REVIEW: THE MIRROR HAS TWO FACES (1996)
Steve Rhodes
THE MIRROR HAS TWO FACES
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 1996 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): ***
Celibacy as the true path to romantic love - now there is the
basis for a high concept movie. Think about the possibilities. Get
some expensive stars and make a comedy about abstinence before and
during marriage. A film about the conscious abandonment of sex as a
lifestyle is not your typical Hollywood fair.
Well, thanks to an hilarious script by normally serious
screenwriter Richard LaGravenese (THE FISHER KING, A LITTLE PRINCESS,
and THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY) and to careful direction by Barbra
Streisand (YENTL and THE PRINCE OF TIDES), Streisand's new film, THE
MIRROR HAS TWO FACES, is a delightful comedy. Since there is a French
film by the same name, perhaps this is a remake of it, but it plays
like the remake of one of the romantic, American comedies of the 30s
and 40s.
The show has the look and sound of a film made by a typical big
budget producer. The film opens to loud French horns and there is
rarely a quiet moment as the music by Marvin Hamlisch (SOPHIE'S CHOICE)
dominates and overpowers much of the action. Like a laugh track in a
TV sitcom, the overly perky music keeps chiming in to remind us when we
should feel romantic and when amused. The script is quite strong on
its own and does not need this heavy reinforcement.
Columbia University Math Professor Gregory Larkin (Jeff Bridges)
has a problem with good looking females. They make his brain go to
sleep and his intelligence drop to double digits. All a pretty woman
has to do is walk into his classroom, and he starts falling all over
himself. As his friend and fellow professor Henry (George Segal)
chides him, "You're the only guy I know who can't have sex and chew
gum."
According to the press kit, this is George Segal's 50th film.
>From THE YOUNG DOCTORS (1961) on, he has been the reliable other man in
many a film. Here his performance is OK, but nothing special, which is
pretty typical for most of his pictures.
After a bout of channel surfing where Gregory finds even ladybugs
doing it with great fervor, he decides that the world is obsessed with
sex. He uses an ad to find a woman whose looks do not matter.
Answering the ad, Claire (Mimi Rogers from SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER ME),
tells him to ask out her sister, Romantic Literature Professor Rose
Morgan (Barbra Streisand). After hearing Rose's lecture about the
value that the twelfth century put on abstinence as a way to romantic
love and after seeing her looks, he decides he has found his soul mate,
roommate, and wife. He reasons that "the mathematical world is
completely rational, uncomplicated by sex," and therefore his plan to
skip sex forever makes eminent good sense. Rose thinks his theories
are nuts, but falls for him anyway.
The clothes in the show are straightforward but funny. When
Rose's sister marries airhead hunk and skirt chaser Alex (Pierce
Brosnan from GOLDENEYE), Rose has to wear a pink dress that looks like
a teenager's prom dress. She tells her mother, Hannah (Lauren Bacall),
"I look like an over the hill Barbie Doll." Lauren Bacall is terrific
in the film as the domineering and acerbic mom who knows best for her
middle aged daughter. Hannah's lines are wryer than the others, but
well delivered with precise timing.
The film isn't just a comedy. The scenes of Rose in class
interacting with her students could be textbook examples of how to
enliven a class with energetic teaching. As the story advances, the
pathos of middle age takes center stage as does homeliness. Rose has
no self-confidence and cancels her dates. She tells her mom of her
first meeting with Gregory that, "It's not a date. We're just agreeing
to eat at the same place." When he peppers her with mathematical
trivia on their date, she confides, "First date where I feel like I'm
winning on a game show." Streisand, the actress, plays her part
convincingly with absolute control and wit.
Bridges approaches his role too reserved, and he never made me
believe that Gregory ever cared for Rose. He did get some great lines
including the one when he told her, he was serious about her, "I want
to be upfront. I am not interested in sex with you." Rose gives him a
pained you've-got-to-be-kidding look.
Gregory is pleased that Rose holds no physical attraction for him.
One time, he happens to gaze upon her appearance and remarks, "You
don't use make-up." To which she retorts, "What's the point? It'd
still be me - only in color." Later she confesses to her mother,
"Let's face it. They're not standing in line for me."
