I had a bit of an interesting personal experience while watching this movie. I could not watch the whole thing at once so I watched half on one day and half the next day. During my personal intermission I thought that there was a philosophical question that was being asked about relationships and love: does a relationship require intimacy? I looked at this question up and down and at different times agreed and disagreed with her choice. As the second half began I realized that there was so much more to the film: the value of how one sees one's self in the mirror, the complications of the parent / child relationship, etc. And then it dawned on me: I was the Jeff Bridges character in the movie. As an analytical person with a background in mathematics I appreciate the beauty and symmetry of numbers. Like his character I tend to solve problems using my rational mind. Of course, not every solution is found this way.

The women in this movie completely steal the show. While Bridges plays his role perfectly the best scenes are the ones with Streisand and Bacall. I would even throw in Mimi Rogers - she has always been an underrated actress that just seems to have never gotten the roles that would put her in the top tier of Hollywood. I have always admired the actresses of Bacall's era - they always had a presence and charisma that few actors today seem to have. Streisand's direction and music choices often give the film a feel that it was made during another time.

All of that said, I am still intrigued by the question that was asked during the first half of the film. This question was taken up in one of the better films of 2020, Straight Up.

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It takes it's time to get going this, but once we've met the characters and it gets into it's swing, its quite an amiable showcase for the star. "Gregory" (Jeff Bridges) is a rather dry university professor who's looking for a distinctly platonic form of female companionship. He places an add and amongst the responses is one from "Rose" (Barbra Streisand). Thing is, she didn't volunteer for this - her recently married sister "Claire" (Mimi Rogers) nominated her... Anyway, the two meet and rather surprisingly they click. A few rather rushed escapades later and it's clear that the two are falling in love - despite the obvious scepticism of her mother "Hannah" (Lauren Bacall) - and that "Rose" is now ready to takes things to a next level that "Gregory" is scared silly of... Meantime, her sister and husband "Alex" (Pierce Brosnan), upon whom "Rose" has always had a bit of a crush, are having difficulties and with "Gregory" playing his hand particularly badly, well - might "Rose" stray? The last forty minutes or so are well paced with some pithy dialogue and as "Rose" finds her true personality the characterisations begin to come alive a little better. There are a couple of fun scenes with the all too sparingly used Bacall and Streisand sabre-rattling and the rest of it, well I reckon there are some clear parallels with "What's Up Doc?" (1972) as the story heads to an increasingly predicable denouement. It's quite watchable, but you'll probably never remember it or the duet with Bryan Adams at the end.

****Weeper for Just the Right Movie afternoon Sunday.****
OK. If you accept this movie for what it is, it's actually pretty entertaining.
It's a Cinderella story for middle-aged folks. I won't recap the film. That's not my job.
I'm here only to give you my impressions on the watchability and impact of this movie.
If you love Barbra Streisand (and I do) and you love Jeff Bridges (and I do), you will love this romantic comedy.
Both are at their funny, witty, comedic best in this film.
Mimi Rogers is gorgeous as Bab's sister. (Oddly, Netflix has her mistakenly identified as Fran Drescher on its website.) Lauren Bacall is stunningly beautiful - still. Overall, the film has a lot of heart.
What I love about Streisand is that she knows her weaknesses and her strengths, and plays both up to much effect in this film, which she directed and, I believe, co-wrote.
This is a quintessential "chick flick," the kind you enjoy on a raining Sunday afternoon with a big bowl of popcorn. If you are in just the right mood for a film that shamelessly exploits your feelings about romance, this one is it.
Enjoy!

My Score: 6/10. (I love his voice, in a lot of his songs.)