The Mirror Has Two Faces

This is a moving and challenging movie, fascinated by the murky depths that separate what people want from what they say they want and what they think they should want.

Streisand's direction is more sure here than it was in the overrated The Prince of Tides, but the rambling script (based on that of a 1958 French film) ultimately lets her down.

The narcissism on display is astonishing to behold, and veteran Barbra watchers will have a field day. Beyond that, pic does deliver a number of laughs, deep-dish luxury on the production side and an engagingly enthusiastic performance from Bridges, who represses his studly side behind a bow tie and a naive, then overly logical, then totally flustered demeanor.

It’s a time-tested concept that is sandbagged by Streisand’s refusal to play it more like an actress and less like a star.

Is it our fault that no one told Barbra Streisand she was pretty as a child? It must be, because she keeps making movies that punish us for our sin by trotting out a string of leading men (Omar Sharif, Robert Redford, Ryan O’Neal, Nick Nolte — name your hunk) who declare her the fairest of them all.

A few decent performances but a little mawkish in places, mainly those scenes with Babs on her own.

The loopy contrivance of this plot is exacerbated by the broadness with which Streisand directs Richard LaGravenese's script. The slapstick manner collides queasily with the therapeutic tone, producing more embarrassment than charm.