The best line in the whole show is the one, also seen in the
trailers, where Rose finally demands her conjugal rights. At breakfast
she announces, "By the way, would telling you now that I want sex
tonight be enough of a warning?"
The way the story is wrapped up works comedically, and yet it
feels false to the spirit of the movie. The last scene, however, is
terrific and my favorite of the whole picture.
For a film where the dialog is crisp and funny, and where the
female lead is near perfect, I found the movie surprisingly
uninvolving. I think the mistake was in the casting of Jeff Bridges.
He was not believable, and worse than that, I never cared about him. A
one way chemistry in a love story is not enough. I had a good time and
I laughed a lot, but I left unrequited. The film wanted me to love it,
but I was only able to laugh at it.
THE MIRROR HAS TWO FACES runs way too long at over two hours.
Comedies have no business going much past 1:40 since the jokes start
getting repetitive and stale. The film is rated PG-13 for lots of
conversation about sex, but no actual sex, nudity or violence. There
are a few cuss words, but mainly the language is quite mild. The film
would be fine for any kid who knows about sex and likes romantic
comedies. I recommend the film to your for its humor and for
Streisand's lovely performance, and I give it ***.
______________________________________________________________________
**** = One of the top few films of this or any year. A must see film.
*** = Excellent show. Look for it.
** = Average movie. Kind of enjoyable.
* = Poor show. Don't waste your money.
0 = One of the worst films of this or any year. Totally unbearable.
REVIEW WRITTEN ON: November 12, 1996
Opinions expressed are mine and not meant to reflect my employer's.
James Berardinelli
THE MIRROR HAS TWO FACES
Copyright 1996 James Berardinelli
RATING (0 TO 10): 6.0
Alternative Scale: **1/2 out of ****
United States, 1996
U.S. Release Date: 11/15/96 (wide)
Running Length: 2:06
MPAA Classification: PG-13 (Profanity, mature themes)
Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Cast: Barbra Streisand, Jeff Bridges, Lauren Bacall, Pierce Brosnan,
Mimi Rogers, George Segal, Brenda Vaccaro, Austin Pendleton
Director: Barbra Streisand
Producers: Barbra Streisand and Arnon Milchan
Screenplay: Richard LaGravenese
Cinematography: Dante Spinotti and Andrzej Bartkowiak
Music: Marvin Hamlisch
U.S. Distributor: TriStar Pictures
The most notable thing about THE MIRROR HAS TWO FACES, director
Barbra Streisand's third effort behind the camera, is its long and
strife-filled production history. The actual film that resulted is, at
best, decent, and doesn't add anything new or interesting to the
romantic comedy genre. In fact, what THE MIRROR HAS TWO FACES is in
desperate need of is an editor. At over two hours, this film drags on
for far too long. There comes a point in any romance when the
characters must either be broken apart or brought together once and for
all. By delaying that moment for about twenty unnecessary minutes,
Streisand risks losing her audience to disinterest.
The basic storyline isn't all that complicated. Streisand plays
Rose Morgan, a professor at Columbia University who teaches a course in
Romantic Literature. Jeff Bridges is Gregory Larkin, a math professor.
Neither has a particularly satisfying love life. Frumpy Rose, the
proverbial ugly duckling in search of romance, is constantly
disappointed by her dates. Gregory, who becomes inept around attractive
women, can have all the sex he wants, but craves something deeper -- a
"union of souls" that "takes sex out of the equation". So, when Rose's
sister, Claire (Mimi Rogers), reads a companionship ad that Gregory
places in the paper, she contrives a meeting between the two. Gregory
and Rose strike up a fast friendship that leads to an unconventional
marriage. However, even after the wedding, their relationship remains
platonic, and when Rose expresses a desire to have sex, Gregory flees.
Roughly the first hour of THE MIRROR HAS TWO FACES is enjoyable.
We are introduced to the characters, see them interact, investigate
their hopes, dreams, and fantasies, and watch them slowly, tentatively,
test their feelings for each other. There are some wonderful discourses
on the nature of love that pose intriguing questions, a few of which the
film goes on to explore at greater length.
