The Mirror has Two Faces (B+ or 3.5/4 stars)
Barbra Streisand directs herself & Jeff Bridges as two people in an unlikely relationship in 'The Mirror has Two Faces' (written by Richard LaGravanese). Math professor Gregory Larkin (Bridges) places a lonely-hearts ad in the paper stating that he is looking for companionship with an intelligent woman ... but not romance {he's been burned many times before}. Claire (Mimi Rogers), an attractive woman in her 30s, answers the ad for her older, frumpy, homebody sister, Rose (Streisand); who also happens to be a college professor of romantic literature, and still lives with her mother, Hannah (the great Lauren Bacall). Rose doesn't think she is remotely pretty, especially when compared to her glamorous mother who was a stunning woman in her youth.
Rose also secretly longs for Claire's handsome new husband, Alex (Pierce Brosnan). Conversely, Gregory is a bookworm-type and gets flustered {to say the LEAST} whenever he is around pretty women. Eventually Rose & Gregory get together. She really likes him, and he really likes her, too -- not love, exactly yet. And his initial plan for a union based on celibacy seems perfectly ideal for the two of them. She agrees to marry him because she can't believe a man is interested in her; even agreeing to his terms: no sex, just respect & a 'meeting of two minds'. They marry, & their close proximity to each other stirs romantic feelings {and clumsy amorous advances} in her that directly clash with Gregory's platonic marriage ideal. As their beliefs & desires vastly differ, they must figure out how to deal with their feelings for each other if the marriage is to last.
It is rare to find a movie that deals smartly with issues of love & sex, and also contains verbose characters about those topics -- refreshing. Listening to Rose & Gregory just ... talk ... was a pleasure. There is a great scene btwn. Rose & her mother (Bacall), as well, in which we 1st see a photo of the mother when she was a beauuutiful 20 yr. old and daughter Rose asks: "How did it feel? Being beautiful?" Hannah's reply: "It was wonderful". Hannah then shows a photo of an adorable baby, which Rose assumes is of her sister; but it's a photo of baby Rose. "You were such a perfect baby", Hannah says. And Rose replies, with real heart, "Thanks for showing me this picture, mom" -- it's just a lovely, lovely scene. After this shot in the arm by her mother, Rose transforms herself thanks to exercise, dieting, new outfits, make-up & hair dye. Sounds flimsy, but in context of the story in this film, it just works.
If you like sweet, old-fashioned, escapist romantic dramedies the way they made 'em in the 1950s/60s {this film is, in fact, based on a 1958 French film}, then you'll probably like this movie; loving Barbra Streisand & Jeff Bridges helps, greatly. There's nothing really new to this tried-&- story: man & woman meet; a relationship ensues; they break-up; they get back together again, etc. But the whole thing is just very easy to watch unfold. Cinematographers Dante Spinotti & Andrzej Bartkowiak make NYC look as amazing as it is. And the performances are very good.
Streisand is Streisand; appealing, amusing, emotional. So if you love her and/or her acting style, you'll really delight in her Rose. Bridges' emotionally-scarred Gregory is someone we simultaneously get irked with, and yet also want him to break-through with his feelings. Mimi Rogers has a good time as Streisand's attractive, somewhat b*tchy younger sister. But the film's finest performance comes from legendary, veteran actress Lauren Bacall, who is just superb as the humorously scheming, heart-of-gold mother who, ultimately, just wants her daughter to be happy. Bacall was considered a shoo-in to win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress after having won the Golden Globe & SAG Award, but lost in the end to the great Juliette Binoche in Oscar juggernaut, The English Patient. In retrospect, the win makes sense - and Binoche WAS fantastic - but it was a huge shock on the night.
Closing out my praise of the film, I commend Marvin Hamlisch's memorable music score, as well the popular hit song sung - and co-written - by Streisand & Bryan Adams, "I've Finally Found Someone". The acting & music are huge draws in seeing this film. The run time is a tad long for this genre and, the comedy dissipates near the end, but again, if you are predisposed to liking films of this ilk, you'll likely enjoy 'The Mirror has Two Faces'. I know I did.
Rose also secretly longs for Claire's handsome new husband, Alex (Pierce Brosnan). Conversely, Gregory is a bookworm-type and gets flustered {to say the LEAST} whenever he is around pretty women. Eventually Rose & Gregory get together. She really likes him, and he really likes her, too -- not love, exactly yet. And his initial plan for a union based on celibacy seems perfectly ideal for the two of them. She agrees to marry him because she can't believe a man is interested in her; even agreeing to his terms: no sex, just respect & a 'meeting of two minds'. They marry, & their close proximity to each other stirs romantic feelings {and clumsy amorous advances} in her that directly clash with Gregory's platonic marriage ideal. As their beliefs & desires vastly differ, they must figure out how to deal with their feelings for each other if the marriage is to last.
It is rare to find a movie that deals smartly with issues of love & sex, and also contains verbose characters about those topics -- refreshing. Listening to Rose & Gregory just ... talk ... was a pleasure. There is a great scene btwn. Rose & her mother (Bacall), as well, in which we 1st see a photo of the mother when she was a beauuutiful 20 yr. old and daughter Rose asks: "How did it feel? Being beautiful?" Hannah's reply: "It was wonderful". Hannah then shows a photo of an adorable baby, which Rose assumes is of her sister; but it's a photo of baby Rose. "You were such a perfect baby", Hannah says. And Rose replies, with real heart, "Thanks for showing me this picture, mom" -- it's just a lovely, lovely scene. After this shot in the arm by her mother, Rose transforms herself thanks to exercise, dieting, new outfits, make-up & hair dye. Sounds flimsy, but in context of the story in this film, it just works.
If you like sweet, old-fashioned, escapist romantic dramedies the way they made 'em in the 1950s/60s {this film is, in fact, based on a 1958 French film}, then you'll probably like this movie; loving Barbra Streisand & Jeff Bridges helps, greatly. There's nothing really new to this tried-&- story: man & woman meet; a relationship ensues; they break-up; they get back together again, etc. But the whole thing is just very easy to watch unfold. Cinematographers Dante Spinotti & Andrzej Bartkowiak make NYC look as amazing as it is. And the performances are very good.
Streisand is Streisand; appealing, amusing, emotional. So if you love her and/or her acting style, you'll really delight in her Rose. Bridges' emotionally-scarred Gregory is someone we simultaneously get irked with, and yet also want him to break-through with his feelings. Mimi Rogers has a good time as Streisand's attractive, somewhat b*tchy younger sister. But the film's finest performance comes from legendary, veteran actress Lauren Bacall, who is just superb as the humorously scheming, heart-of-gold mother who, ultimately, just wants her daughter to be happy. Bacall was considered a shoo-in to win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress after having won the Golden Globe & SAG Award, but lost in the end to the great Juliette Binoche in Oscar juggernaut, The English Patient. In retrospect, the win makes sense - and Binoche WAS fantastic - but it was a huge shock on the night.
Closing out my praise of the film, I commend Marvin Hamlisch's memorable music score, as well the popular hit song sung - and co-written - by Streisand & Bryan Adams, "I've Finally Found Someone". The acting & music are huge draws in seeing this film. The run time is a tad long for this genre and, the comedy dissipates near the end, but again, if you are predisposed to liking films of this ilk, you'll likely enjoy 'The Mirror has Two Faces'. I know I did.