Opened: September 18, 1968

Directed by: William Wyler

Starring: Barbra Streisand, Omar Sharif, Kay Medford, Anne Francis, Walter Pidgeon, Lee Allen, Mae Questel, Gerald Mohr, Frank Faylen, Mittie Lawrence, Gertrude Flynn, Penny Santon, John Harmon & Ruth Clifford

Barbra Streisand’s Academy Award-winning debut performance is enough to get you to watch Funny Girl and even stick with it in its slower second half.

Gambler Nicky Arnstein (Omar Sharif) meets Fanny Brice (Streisand) as she’s becoming a star. When she gets cast in a Florenz Ziegfeld (Walter Pidgeon) show, she gets international fame, but Nicky’s financial issues cause problems with their relationship.

Streisand is beyond brilliant in the lead role and the control she has over her vocals makes many of the numbers highly memorable. She and Sharif have alluring chemistry that helps you believe the love story amongst Nicky’s red flags.

Unfortunately, all the energy is in the first half of the film and losing the tap numbers in the second half drains all the liveliness out.

Final say: Funny but dull at times. ★★★☆☆