Unfortunately, the second half of the movie isn't as strong.
Gregory, who struggles mightily to attain believability early, devolves
into a caricature struggling with an implausible problem (he's afraid to
have sex with his wife). The film's delightful, romantic mood deflates
quickly as Streisand starts to explore issues of insecurity and
empowerment. Two dimensional figures like Rose's "dream man", Alex
(Pierce Brosnan), and her best friend (Brenda Vaccaro) make brief,
unsatisfactory appearances to illustrate different aspects of Rose's
personality after a makeover gives her self-confidence.
In some ways, THE MIRROR HAS TWO FACES treads in similar territory
to that which was explored earlier this year by the more successful THE
TRUTH ABOUT CATS AND DOGS. Janeane Garafolo's character there, like
Streisand's here, is insecure about her appearance and becomes convinced
that because she's "unattractive", she can never have a romantic
relationship. The principal difference between the two films is one of
tone. CATS AND DOGS maintains a light-hearted, occasionally goofy air,
while THE MIRROR HAS TWO FACES combines uneven comedy with the
pretentiousness of trying to say something serious.
The cast is populated with good actors, which makes the lack of
standout performances disappointing. Streisand is by far the best,
doing an excellent job of mixing wry humor, pathos, and longing. Rose
is the only character we ever really care about. Jeff Bridges plays
Gregory a little too broadly. While his mingling of perkiness and
naivete elicits a few laughs, it erodes Gregory's credibility as a
living, breathing human being. Lauren Bacall puts enough bite into her
performance as Rose's neurotic, unsupportive mother that there are times
when she's downright irritating. There are also moments, however, when
she's in top form. In fact, Bacall and Streisand combine for one of the
film's rare gems -- a scene where Rose asks her mother, "What did it
feel like to be beautiful?" Supporting roles are filled by Pierce
Brosnan, George Segal, Mimi Rogers, Brenda Vaccaro, and Austin
Pendleton.
Streisand's direction is more sure here than it was in the
overrated PRINCE OF TIDES, but the rambling script (based on that of a
1958 French film) ultimately lets her down. THE MIRROR HAS TWO FACES
has a certain charm, but most of the enchantment wears off before the
climax. Streisand has a reputation as a perfectionist who will drive
people hard to attain the best results possible. (A number of cast and
crew members, including Dudley Moore and cinematographer Dante Spinotti,
left in mid-production, because of "creative differences" with her.)
Nevertheless, if the director truly is satisfied with the final cut,
then her idea of perfection differs somewhat from mine.
- James Berardinelli
e-mail: bera...@bc.cybernex.net
ReelViews web site: http://www.cybernex.net/~berardin
Michael J. Legeros
THE MIRROR HAS TWO FACES
Copyright 1996 Michael John Legeros
(TriStar)
Directed by Barbra Streisand
Written by Richard LaGravenese
Cast Barbra Streisand, Jeff Bridges, Lauren Bacall, Pierce
Brosnan, Mimi Rogers, George Segal, Brenda Vaccaro
MPAA Rating "PG-13"
Running Time 125 minutes
Reviewed at Mission Valley Cinemas, Raleigh, NC (09NOV96)
==
THE MIRROR HAS TWO FACES is a mess. Babs' new movie is a tedious
exploration of a woman's appearance and her self-opinion therein,
disguised as an old-fashioned romantic comedy about two college
professors (Babs and Jeff Bridges) who enter into a chaste marriage
because "sex ruins everything," set in an indulgent fantasy world
populated by beautiful people like Elle Macpherson (as Bridges' ex-
girlfriend!) and Pierce Brosnan (as Babs' old beau!), and shot through
an endless series of hazy filters, or, perhaps, a year's worth of old
pantyhose. The laughs are there, sometimes intended and sometimes not.
I howled as an over-pronounced saxophone (on the soundtrack) circled the
two during an intimate moment. And how about that busy Marvin Hamlisch
score, that you half-expect Babs to break into song with?
