Film

Funny Lady

Name: Funny Lady
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Released: 1975
Cast: Barbra Streisand, James Caan, Omar Sharif, Roddy McDowall, Ben Vereen

Biopic

Streisand returns as Fanny Brice in this Depression-era sequel, moving from a failed marriage to a new partnership with ambitious songwriter Billy Rose. It's a vehicle built around star power and elaborate musical numbers, part torch song, part showbiz biography, watchable mainly for Streisand's presence and the production design. For devoted Streisand fans or classic musical completists.

TMDb rating

2.7

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you love old-fashioned backstage showbiz musicals where big numbers, sharp banter and a larger-than-life star carry a bittersweet romance across the glitter of the 1930s.

Skip it if you want a tight, fast story; this is leisurely, and at over two hours its sequins-and-sentiment mood can feel padded, especially if the music is not your thing.

What it asks of you: Its pace is unhurried across more than two hours, with ballads and comic set-pieces stretching scenes and a mood that drifts from playful to wistful without rushing.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

A Star Is Born1976

Streisand opposite Kris Kristofferson in a modern rock-inflected remake that gave her one of her signature roles. Raw vulnerability beneath the superstar veneer, and genuinely moving.

But The story is familiar and occasionally schmaltzy. If you prefer restraint over emotional intensity, it may feel like too much.

Yentl1983

Streisand's directorial debut, based on a Bashevis Singer story. She plays a girl disguised as a boy in 1920s Poland, and the film is smart, ambitious, and utterly her vision in ways Funny Lady never quite is.

But It's very personal and very long. The tonal shifts between comedy and heartbreak can feel uneven if you're not with it from the start.

The Way We Were1973

Streisand at her early-seventies peak with Robert Redford, playing a political activist through decades of American life. Romantic and political at once, with a melancholic understanding of how love and ideology collide.

But It's a sad film about incompatibility. If you want a happy ending or light entertainment, this will disappoint you.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Funny Lady

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Singin' in the Rain1952

Both are behind-the-scenes musicals about the theatre and film industries where art and commerce collide; both centre on performers rebuilding themselves after setbacks.

The greatest Hollywood musical ever made, about the transition from silent film to sound in 1920s. Like Funny Lady, it's set in showbiz and uses dance and music to explore ambition, ego, and survival. But it's infinitely more graceful and the dancing rewrites what's possible on film.

But It's in color on sets, not in the gritty texture of Depression reality. Gene Kelly's athleticism and ego drive the film in ways that might feel dated if you're expecting contemporary sensibilities.

Funny Girl1968

Streisand's Oscar-winning debut, the film that made her a movie star. As Fanny Brice the first time, she's electric—funny, brash, and heartbreaking. A proper Hollywood musical that still sings.

But It's the first film in a franchise, and Funny Lady is the sequel. Watching this one first is strongly advisable.

What's Up, Doc?1972

Barbra Streisand in a screwball comedy opposite Ryan O'Neal, directed by Peter Bogdanovich. It's fizzy, fast, and lets her do comedy without the weight of being a biographical vessel.

But It's deliberately lightweight, which some find refreshing and others find hollow. The plot is deliberately absurd.

On a Clear Day You Can See Forever1970

Streisand plays a woman who discovers she's been reincarnated. A Vincente Minnelli musical with lavish production design, psychedelia, and Streisand's voice at full throttle.

But The script is thinner than it should be, and the tonal imbalance between whimsy and psychology is never resolved.

On a Clear Day You Can See Forever poster

Hello, Dolly!1969

Streisand in a stage musical adaptation with Gene Kelly, in her biggest production number moment ever. Pure spectacle and joy, gorgeously shot, unabashedly camp.

But It's aggressively frothy. The musical numbers go on and on. If you prefer substance, this is candy floss.

The Main Event1979

Streisand and Ryan O'Neal again, this time in a romantic comedy about a woman who becomes a boxing promoter. It's silly and they have chemistry; sometimes that's enough for an evening.

But The script is thin and the boxing subplot is genuinely goofy. It's easy to forget ten minutes after it ends.

All Night Long1981

A dark comedy about a man in crisis who takes a job at an all-night drugstore, with Streisand in a small, unglamorous role. Quirky and aimless in a deliberately anti-commercial way.

But It's a deeply weird film that doesn't add up or resolve satisfyingly. The tone is deliberately unsettling and the ending is bleak.

Broadcast News1987

Both are built around a talented woman navigating a male-dominated industry that wants to use her image and talent while keeping her out of real power. Both are angry about this, though Broadcast News hides the anger better.

James L. Brooks' film about network television news, starring Holly Hunter, William Hurt, and Albert Brooks. It's about ambition, vanity, and the gap between who we pretend to be and who we are—serious comedy with real stakes and no musical numbers to hide behind.

But It's a drama disguised as a comedy, or vice versa. If you watch Funny Lady expecting entertainment spectacle, this will feel small and talk-heavy.

Ratatouille2007

Both are about outsiders trying to create beauty and meaning in commercial contexts; both suggest that true artistry requires accepting collaboration and loss of control, and that this is both necessary and tragic.

An animated film about a rat who wants to be a chef and an unlikely partnership in a Paris restaurant. It's about artistry, craft, the terror of trying to make something beautiful in a world that doesn't understand it, and the loneliness of ambition. Genuinely profound.

But It's a Pixar film, so you might expect lightweight family entertainment. It's far more melancholic and complicated than that. And yes, it's about a rat.