Rating: 
Summary: It's a movie, okay? ESCAPIST fare.
Review: As a rule, I ignore Streisand detractors among the critics. Most movie critics don't have a clue as to what they're talking about anyway and, like music critics, no one really listens to them.
I liked the movie; in fact, it's one of my favorites. Everything does not have to be deadly serious. Some movies are intended to be escapist fare - where you suspend disbelief. This is one of them.
Maybe I'm not a cinematic expert, but I know what I like - and I like this one!!
Rating:
Summary: Interesting to Watch...
Review: Its comedy for adults .... and luv for the youngs of heart.. Babs make a great performance as the hunk Bridges do his part as well... I am amazed Pierce got rejected .... A must see for any 'head filled with brains' chick...
Rating: 
Summary: Barbra Fan
Review: "The Mirror Has Two Faces" evidently has its detractors, but when I saw it on the big screen upon its release, it charmed me with its old-fashioned, 1940s-type romanticism and it remains appealing on repeated viewings.
Streisand plays Rose Morgan, a Columbia professor who lives with her beauty queen mother (Lauren Bacall) in an Upper East Side apartment; clearly she has always been under the shadow of her more showy sister Claire (Mimi Rogers) and rather the "odd girl out" in the family. Although a success as a teacher, she hasn't found the same satisfaction in her romantic life and has gotten used to being the bridesmaid and never the bride. Glamour-girl Claire gets the ball rolling by placing a personal ad on Rose's behalf which attracts the attention of mathematics and calculus professor Gregory Larkin (a charming Jeff Bridges). Recently spurned in love by a model, Bridges gets on like a house on fire with Rose and believes she is the perfect person for his experiment - a mutually satisfying relationship without the sexual quotient. Rose agrees to marry him with the understanding that there will be no physical involvement, only the intellectual bond, but quickly becomes unsatisfied.
The cast here is quite pleasant and work well together. Streisand does a good job directing, and it succeeds because it isn't about Rose's external metamorphosis into an "acceptable" beauty like her sister, but rather about her internal awakening where she sees that no one's life is merely "skin deep" -- not even those who appear to have it all. The characters all reveal other dimensions as the film progresses and as another reviewer pointed out, Rose learns not to settle (as does Larkin). I enjoyed the chemistry of Streisand and Bridges and their characters and immensely appreciated the presence of Brenda Vaccarro as Streisand's best friend. Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Tender, even to an old geezer like me.
Review: I liked this movie, and every so often my wife and just hold hands and watch it. I'm not proud of getting tears in my eyes, but this always touches me. It's a wonderful love story.
Rating:
Summary: A charming story of personal growth and self-acceptance.
Review: Barbra Streisand is not dowdy, yet her perfection in assuming the role as a lonely, middle-aged woman (Rose) is flawless. Rose is an excellent and popular college teacher. She knows how to teach, the way to involve and enchant a rowdy class, and she would rather watch baseball than go on another "dead end" date.
Jeff Bridges (Greg) is the handsome, yet exceedingly boring teacher. Most of the students in his math classes sleep, pass notes, chat. He is a lonely man, but all of his interpersonal relationships end as the woman moves on. He believes it is because he chooses stunning woman and then becomes intimate. He decides to find a perfect mate, and the main criterion is that she be ugly. His campaign begins with an advertisement. Claire is Rose?s sister, and she responds to the ad as if she were Rose.
Rose lives with her mother Hanna Morgan, played by Lauren Bacall, who did receive an Oscar nomination for the role of a selfish, self-absorbed, snob. Hanna has kept Rose under her thumb and in her house, and always plays the "What will I do if...?" or "Would you really leave me?" card. Her performance is extraordinary because she undermined Rose to keep her taking care of mommy dearest, but it is subtle.
Streisand directed this film, and though it may appear to be a showcase for her many talents, there is a strong message. Do not settle. Never accept the belief that you are ugly, even though your Mom and others tell you, as they did her all of her life. You can always become the person you want to be.
Rose and Greg date and eventually marry, but the terms are no amorous encounters. For example on their wedding night, they watch TV and they sleep in twin beds. In growing closer and falling in love, Rose teaches Greg "how to teach" and they are constant companions. Rose believes she can settle for this lack of affection, but she is in love with her husband and is a very sensuous woman.