Mr. Bridges is great fun to watch as the button-downed, bow-tied
intellectual whose idea of a good time is bringing a spectral analyzer
to a Christmas concert. (How much are those, anyway?) His character is
perfectly serious (and perfectly believable) when he says "I'm sure if
sex is something that interests you, I would provide that on occasion."
Also very funny are Lauren Bacall and Mimi Rogers, as Barbra's mother
and sister, respectively. (George Segal and Brenda Vaccaro, in
supporting roles, are largely wasted.) As for Babs herself, well, it's
quite a stretch to believe her as an ugly duckling spinster. Especially
given the care that she's taken to look good in every. single. frame.
Maybe if she had a fat suit, a la Eddie Murphy in THE NUTTY PROFESSOR?
Grade: C+
--
Mike Legeros - Raleigh, NC, USA, Earth
leg...@pagesz.net (h) - leg...@unx.sas.com (w)
I'm also on the Web! http://www.pagesz.net/~legeros/
Edwin Jahiel
THE MIRROR HAS TWO FACES
Copyright 1996 Edwin Jahiel
THE MIRROR HAS TWO FACES *** Directed by Barbra Streisand.Written by
Richard LaGravenese. Based on the 1958 French film "Le Miroir a deux
faces," written by Andre Cayatte & Gerard Oury, directed by Cayatte.
Photography,Dante Spinotti & Andrzej Bartkowiak. Editing,Jeff Werner.
Production design, Tom John. Music, Marvin Hamlisch ("Love Theme"
composed by Barbra Streisand. Produced by Barbra Streisand & Arnon
Milchan. Cast: Barbra Streisand (Rose Morgan), Jeff Bridges (Gregory
Larkin), Mimi Rogers (Claire), Lauren Bacall (Hannah Morgan), Pierce
Brosnan (Alex), Elle MacPherson (Candy). A Tristar release. 126 minutes.
PG-13.
The remake of French movies is a major Hollywood sub-industry. The
results are invariably inferior to the originals.Some remakes are OK
now and then, but the great majority are bad. The latest case was
"Diabolique" The surprising news is that the new opus by and with Barbra
Streisand is better than the 1958 French movie.
Surprise Number Two for me is that for once I enjoyed watching a movie
with a large audience. I normally go to earliest possible shows on the
least trafficky days. No odious smells, no sticky goo on the floor, no
crinkling cellophane and loud chomping, no running commentaries, no
laughter at the wrong places. For "The Mirror," however, the theater
though packed was odorless, noiseless and the audience laughed
unboisterously at the right times.
The film is most enjoyable, well paced and without dull moments. Its
improbabilities or exaggerations vanish behind the qualities of script,
acting and Miss Streisand's direction, her third after "Yentl" and "The
Prince of Tides."
It starts as Jeff Bridges's picture, then is shared by him and
Streisand before the focus moves on her --an interesting progression. A
mathematician at Columbia University, Greg is addressed as Professor
Larkin. He should really be called Professor Dullski or, if he taught
literature, Professor Yawnesco. He knows and loves his stuff, even has a
new book out, but he bores his students to perdition. I have never seen
such a somnolescent or indifferent group outside some Hollywood high
school pictures.
Bachelor Gregory is also a basket case in his private life. At 46 (I
give him the age of Bridges), he still gets terribly distracted by sex
-- and sex is everywhere, from a gorgeous redhead in his classroom's
front row to television where insects mate in educational programs and
so many products are sold through sex. (I waited in vain for the sound
track to come up with that vigorous old song "Everybody's Doing It.")
Larkin is influencable with a vengeance. At a book-signing gathering, he
opens his address with some flat academic humor. A beauty (model Elle
MacPherson) walks in, sits down, silently but blatantly provokes him a
la Sharon Stone with her sex appeal. Gregory's talk becomes gibberish.
Very funny.
We learn that she is his latest ex-paramour and that he is unhappy with
the fact that all his relations with women fail because they revolve
around sex. His conclusion is that he ought to be looking for a kindred
soul and mind, minus the sex.
Like the famous revue "No Sex Please, We're British," the
mathematician's new slogan could be "No Sex Please, I'm Gregory." He
places an ad ad in which he seeks only companionship and specifies
"Must have a Ph.D. and be over thirty-five. Physical appearance not
important."
