Funny Lady

PG

Released Mar 15, 1975

2 hr. 16 min.

Musical

Comedy

TRAILER

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List

30%

20 Reviews

Tomatometer

55%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

In this sequel to "Funny Girl," Fanny Brice (Barbra Streisand) is now a huge star on Broadway whose fortunes have taken a hit from the Great Depression. After a whirlwind romance, Fanny marries Billy Rose (James Caan), and the two agree to collaborate on a show. Despite the show's early struggles, Fanny makes it a success, but the sudden fame puts a strain on her marriage -- especially when Billy learns she still has feelings for her ex-husband, Nick (Omar Sharif).

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Liam D

Not the worst sequel in the world but it's decent

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/19/22

Full Review

Audience Member

The film provides fans with a rare opportunity to hear Streisand sing standards from the 1920s and '30s, attempting to instill a sense of nostalgia about a period few in he '70s lived through. Streisand's rendition of Ben Oakland (music) and Jack Murray's (lyrics) "If I Love Again" is a highlight. Unfortunately for a biopic on the inimitable Fanny Brice, it offers very little in the way of screenplay and plot. Instead of concentrating on Brice's transition from Broadway to radio and film, the movie gets bogged down in Brice's volatile relationship with Rose, so that it ends on a sour note of pain and regret. Caan perhaps secured a chance to display his vocal talent, but Streisand and Sharif garnered very little in the way of a meaningful performance.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/08/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Opulent sequel to "Funny Girl." Great music and staging.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/27/23

Full Review

Audience Member

On the one hand, Funny Lady is one of those sequels where it feels like they just tried to remake the original film all over again. Yes, it’s a later marriage in Fanny Brice’s life, but many of the story beats feel familiar and don’t do much to differentiate this film from Funny Girl. But on the other hand, they actually get the focus of this film right this time. Unlike the original, where there were some large portions of the plot entirely devoted to Omar Sharif’s character (which was a much less interesting story,) here they keep things all swirling around Barbra Streisand. This means more songs (which are the biggest highlight of these movies,) and it definitely makes it easier to get interested in the plot. I still struggle some with the dull relationship melodrama, and I wish there was more humor and lightness in these movies. When Streisand is actually given a moment to play up the humorous nature of Fanny Brice, it is always delightful. There are some big show-stopping songs in Funny Lady, but I didn’t find any of them as memorable as what Funny Girl had to offer. I suppose when you have “Don’t Rain on My Parade” to go up against that’s going to be an uphill battle. Barbra Streisand belts the songs with all the gusto you would expect from an A-list star. I don’t particularly care what people say about any other aspect of her performance, but it’s hard to deny that she is outstanding whenever she has the chance to sing. I also think that James Caan was a good choice to play husband #2. He has a lot of charm and is much more likable than Omar Sharif was in the Funny Girl. He even gets a few moments to make us laugh and I think he is a good match for Streisand in that department. Finally, I’ll mention that the old-age makeup and wigs for the epilogue are atrocious and laughable. Funny Lady is not that great of a film. It is dull in parts and doesn’t have enough story to fill more than 2 hours, but it’s still watchable, and if it had songs as good as Funny Girl I would say it’s the better film.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

09/14/20

Full Review

steve d

If there was ever a movie that didn't need a sequel (or got a worse one)...

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Funny Girl was way better.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

04/04/20

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Herbert Ross

Director

Barbra Streisand

Fanny Brice

James Caan

Billy Rose

Omar Sharif

Nicky Arnstein

Roddy McDowall

Bobby Moore

Ben Vereen

Bert Robbins

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Funny Lady: Trailer 1

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Pauline Kael

New Yorker

Funny Lady... crashes along for almost an hour and then it hits a failure point, from which it never recovers.

Oct 6, 2023

Full Review

Molly Haskell

Village Voice

When the show hits the road, first in its bloated "draft" form, with sketches that would make the great Ziegfield groan, then in its final, Fanny-polished version, it literally falls to, or into, pieces.

Feb 10, 2023

Full Review

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Funny Lady is a big, messy flop of a movie that's almost cruel in the way it invites our memories of Funny Girl and doesn't match them.

Rated: 1/4

Oct 23, 2004

Full Review

Steve Warren

The Barb (Atlanta)

Funny Lady is only a semi-hit, but Streisand fans will love it.

May 5, 2023

Full Review

Dane Winters

5th Freedom (Buffalo)

I dig Barbara as much as everybody else does, but I cannot tell a lie. I can't say her latest movie colossus, ineptly titled Funny Lady (being neither funny nor ladylike), is great or good or even fair. It's just plain awful and there's no way around it.

May 3, 2023

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Geoff Brown

Monthly Film Bulletin

[A] shoddy, joyless enterprise.

Feb 10, 2023

Full Review

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Synopsis

In this sequel to "Funny Girl," Fanny Brice (Barbra Streisand) is now a huge star on Broadway whose fortunes have taken a hit from the Great Depression. After a whirlwind romance, Fanny marries Billy Rose (James Caan), and the two agree to collaborate on a show. Despite the show's early struggles, Fanny makes it a success, but the sudden fame puts a strain on her marriage -- especially when Billy learns she still has feelings for her ex-husband, Nick (Omar Sharif).

Director: Herbert Ross
Screenwriter: Arnold Schulman, Jay Presson Allen, Arnold Schulman
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
Production Co: Rastar Pictures, Vista, Columbia Pictures Corporation
Rating: PG
Genre: Musical, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 15, 1975, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 1, 2011
Sound Mix: Stereo

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