Even though I prefer action films, I loved this movie. It is one of the better "chick flicks." There is a powerful and tender scene between Rose and Hannah regarding a very old photo. The universality of the film ? you are valuable, just as you are, do not settle -- makes this a classic favorite.
Victoria Tarrani
Rating: 
Summary: An embarrassing ego trip for Streisand
Review: Ugh, I just wanted to cover my eyes as I watched this movie. Rarely is a movie such a complete ego trip. Barbra Streisand's insecurities about her mother, her looks and her talent are well-known, but to design a star vehicle based solely on her insecurities? When she happens to be the director, actress, and producer? All I can say is yuck.
Streisand plays ... oh heck she plays Barbra Streisand. Actually she's a dumpy Columbia English professor with a beauty queen mom (Lauren Bacall). She enters into a platonic marriage with a math professor (Jeff Daniels), and then goes through the predictable makeover. It seems like an innocuous enough story, right? Well to give an idea of how much an ego trip this movie becomes, consider the "revelation" scene when Daniels returns home to find his wife all made over into a stunning blond "bombshell". Jazzy, porn-like music plays in the background, as the camera (in soft focus, to hide the wrinkles) SLOOOOWLY pans up Streisand's stockinged legs, over the contours of her hips, her black cocktail dress, and finally into her smug, smirking, come-hither face. Unlike other actresses Streisand has no sense of irony, no tongue-in-cheek humor, to lessen the utter narcissism of the scene.
Plenty of movies are narcissistic. I suppose that's no crime -- if I were famous I'd probably be the type to call up US Weekly fuming about an unflattering picture also. But the movie is also overlong, and takes itself way way too seriously. Moreover, to make these kind of Ugly Duckling transformations work, you actually have to look like an ugly duckling! Streisand is too egomaniacal to even do that -- in the "ugly" scenes she's so bathed in soft-focus photography and a kind of peach-tinted light that she practically glows, artificially. So when she "changes" she just looks like she ditched her blond wig and stuffed her chest. You can also almost hear the wheels going for the Big Moments, like Streisand announcing that she's getting married, or Lauren Bacall fondly remembering how great it was to be "beautiful." In the beginning there's some standard sitcomy humor, but that quickly gets lost as the movie becomes more and more bathetic.
The song of the movie, by the way ("I've Finally Found Someone") is also sung by you guessed it, Barbra Streisand. Not to be cruel, but really, you are not THAT fascinating.
Rating: 
Summary: The Mirror Crack'd
Review: Streisand's third directorial effort was greeted with surprisingly vicious reaction from both fans and critics, nearly all of whom immediately labeled it as an over-the-top vanity piece. It also had considerable difficulty at the box office. After opening with strong numbers, the $45 million budgeted film took a nose dive and did not recover. It ended up taking in $46 million domestically ($65 million worldwide), which was a respectable take, but far from the blockbuster status of films like A STAR IS BORN or THE PRINCE OF TIDES. When considering all of the above information, it's a bit surprising to discover that the film is nothing more than an entertaining and heart-felt romantic comedy. In hindsight, it's hard to understand why a such a harmless and light-weight film became such a lighting rod for scathing reviews and harsh comments.While the storyline is predictable, the movie is actually very well-done with a brisk pace, compelling characters, and a witty screenplay. The finale may come down a bit heavy-handed on the "message" end, but the build-up is effective enough to merit this indulgence. Though MIRROR doesn't match her previous two directorial efforts, Streisand does once again pull off the various actress/producer/director roles with great efficiently, and this results in an effective star vehicle for the then-54-year-old film legend. Jeff Bridges received a lot of flack for his completely unselfconscious portrayal, but I admire how completely he throws himself into the silly role. Lauren Bacall is brilliantly biting and luminous in her turn as Streisand's mother, a role that earned her first (and so far only) Oscar nomination. Mimi Rogers is also fun as Streisand's (...)younger sister, as is Brenda Vaccaro as her self-deprecating best friend - although Pierce Brosnan is wasted as a gigolo-like suitor. All in all, an enjoyably fluffy film, undeserving of the criticism it routinely receives. About the DVD: This was one of Columbia's first DVD releases, and while the picture and sound quality are great, there are no extras and the menus are hideous.
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