The other thread of the plot deaks with two sisters, Claire (Rogers,"the
pretty one") and Rose (Streisand,"the smart one") .Claire spots the ad
and sneakily mails Greg the picture of Rose. She looks just right to
Greg.
Rose, by coincidence (well, it's only a movie) is also a Columbia
professor, of literature. As she readies herself in an awful dress for
Claire's wedding. Always a bridesmaid and never a bride, brainy,
lively,witty but without lasting relationships with men, she is a
perfect match for Gregory.
They and their minds meet, hit it off, develop an odd, platonic rapport
. They eventually marry, but always under the no sex strictures imposed
by Gregory and accepted by Rose, reluctantly as we shall see soon
enough, when Rose wants romance and what comes naturally. This leads to
complications and a transformation...
The acting, broad but not too, with a huge assist from direction and
script keeps hitting the bull's eye. Jeff Bridges, never a looker, has
been a major, versatile talent. Think of "Bad Company,"" Fat
City,""Thunderbolt and Lightfoot,"" Hearts of The West,"" Starman," "
Nadine,"" Tucker,"
"The Fabulous Baker Boys,""Fearless." Streisand's great one-woman band
abilities are a given. Here, in odd ways, she may remind you at times
of the still-moving "The Way We Were."
Mimi Rogers, who possesses the most interesting crooked mouth in
pictures, and her new husband Pierce Brosnan (of whom she gets quickly
tired), are pallid, superficial characters.This makes a contrast with
the personalities of the Gregory-Rose duo, lets Bridges and especially
Streisand bask in the spotlight. They deserve it.
Lauren Bacall plays the mother of the two women with a combination of
chic, fading glamour, sure-of-herself presence and egotism, and motherly
limitations, notably her non-understanding of Rose. This incomprehensio
comes to an end in a long-delayed, moving scene that flirts dangerously
with maudliness but survives it. Mother and daughter stop snipping and
sniping. They open their hearts as Rose comes out squarely with her
complexes about her appearance. Here Streisand seems to be exorcising
her own demons.
With her refrain "I raised two daughters, buried a husband," Bacall is
a Jewish mother, but one pushed neither into a cartoon or a caricature.
Overall, Jewishness in the film is not insisted upon. Sometimes it comes
through gently in details, like Rose's "Talk to me already."
Gags are in good supply and nicely timed, like Rose's showing Greg how
to capture his students' interest. There also humorous rather than
outright comic parts, such as Rose's astounding of Greg with her
comprehension of math. Better yet, the audience is rewarded with an even
larger number of subtle bits of business. Examples: the early sequence
about Claire's wedding is used for character portrayals and spares us
the actual ceremony; the talkative meanderings of Rose and Gregory in
which the discussions are amusing, novel and attention-grabbing but
always cut before they become cumbersome; the first semi-kiss of the
couple and Rose's wary reaction -- she pats Greg's back. There is much
more along those lines, with excellent details.
Some weak areas do exist in the film, most of them papered over. When
Gregory drops in on Rose's huge, lively class, she is in the process of
charming and too manipulating her students with a discussion of love and
sex which rings phony. She gets far too personal in her "confessions,"
uses medieval courtly love (adoration of the lady but no sex) in
sketchy ways, knows the name of every student in that crowded
amphitheater (!!!). The well over 50 prof fishes for the sympathy of
students in their 20s with hip language. About complete love she
exclaims: "When it does last, it feels fucking great!" The young
scholars applaud.
She also tells them that when you fall in love you hear Puccini. At
film's end Rose and Gregory, previously separated, are reunited in a
sequence out of old screwball comedies. We hear Puccini 's "Nessun'
dorma" but then, with the filmmakers clearly worried about this
cultural-musical reference becoming lost on most audiences, the finale
and end credits switch over to the couple's endless gyrations in the
street and the old cliche of a pop song pops up. Otherwise, the movie is
truly fresh. Whether or not it is read closely as a throwback to
romantic comedies, as a part-feminist tract or whatever, it holds many
pleasures for any mature audience.