Rating: 
Summary: An powerful film.
Review: Barbra Streisand in a powerful performance as a woman, she lives the life as a hooker, now she accused for manslaughter, the man was trying to kill her-Played By Leslie Neilsen. Now her new lawyer-Played By Richard Dreyfuss, try to save her from self-defense but he find out, she had another problems in the past.I just find out, she wasn`t nominated for Best Actress for a Oscar, what a shame. Strong Performances from the two leads (Streisand and Dreyfuss) also an good supporting performances. Extremly Well Directed By Martin Ritt and Great Screenplay. Grade:A.
Rating: 
Summary: Nuts for NUTS
Review: Barbra Streisand's 1987 film, NUTS, deals with appearances - a theme she explores in other films as well. NUTS is Barbra's second time out playing a prostitute. Claudia Draper, Barbra's character in NUTS, is very different from the comedic prostitute she plays in OWL & THE PUSSYCAT. In NUTS, Claudia faces a trial. The movie's drama lies in the outcome. Is Claudia really insane? Is she competent to stand trial for manslaughter? Or will her abrasive personality and challenging questions convince those in authority that she needs to be sent away to a hospital instead? Director Martin Ritt reveals what really happened to Claudia and her "client" (played by Leslie Nielson) pretty early in the story -- leaving the audience rooting for Claudia for the rest of the film. Barbra's performance as Claudia is very good. Barbra admits in the audio commentary that the role enabled her to vent some of her anger and play "the bad girl." She does so with relish, spouting four-letter words and sexually explicit dialogue. Barbra is very bold here. It's refreshing to see her go for it. It's hard to get past some of the obvious parallels in the movie with Barbra's real life. The entire theme of the film certainly pertains to Barbra's experiences in Hollywood - don't ask questions; stay in your place; play the part of the actress and don't rock the boat. In the commentary, Barbra admits that she gets into trouble when she tells the truth. Usually, people don't want to hear it and punish the truth-teller. Also, the stepfather role that Karl Malden plays brings to mind Barbra's difficult relationship with her own stepfather -- although the nature of the relationship in the film is quite different than Barbra's real-life experiences. Related to that is the mother-daughter dynamic. The film explores what choices a mother makes when she is divorced and desires another man in her life. How does the child suffer? What is more important -- one's own needs, or one's daughter's? On the surface level, the art direction for Claudia's apartment greatly resembles the color scheme of Streisand's art deco home, mauves and roses. The supporting actors in the film are mostly Actor's Studio veterans and film legends: Karl Malden, Maureen Stapleton, Eli Wallach. Richard Dreyfuss is good as Levinsky, Claudia's public defender. His character learns that the client should be heard, not "whipped by rules." Dreyfuss is particularly good (and very natural) when he finally stumbles onto a direct line of questioning during a cross-examination of Claudia's stepfather. As for the DVD, NUTS transfers pretty well. Andrzej Bartkowiak's cinematography suffers in electronic translation. His moving pictures are soft, dark, and subtle. The DVD looks grainy when the picture gets too dark. I'm sure this is a film versus video problem, as Warner Brothers DVDs tend to have excellent transfers. On my widescreen digital TV, NUTS looks best in its brighter scenes. The Streisand commentary is very interesting. She speaks during most of the film. She recounts production stories (boyfriend Richard Baskin suggested Barbra for the role to a Warner Brothers producer during a tennis game) and her interesting research into the role. I saw NUTS in the theaters in 1987 and was moved by the film then. Sixteen years later, the film holds up. The only weak link for me is the film's notion of a prostitute. I was confused by the portrait they painted. Barbra seems sophisticated and refined on Claudia's "dates." I kept wondering what type of call girl she was. Is she in the back of the phone book? Did she build a loyal clientele through referrals? The emotional part of the story, however, succeeds every time I watch NUTS. You'll root for Claudia. You'll hear what she's saying. She won't be another picture in your head. She won't play "nuts" for you.
