When "Nuts" was released, Barbra Streisand was 45. This might have been all right but for the fact that Streisand's character is supposed to be twenty-something and thus almost young enough to be Streisand's daughter. But then nobody has ever claimed that Streisand lacks chutzpah. Her character in "Nuts" is a prostitute who is thoroughly unlikable, even unsympathetic to all but the most ardent feminists. While the killing of one of her clients that leads to a manslaughter charge against her was clearly justifiable, I found myself not caring very much whether she was institutionalized or simply acquitted and allowed to go back to turning tricks and making the lives of all around her miserable. The movie's only saving graces are a taut script and terrific acting by the rest of the cast, particularly Richard Dreyfuss, Maureen Stapleton, and Malden, who despite his age, 75, could have passed for a man many years younger. Marginally recommended, but only if you can stomach Streisand and the character she plays; 6 of 10.
