My favorite Barbra Streisand movie that isn’t “Yentl.” And my favorite Austin Pendleton movie that isn’t “The Muppet Movie.” Sight gags, slapstick, rapid-fire dialogue and the best two-guys moving a giant window pane gag in history. Ryan O’Neal does a passable Cary Grant, Babs is classic as the wacky girl mixed with Chaplin mixed with Bugs Bunny. But all praise is due to Madeline Kahn. She is a toweing giant of comedy — one of the greatest ever period full stop. Every muscle she moves is hysterical. Wisely, she and Babs do not have any scenes alone together as you don’t wanna upstage the star (especially if that star is Babs.) I’d remembered this as a non-musical, but they do slip in a number midway through. It would’ve been stupid for them not to. This is one of Ann Farrell’s all time favorites.
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Welcome
Jordan Hoffman is a New York-based writer and film critic working for The Guardian, Vanity Fair, Thrillist, Times of Israel, NY Daily News and elsewhere.
He is the host of ENGAGE: The Official Star Trek Podcast, a member of the New York Film Critics Circle and challenges you to a game of backgammon.