Rating:
Summary: Nuts for NUTS
Review: Barbra Streisand's 1987 film, NUTS, deals with appearances - a theme she explores in other films as well. NUTS is Barbra's second time out playing a prostitute. Claudia Draper, Barbra's character in NUTS, is very different from the comedic prostitute she plays in OWL & THE PUSSYCAT. In NUTS, Claudia faces a trial. The movie's drama lies in the outcome. Is Claudia really insane? Is she competent to stand trial for manslaughter? Or will her abrasive personality and challenging questions convince those in authority that she needs to be sent away to a hospital instead? Director Martin Ritt reveals what really happened to Claudia and her "client" (played by Leslie Nielson) pretty early in the story -- leaving the audience rooting for Claudia for the rest of the film. Barbra's performance as Claudia is very good. Barbra admits in the audio commentary that the role enabled her to vent some of her anger and play "the bad girl." She does so with relish, spouting four-letter words and sexually explicit dialogue. Barbra is very bold here. It's refreshing to see her go for it. It's hard to get past some of the obvious parallels in the movie with Barbra's real life. The entire theme of the film certainly pertains to Barbra's experiences in Hollywood - don't ask questions; stay in your place; play the part of the actress and don't rock the boat. In the commentary, Barbra admits that she gets into trouble when she tells the truth. Usually, people don't want to hear it and punish the truth-teller. Also, the stepfather role that Karl Malden plays brings to mind Barbra's difficult relationship with her own stepfather -- although the nature of the relationship in the film is quite different than Barbra's real-life experiences. Related to that is the mother-daughter dynamic. The film explores what choices a mother makes when she is divorced and desires another man in her life. How does the child suffer? What is more important -- one's own needs, or one's daughter's? On the surface level, the art direction for Claudia's apartment greatly resembles the color scheme of Streisand's art deco home, mauves and roses. The supporting actors in the film are mostly Actor's Studio veterans and film legends: Karl Malden, Maureen Stapleton, Eli Wallach. Richard Dreyfuss is good as Levinsky, Claudia's public defender. His character learns that the client should be heard, not "whipped by rules." Dreyfuss is particularly good (and very natural) when he finally stumbles onto a direct line of questioning during a cross-examination of Claudia's stepfather. As for the DVD, NUTS transfers pretty well. Andrzej Bartkowiak's cinematography suffers in electronic translation. His moving pictures are soft, dark, and subtle. The DVD looks grainy when the picture gets too dark. I'm sure this is a film versus video problem, as Warner Brothers DVDs tend to have excellent transfers. On my widescreen digital TV, NUTS looks best in its brighter scenes. The Streisand commentary is very interesting. She speaks during most of the film. She recounts production stories (boyfriend Richard Baskin suggested Barbra for the role to a Warner Brothers producer during a tennis game) and her interesting research into the role. I saw NUTS in the theaters in 1987 and was moved by the film then. Sixteen years later, the film holds up. The only weak link for me is the film's notion of a prostitute. I was confused by the portrait they painted. Barbra seems sophisticated and refined on Claudia's "dates." I kept wondering what type of call girl she was. Is she in the back of the phone book? Did she build a loyal clientele through referrals? The emotional part of the story, however, succeeds every time I watch NUTS. You'll root for Claudia. You'll hear what she's saying. She won't be another picture in your head. She won't play "nuts" for you.
Rating:
Summary: Great Film
Review: Everyone already knows this is a good film. Both the acting and the directing are fantastic. Very well done.
Rating:
Summary: "I won't be nuts for you!"
