The Owl and the Pussycat

I usually love Barbera and I couldn't believe how hot George was in this film, but I could not get passed all the screeching and yelling and the ridiculousness of it all. I can't score it, because I didn't finish it. I didn't see the point of it.

A lot of people criticize this film for not being funnier. If it was, I probably would have suffered cardiac arrest. Barbra Streisand and George Segal are hilarious. Seldome have I seen two great actors paired in a funny movie that really clicks. Barbra is doing this film soon after winning an Academy Award for Best Actress in her first film (Funny Girl). She is a riot as a prostitute that absolutely drives Felix (Segal) nuts! It has to be added that this is the first major film in which a major actress says *. (I hear this has been cut from all but the VHS version.) Segal chose to go the comedy route, rather than drama, for which he is equally qualified (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?). He starred with Jane Fonda in the original Fun With Dick and Jane. Here he is a perfect match for Doris (Streisand) as an uptight writer. I am not stretching the truth even the slightest bit to say that these two will crack you up.

I also read the play. Streisand and Segal have great on-screen chemistry. This film will keep you laughing non-stop. Barbara Streisand's performance of the character being "neurotic" is excellent. George Segal's character is equally good in his response to her behavior. If you like this, it is one you may want to watch over and over again.

Character comedy. I wanted more plot but for almost the whole movie we have only the sparring of the two stars. Unfortunately we learn very little about their lives that makes them more interesting as opposites. For fans of the two stars only but it's not their best work.

"The Owl and the Pussycat" is an uneven but generally enjoyable mix of comedy and romance, with a few dramatic undertones. There are some genuine laughs and some touching moments, but the movie's loudness occasionally goes over-the-line. Streisand is alternately appealing and annoying, sometimes both in the same scene. Segal is very enjoyable in his "everyman" role, and he makes the picture worth watching, although it does run out of steam in the second half.