It should be said that perhaps more so than many other superstars, Barbra Streisand tends to elicit a binary reaction, in that most people are either totally ga-ga over her or simply can't stand her. I noticed this reaction became more pronounced after Streisand publicly affiliated herself with the Democratic Party in the early 1990s and started giving the odd political speech here and there.
Well, I came of age long before Streisand's public embrace of limousine liberalism. Even before Streisand began crafting 'important', Oscar-craving films such as Yentl and The Prince Of Tides. Nope. The Streisand I grew up knowing was still largely thought of as a nice Jewish girl from Brooklyn whom most thought was a better singer than an actress, and she hadn't quite yet become the iconic 'Babs' and back then wasn't above criticism.
To be sure, Streisand had a lot of success as an actress with a slate of one hit after another right out of the gate. By the mid-1970's she was at a career high. Right around then is where the hubris - the belief that she could do no wrong - began to really set in. Her take on A Star Is Born followed shortly after, a film that was overblown in every respect: a celluloid paean to the wonder and fabulousness of everything that was Babs...fabulous to the point where it was blind to how cheesy and narcissistic the whole venture was. And even THEN Streisand still managed to pull off a massive commercial success and craft a hit with the soundtrack tune Evergreen.
Thus, on from A Star Is Born we find our way to 1979's romantic comedy, The Main Event.
The Main Event basically feels like a package deal. It once again teams up Streisand with Ryan O'Neal, Streisand's co-star from the excellent screwball comedy of a decade earlier, What's Up Doc? On paper, doubtless the pairing seemed natural given that they already had a proven track record with their previous hit. Despite the critical drubbing 1976's A Star Is Born got, the film grossed $80 million on a $6 million budget and the soundtrack went #1 and went on to sell 15 million copies worldwide. Streisand agreed to sing another tune for The Main Event, so doubtless the production was already seeing the dollar signs before a single frame of film was shot.
The plot boils down to Streisand playing the owner of a perfume company which is bankrupted after her accountant flees to South America with all her money. One of the few assets she has left is a management contract with an inactive boxer (O'Neal) that was formerly used as a tax write-off. Streisand coerces O'Neal to step back into the ring and fight in the hopes of scoring a big payday, acting as his boxing manager and despite a largely contentious relationship between them gradually romance blooms.
The thing of it is, I'll readily concede that The Main Event is a dumb film in any number of ways. Streisand's character is pushy, self-absorbed and obnoxious far more often than she is charmingly funny and has a seemingly endless wardrobe which she is determined to wear every piece of throughout the flick. All the origins of the rom-com genre are here, from the initial 'meet cute' to the predictable 'against all odds they end up falling for each other' conclusion. I mean, the ending was never in doubt for a moment. Far as the humor goes, virtually nothing by way of lol comedic moments. It's all...mildly cute fluff. Topped off with Streisand singing the main theme song, a nod to the disco trend that had peaked and was just beginning to wane when the movie hit theaters. And even though The Main Event wasn't nearly as successful as A Star Is Born in commercial terms, (The Main Event) still managed to squeak out $42 million on a $5 million budget, with the theme song single hitting number 3 on the charts and selling a million copies!
Even though I would have as recently as a decade ago eviscerated this movie as a case of being timely rather than timeless and deservedly forgotten, well...I kinda like it. Not in spite of the smarmy vanity project nature of the production, or because it was a romantic comedy that was lightweight when it came to both the romance and the laughs, or because the theme song was a lame attempt by Streisand to channel the disco diva success of Donna Summer late in the day when the disco fad had been overexposed and was waning but it's rather precisely BECAUSE of those things that make watching The Main Event today a breezy little trip back in time, watching a harmless little rom com ditty of no particular purpose from the late 1970's. Cinematic junk food, to be sure, but even though I thoroughly enjoy a gourmet meal once in a blue moon I still crave a McDonald's hamburger.
Well, I came of age long before Streisand's public embrace of limousine liberalism. Even before Streisand began crafting 'important', Oscar-craving films such as Yentl and The Prince Of Tides. Nope. The Streisand I grew up knowing was still largely thought of as a nice Jewish girl from Brooklyn whom most thought was a better singer than an actress, and she hadn't quite yet become the iconic 'Babs' and back then wasn't above criticism.
To be sure, Streisand had a lot of success as an actress with a slate of one hit after another right out of the gate. By the mid-1970's she was at a career high. Right around then is where the hubris - the belief that she could do no wrong - began to really set in. Her take on A Star Is Born followed shortly after, a film that was overblown in every respect: a celluloid paean to the wonder and fabulousness of everything that was Babs...fabulous to the point where it was blind to how cheesy and narcissistic the whole venture was. And even THEN Streisand still managed to pull off a massive commercial success and craft a hit with the soundtrack tune Evergreen.
Thus, on from A Star Is Born we find our way to 1979's romantic comedy, The Main Event.
The Main Event basically feels like a package deal. It once again teams up Streisand with Ryan O'Neal, Streisand's co-star from the excellent screwball comedy of a decade earlier, What's Up Doc? On paper, doubtless the pairing seemed natural given that they already had a proven track record with their previous hit. Despite the critical drubbing 1976's A Star Is Born got, the film grossed $80 million on a $6 million budget and the soundtrack went #1 and went on to sell 15 million copies worldwide. Streisand agreed to sing another tune for The Main Event, so doubtless the production was already seeing the dollar signs before a single frame of film was shot.
The plot boils down to Streisand playing the owner of a perfume company which is bankrupted after her accountant flees to South America with all her money. One of the few assets she has left is a management contract with an inactive boxer (O'Neal) that was formerly used as a tax write-off. Streisand coerces O'Neal to step back into the ring and fight in the hopes of scoring a big payday, acting as his boxing manager and despite a largely contentious relationship between them gradually romance blooms.
The thing of it is, I'll readily concede that The Main Event is a dumb film in any number of ways. Streisand's character is pushy, self-absorbed and obnoxious far more often than she is charmingly funny and has a seemingly endless wardrobe which she is determined to wear every piece of throughout the flick. All the origins of the rom-com genre are here, from the initial 'meet cute' to the predictable 'against all odds they end up falling for each other' conclusion. I mean, the ending was never in doubt for a moment. Far as the humor goes, virtually nothing by way of lol comedic moments. It's all...mildly cute fluff. Topped off with Streisand singing the main theme song, a nod to the disco trend that had peaked and was just beginning to wane when the movie hit theaters. And even though The Main Event wasn't nearly as successful as A Star Is Born in commercial terms, (The Main Event) still managed to squeak out $42 million on a $5 million budget, with the theme song single hitting number 3 on the charts and selling a million copies!
Even though I would have as recently as a decade ago eviscerated this movie as a case of being timely rather than timeless and deservedly forgotten, well...I kinda like it. Not in spite of the smarmy vanity project nature of the production, or because it was a romantic comedy that was lightweight when it came to both the romance and the laughs, or because the theme song was a lame attempt by Streisand to channel the disco diva success of Donna Summer late in the day when the disco fad had been overexposed and was waning but it's rather precisely BECAUSE of those things that make watching The Main Event today a breezy little trip back in time, watching a harmless little rom com ditty of no particular purpose from the late 1970's. Cinematic junk food, to be sure, but even though I thoroughly enjoy a gourmet meal once in a blue moon I still crave a McDonald's hamburger.