, to me, was the only working actress who embodied the "women's movement" that I was reading about in school (and witnessing first hand as school yard moms began to disappear into the work force) so I really loved the message of "Funny Lady" ("our timing was always off") and believe me if this movie had starred Marie Christine Berrault or Juliet Binoche or Emma Thompson the Americans would have loved it. But it starred their very own 'funny girl' and in many ways the critics and audiences were hesitant to let her grow up. A great great movie. Years from now it will be considered, along with "Up the Sandbox" as truly visionary and an adept commentary on relastionships, self approval and personal growth. I applaud the dvd availability of this film.
Rating: 
Summary: Pale stuff from an awful movie
Review: Boring music from one of the worst sequels ever
Rating:
Summary: A Good Sequel, As Sequels Go
Review: Director Herb Ross said Barbra slept-walked thru this film because she was so in love at the time, and critic Pauline Kael said BS's performance was like seeing a drag performance of Barbra. But for all the guff BS got for the sequel, it's really not that bad. True, it's no Funny Girl, but that's pretty hard to live up to. The film is very entertaining on it's own level. The production numbers, the actors, and Streisand's voice are all winners. I especially like the repartee between Cann and Streisand, definitiely one of the best co-stars BS has had. A highlight: Barbra belting "How Lucky Can you Get." One of the most dynamic numbers she's ever done. Enjoy this fun and colorful Barbra musical (there aren't too many of them.)
Rating:
Summary: How Unlucky Can You Get?
Review: From the very start of the picture, one can't help but get the feeling that a sequel to FUNNY GIRL was a big mistake. FUNNY LADY reaks of bad taste on just about every level. By 1975, the glory days of the Hollywood musical were long past. Even by 1968, public interest in the musical genre was waning fast. In many ways, FUNNY GIRL seemed a bit "old fashioned" for the revolutionary social climate of the late 60s. One has to wonder why Ray Stark (whose wife was the daughter of the late Fanny Brice) would want to subject himself and his star to such utter hokum contained in these 135 minutes. Well, if that question remains in your mind even past the credit of this mess, then we are on the same page. FUNNY LADY is a lesson in the sequel gone bad. In fact, everything about this "sequel" smells of rotten tomatoes. Where FUNNY GIRL left the audience with a bittersweet finale, FUNNY LADY takes the Brice story further to portray her as an utterly unlikeable banshee. Bitter from the heartbreak of Nick Arnstein? Well if this is to be true, than the audience is made to take an enormous leap of faith in character development. Streisand looks totally bored throughout this film. That sense of "deja vu" makes for a shrill and unpleasant screen performance. To top it off, there is absolutely NO chemistry between Streisand and Caan. Their relationship is never believable as they are such cardboard characters. The only REAL moments of chemistry are the brief scenes with Streisand and Sharif. But Omar Sharif seems to have walked in from a much better picture (FUNNY GIRL) as there is very little here for him to do than to let the audience know he's a ream schmuck. The scenes with Sharif and Streisand make you want to watch FUNNY GIRL again, not this mess. The other BIG stinker in this picture is the utterly banal score by Kander and Ebb. The lyrics and melodies sound like rejects from CABARET. Even the Marvin Hamlisch arrangement of Billy Rose standards lack punch. Herbert Ross' direction here is slooow going. The crackle and pop of his direction of Streisand 5 years before in THE OWL AND THE PUSSYCAT is absent here. Fizzle and drip is descriptive I would use for FUNNY LADY. With all of this in mind, what is there about FUNNY LADY to love? Well, if nothing else it will a). make you want to watch FUNNY GIRL again b). put on a Fanny Brice record or watch Brice in THE GREAT ZIEGFELD. As a film, its forgettable and terrbily wasteful. From a technical standpoint, THIS DISC DOES NOT CONTAIN A FULL-SCREEN ratio as promised on the package. It contains only the WIDESCREEN transfer. The disc is dual layered, but does not contain the fullscreen version as advertised (not that you really need it). Also missing is a trailer for FUNNY LADY. We just get a trailer for the incomprehensible FOR PETE'S SAKE.
Rating:
Summary: FUNNY LADY RE-RELEASE SHINES WITH SPECIAL GEMS
Review: Funny Lady (the movie) wasn't as special as Funny Girl, but the soundtrack has some great songs! What's so special about this re-release/re-master is that some alternate studio takes are included. The big surprise is "Great Day"--it's a completely different version than the old LP (if you've got that hanging around the house...) Also, the album includes Barbra's "Well, I'll be damned..." intro to "Let's Hear it for Me" (again, a new surprise not included in older versions of the album.) Another gem is the "How Lucky Can You Get" bonus cut, which is a "single" version of the song with different arrangement and a playful Barbra vocal. I LOVE FUNNY LADY, the soundrack!!! If you love Barbra, don't miss it. It's 1970's Barbra, when her voice was at it's height of artisticness. "More Than You Know" and "Isn't This Better" are incredible ballads. But the main reason to own this CD is because of the alternate cuts they've included. Truly fascinating!
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