Funny Lady

Barbra Streisand's 1975 follow-up to her star-making 1968 vehicle Funny Girl is a lot more worthwhile than most movie sequels. Funny Girl was a fanciful retelling of the first forty years or so in the life of fabled comedienne Fanny Brice (1891-1951); Funny Lady picks up where the first film leaves off, following Fanny into the 1940s. Far more sophisticated and imperious than she'd been in Funny Girl, Streisand's magnetic performance compensates for her character's decreased charm. Fanny's first husband, gambler Nick Arnstein (Omar Sharif), makes a few token appearances, while the lion's share of the film's romantic angle is dominated by Fanny's second hubby, impresario Billy Rose (James Caan). The best sequence involves a disastrous out-of-town tryout for one of Fanny's stage vehicles, replete with collapsing sets and a runaway bull. Most of the songs included herein are old standards, with the notable exceptions of Kander and Ebb's "How Lucky Can You Get?" and "I Like Him/I Like Her". The film was produced by Ray Stark, the real life son-in-law of Fanny Brice.