Barbra Streisand's "The Mirror Has Two Faces" is a first-class charmer, a passionate and funny love story starring Streisand and Jeff Bridges that will surely wed critical acclaim with boxoffice success. Certain to engage a major female audience, Sony will also find when its looks into the boxoffice mirror that this scrumptiously scruffy film will reflect two faces, male as well as female. Even male skeptics who may initially brand it a "chick flick" will be seduced by its wide-ranging story appeal and intelligent, good-hearted humor.
This time Streisand plays no "second-hand Rose." Playing disillusioned romantic-literature professor Rose Morgan, her love life has been so limited she's not even "firsthand" in the romance category. Rose has virtually given up on the notion of finding someone or certainly getting married. "Why even bother?" is her credo. Between her classes at Columbia, where she shines as a charismatic teacher, Rose nibbles away in her bedroom, ranting at her beloved Yankees on the tube. Confirming the axiom "Those who can, do; those who can't, teach," Rose is brilliant in her classroom analyses of romance and true love but a failure in her own love life.
Across campus, math Professor Gregory Larkin (Bridges) endures the opposite reflection in his romantic mirror. A handsome but overly logical sort, Gregory's romantic life also adds up to nothing -- he's had a string of serial relationships, falling repeatedly for shallow beauties with whom he has nothing in common. But like Rose, he's desperate for a real relationship, for someone he can talk to, feel comfortable with and respect.
Unlike less complicated romantic times when people met cute, Rose and Gregory meet '90s-style, through a businesslike ad he's placed -- "Must be Ph.D. and over 35. Physical appearance not important." Although different in approaches and outlooks in many ways, Rose and Gregory share similar ideals. Each is pressured by modern notions of love and beauty while possessing more lofty notions of love based on common goals and compatibility rather than sex.
In the vaunted professor-gets-professor/professor-loses-professor/professor-gets-professor story equation, "Mirror" also factors in a number of stimulating insights into the various definitions of love, as well as rounding it off with personal urgencies and needs. It's a tribute to screenwriter Richard LaGravenese's skills that the film never deflates into a dissertation on love and its deceiving modern-day reflections. While intelligent, there is no theoretical detachment here, rather a bursting and churning swirl of notions, contradictions and passions. It's brainy in the sense that its smart enough not to take too much stock in intellectualizing.
In her most confident and most engaging performance to date, Streisand shows Rose with all her thorns and gnarly twists. Most wonderfully, and fitting to the character name, she blooms in her own time and under the right nurturing. As the fastidious and decidedly right-brained mathematician, Bridges nicely loosens his character's professorial bow tie. Like Cary Grant, Bridges know how to top off a stiff character with swiveling slapstick.
The supporting players are also a delight, most prominently Lauren Bacall as Rose's vain and demeaning mother. Others adding particular pizazz include Austin Pendleton as a nerdy suitor, George Segal as Gregory's squirrely confidante and Mimi Rogers as Rose's beautiful and carnivorous sister. Pierce Brosnan also performs a graceful, tuxedoed turn: What Rose does to him should go off the female-fantasy chart.
Under Streisand's accomplished direction, "The Mirror Has Two Faces" glows. It radiates with an array of complementary textures, most prominently Dante Spinotti and Andrzej Bartkowiak's rich and warm-hued cinematography, Tom John's perceptive and particular production design and Marvin Hamlisch's lilting and vigorous score. In addition, Theoni V. Aldredge's smart costume design puts a face on all the characters.
THE MIRROR HAS TWO FACES
Sony Pictures
TriStar Pictures presents
In association with Phoenix Pictures
A film by Barbra Streisand
An Arnon Milchan, Barwood Films production
Producers:Barbra Streisand, Arnon Milchan
Director:Barbra Streisand
Screenwriter:Richard LaGravenese
Executive producer:Cis Corman
Directors of photography:Dante Spinotti, Andrzej Bartkowiak Production designer:Tom John
Editor:Jeff Werner
Costume designer:Theoni V. Aldredge
Music composed and adapted by:Marvin Hamlisch
"Love Theme" composed by:Barbra Streisand
Casting directors:Bonnie Finnegan, Todd Thaler
Sound mixer:Thomas Nelson
Color/stereo
Cast:
Rose Morgan:Barbra Streisand
Gregory Larkin:Jeff Bridges
Hannah Morgan:Lauren Bacall
Henry Fine:George Segal
Claire:Mimi Rogers
Alex:Pierce Brosnan
Doris:Brenda Vaccaro
Barry:Austin Pendleton
Candy:Elle MacPherson
Running time -- 126 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
This time Streisand plays no "second-hand Rose." Playing disillusioned romantic-literature professor Rose Morgan, her love life has been so limited she's not even "firsthand" in the romance category. Rose has virtually given up on the notion of finding someone or certainly getting married. "Why even bother?" is her credo. Between her classes at Columbia, where she shines as a charismatic teacher, Rose nibbles away in her bedroom, ranting at her beloved Yankees on the tube. Confirming the axiom "Those who can, do; those who can't, teach," Rose is brilliant in her classroom analyses of romance and true love but a failure in her own love life.
