Python Hyena The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996): Dir: Barbra Streisand / Cast: Barbra Streisand, Jeff Bridges, Lauren Bacall, Mimi Rogers, George Segal: Clever romantic comedy regarding relationships and our warped expectations. The two faces of the mirror could have a variety of meanings but the theme that emerges the strongest is the sex and marriage issue. Barbra Streisand removes sex to demonstrate the value of friendship. She plays a teacher who lives with her mother and is insecure with regards to her appearance. Jeff Bridges sits in on a teaching session and admires her methods. They strike up a friendship and agree that sex is ruining relationships. When they do marry the pressure of sex invades her. Intelligent film delivered with wit and humour by Streisand. She previously directed The Prince of Tides and Yentl. She plays a smart yet sympathetic woman of independence and insecurity. Jeff Bridges completes the chemistry as her husband. Strong supporting work by Lauren Bacall as Streisand's mother who brings comic wisdom. Mimi Rogers plays her sister whose husband was the sight of Streisand. Both roles are more or less comic placements yet portrayed with great care. Outside the leads, other roles are either brief or flat. While somewhat predictable it is still a wonderful portrait of relationships that make the mirror worth looking into. Score: 8 ½ / 10

Rocco Campanaro Does this movie have anything to do with Barbra Streisand? - You'd be blind if you thought otherwise. She directs the picture, she produces the picture, she stars in the picture, and she even writes the picture's theme song… all to an average and substandard level. This increasingly tedious and unbelievable plot just appears to spiral out of control as Streisand's character appears to get prettier and prettier. How can a handsome (but incredibly dull) man yearn for just a sexless marriage with a self-proclaimed 'ugly duckling'? What was the message of this film?... In order to rekindle an almost broken marriage you should aspire for external self-improvement and a "bitta' makeup". Secondly, where does 'The Mirror Has Two Faces' title come from? In one reflection, you're pretty and in another you're not so pretty? The final question I have with this movie is: is it a romantic comedy or a romantic drama? Streisand's cliché jokes are completely inappropriate in the scenes where we're just about to find some sensual passion that could excite us and revive this bomb.The appearance of legendary film icon Lauren Bacall provides the only authentic and raw acting emotion that was definitely lacking in this picture. Bacall, in what would be her career-resurging role, plays Streisand's mother in the picture who fails to reckon with the fact that she has wronged her daughter in a way that she can't seem to deal with. The only shame is Bacall's scenes were very limited and more of a featuring role rather than a supportive one, but nonetheless it won her Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination.This is a complete vanity project increasing the ego of Ms Streisand of continuing the legacy of being the first and only woman (at the time) to have directed, produced, scripted, stared and composed the lyrics to a single picture. What would have worked if Barbra stayed completely out of the picture, stuck to behind-the-scenes (which would have, maybe, improved the camera angles to this shoddy film - or perhaps not) and casted perhaps either Geena Davis, Michelle Feiffer or even Jodie Foster rather than the 54-year-old Streisand trying to portray a 40-something late bloomer.Since 'The Mirror Has Two Faces', Streisand's film career has plummeted to Razzie-nominated leading and supporting roles and 'Mirror' seems to have been the final nail in the coffin for Streisand's all too descending Hollywood career. Stick to being the greatest singer of our generation, and you'll be alright, Babs! Nonetheless, our girl did manage to increase her ego FURTHER by receiving an Oscar nomination for co-writing "I Finally Found Someone" – the picture's theme song – now, to mention it; I did think it was a catchy duet with Bryan Adams – Streisand's first significant hit since 1981.

namashi_1 Partly Based on the 1958 French film Le Miroir à Deux Faces written by André Cayatte and Gérard Oury, which focused on a homely woman who becomes a beauty, which creates problems in her marriage. 'The Mirror Has Two Faces' is simple, sweet and a majorly entertaining film directed by the Legendary Barbra Streisand.'The Mirror Has Two Faces' works big time, because it has a story to tell... a story that has it's share of WOW moments, no wonder this film was a box office super-hit during it's release way back 1996. With a running time of 126 minutes, here's a film we'll not forget for at least the next 2 decades! Streisand's direction is perfect, so is her signing and her acting. An all-rounder! Jeff Bridges pitches in an Incredible performance. The Academy Award-Winning Actor never disappoints! Lauren Bacall is fantastic as Streisand's old and groovy mom. Pierce Brosnan is very okay, mainly because he gets nothing to do but stock his wife everywhere! On the whole, 'The Mirror Has Two Faces' is a classic... Two Thumbs Up!

foxycat-1 I just saw this film again the first time since 1996. The production values for this film were great, but the sentiments are false. First I have to say that the acting is superb, especially Streisand and Bacall. Their mother-daughter revelation scene is wonderful, a gem shared by 2 consummate actresses.Here's the dishonesty: In the first half, we see that everyone who's attractive is also defective in some way. Husband is a jerk, sexless, a bore, mother jealous and vain, sister has no personality. In fact, why is Streisand so madly in love with a man who's such a jerk? Streisand shines as funny, intelligent, personable, well-liked by everyone. And our view of what's pretty has changed a lot since Streisand came along in the 60's. Meryl Streep's long nose or Jolie's oversize lips would never have been acceptable before Streisand. OK, she doesn't know how to dress, but is certainly printed as attractive. The camera, as usual, loves her. And in real life Streisand has always been attractive to attractive men.After showing us that physical beauty is not that important, the film then goes on to prove that the same woman, made more physically beautiful, can now attract her cold jerk of a husband and her sister's shallow ex. Husband even tells her that he's always found her sexy, it's just that he hadn't been interested. Such inconsistency in the writing.