Review: I would give this film four-and-a-half stars. Badly neglected by both audiences and critics at the time of it's original release, NUTS is a film that is ripe for reevaluation. Based on Tom Toplor's 1981 courtroom play, NUTS is definitely a dialogue-based film with little Hollywood flashiness. Though generally well-written (by Toplor, adapting his own work with Darryl Ponicsan and Alvin Sargent) and sharply staged and directed by veteran Martin Ritt, it is the cast whom is really responsible bringing NUTS to life. Barbra Streisand gives an absolutely bravura performance that should have earned her an Oscar nomination. Alternately hilarious and frightening, Streisand is always mesmerizing as she delves so far into character. Richard Dreyfess is nothing less than Streisand's equal as her public defender. He too was robbed of an Oscar nomination. The supporting cast is a top-notch ensemble of professional character actors (Maureen Stapleton, Eli Wallach, Robert Webber, James Whitmore, and Karl Malden), all of whom work their craft flawlessly. Nuts' screenplay does indulge in the predictability of some of the typical courtroom-plot conventions a little too often, and it hardly gives us any surprises. However, I still praise Toplor's script for it's fascinating exploration of what constitutes as normality and whether or not the insane should be required to receive treatment. NUTS isn't going to win over any fans of 3-cuts-per-second action films, but it leave lovers of thought-provoking, expertly-acted dramas fascinated. About the DVD: The picture quality is dark and grainy, however, I believe that this reflects the film's intended look. The sound is fine, and it's nice to have the film's trailer included. Streisand's intelligent and entertaining full-length commentary is the main extra here, and it more than makes up for the disappointing tracks she contributed to the WHAT'S UP, DOC? and MAIN EVENT DVDs.
Rating:
Summary: "I won't be nuts for you!"
Review: I would give this film four-and-a-half stars. Badly neglected by both audiences and critics at the time of it's original release, NUTS is a film that is ripe for reevaluation. Based on Tom Toplor's 1981 courtroom play, NUTS is definitely a dialogue-based film with little Hollywood flashiness. Though generally well-written (by Toplor, adapting his own work with Darryl Ponicsan and Alvin Sargent) and sharply staged and directed by veteran Martin Ritt, it is the cast whom is really responsible bringing NUTS to life. Barbra Streisand gives an absolutely bravura performance that should have earned her an Oscar nomination. Alternately hilarious and frightening, Streisand is always mesmerizing as she delves so far into character. Richard Dreyfess is nothing less than Streisand's equal as her public defender. He too was robbed of an Oscar nomination. The supporting cast is a top-notch ensemble of professional character actors (Maureen Stapleton, Eli Wallach, Robert Webber, James Whitmore, and Karl Malden), all of whom work their craft flawlessly. Nuts' screenplay does indulge in the predictability of some of the typical courtroom-plot conventions a little too often, and it hardly gives us any surprises. However, I still praise Toplor's script for it's fascinating exploration of what constitutes as normality and whether or not the insane should be required to receive treatment. NUTS isn't going to win over any fans of 3-cuts-per-second action films, but it leave lovers of thought-provoking, expertly-acted dramas fascinated. About the DVD: The picture quality is dark and grainy, however, I believe that this reflects the film's intended look. The sound is fine, and it's nice to have the film's trailer included. Streisand's intelligent and entertaining full-length commentary is the main extra here, and it more than makes up for the disappointing tracks she contributed to the WHAT'S UP, DOC? and MAIN EVENT DVDs.
Rating:
Summary: Wow!Best Streisand movie ever
Review: It's a must see.The only disapointment is that Babs didnt get nominated as best actress at The Academy Awards.It's compeling and the ending is perfect.Good Job!
Rating:
Summary: Nuts is like Buttah!!!
Review: On July 1, 2003 I went Nuts when I found out that Bab's was going to release this movie on DVD. I got home put the DVD in the player and sat back to hear Bab's audio commentary to the film. I was overjoyed and very happy to hear her voice while I watched the movie. This is my favorite Barbra Streisand movie and thought that the commentary and the widescreen version of this movie is EXCELLENT! I highly recommend this movie to everyone who hasn't seen it. And this DVD version is a must for any Streisand Fan. Now all we need is Yentl and A Star Is Born to be done the same way. Keep up the great work Barbra!
Daniel Sinton a 30 year old fan!
Rating: 
Summary: Barbra as a hooker?
Review: Rent it for the hilarious moment when Babs walks into a restaurant and the camera follows her--in profile--as all the men in the place leer at her. Ah, the movies!
Rating:
Summary: Bad Movie
Review: Streisand lets her ego get in the way. She tells off everybody; she tells off lawyers;she tells off judges;she tells off her parents and lucky you were not there because she would tell off you. You right I did not like this movie. Becuase if we were put in this situtation we would have to show some respect to authority or suffer the consequences. I can not see anybody acting this way in court and getting away with it. The movie is a waste of time and talent.
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