Across campus, math Professor Gregory Larkin (Bridges) endures the opposite reflection in his romantic mirror. A handsome but overly logical sort, Gregory's romantic life also adds up to nothing -- he's had a string of serial relationships, falling repeatedly for shallow beauties with whom he has nothing in common. But like Rose, he's desperate for a real relationship, for someone he can talk to, feel comfortable with and respect.
Unlike less complicated romantic times when people met cute, Rose and Gregory meet '90s-style, through a businesslike ad he's placed -- "Must be Ph.D. and over 35. Physical appearance not important." Although different in approaches and outlooks in many ways, Rose and Gregory share similar ideals. Each is pressured by modern notions of love and beauty while possessing more lofty notions of love based on common goals and compatibility rather than sex.
In the vaunted professor-gets-professor/professor-loses-professor/professor-gets-professor story equation, "Mirror" also factors in a number of stimulating insights into the various definitions of love, as well as rounding it off with personal urgencies and needs. It's a tribute to screenwriter Richard LaGravenese's skills that the film never deflates into a dissertation on love and its deceiving modern-day reflections. While intelligent, there is no theoretical detachment here, rather a bursting and churning swirl of notions, contradictions and passions. It's brainy in the sense that its smart enough not to take too much stock in intellectualizing.
In her most confident and most engaging performance to date, Streisand shows Rose with all her thorns and gnarly twists. Most wonderfully, and fitting to the character name, she blooms in her own time and under the right nurturing. As the fastidious and decidedly right-brained mathematician, Bridges nicely loosens his character's professorial bow tie. Like Cary Grant, Bridges know how to top off a stiff character with swiveling slapstick.
The supporting players are also a delight, most prominently Lauren Bacall as Rose's vain and demeaning mother. Others adding particular pizazz include Austin Pendleton as a nerdy suitor, George Segal as Gregory's squirrely confidante and Mimi Rogers as Rose's beautiful and carnivorous sister. Pierce Brosnan also performs a graceful, tuxedoed turn: What Rose does to him should go off the female-fantasy chart.
Under Streisand's accomplished direction, "The Mirror Has Two Faces" glows. It radiates with an array of complementary textures, most prominently Dante Spinotti and Andrzej Bartkowiak's rich and warm-hued cinematography, Tom John's perceptive and particular production design and Marvin Hamlisch's lilting and vigorous score. In addition, Theoni V. Aldredge's smart costume design puts a face on all the characters.
THE MIRROR HAS TWO FACES
Sony Pictures
TriStar Pictures presents
In association with Phoenix Pictures
A film by Barbra Streisand
An Arnon Milchan, Barwood Films production
Producers:Barbra Streisand, Arnon Milchan
Director:Barbra Streisand
Screenwriter:Richard LaGravenese
Executive producer:Cis Corman
Directors of photography:Dante Spinotti, Andrzej Bartkowiak Production designer:Tom John
Editor:Jeff Werner
Costume designer:Theoni V. Aldredge
Music composed and adapted by:Marvin Hamlisch
"Love Theme" composed by:Barbra Streisand
Casting directors:Bonnie Finnegan, Todd Thaler
Sound mixer:Thomas Nelson
Color/stereo
Cast:
Rose Morgan:Barbra Streisand
Gregory Larkin:Jeff Bridges
Hannah Morgan:Lauren Bacall
Henry Fine:George Segal
Claire:Mimi Rogers
Alex:Pierce Brosnan
Doris:Brenda Vaccaro
Barry:Austin Pendleton
Candy:Elle MacPherson
Running time -- 126 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
- 11/11/1996
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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