Film

The Main Event

Name: The Main Event
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Released: 1979
Cast: Barbra Streisand, Ryan O'Neal, Paul Sand, Whitman Mayo, Patti D'Arbanville

Comedy
Light-hearted

Streisand plays a shrewd businesswoman who renovates a washed-up boxer's career to save her own fortune in this '70s comedy. It's breezy and fizzy, built on the charm of its leads and the chemistry between them. For anyone who loves romantic comedies where the woman's got the brains and the plan, and doesn't need rescuing—just needs a man willing to take a punch.

TMDb rating

2.7

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like screwball romantic comedies where two stubborn, mismatched people trade barbs for two hours and the sparks come from the bickering itself.

Skip it if you want a brisk, gag-packed farce; this one is a leisurely, talky 1979 comedy that lingers on its romance and asks patience for its slower stretches.

What it asks of you: Just under two hours at an easy, conversational pace, with the laughs arriving in small verbal exchanges rather than constant set pieces, so settle in and let the banter build.

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

If you liked this

Funny Girl1968

Streisand's musical triumph that made her a star. If you love her mix of vulnerability and unstoppable drive, this is where it all started—high stakes, high emotion, and a voice that stops traffic.

But It's long, slow in places, and the romantic plotting can feel dated. Musical theater in film often doesn't translate; this one mostly does, but not always smoothly.

Paper Moon1973

A con-artist comedy with real warmth at its center, mixing screwball humor with genuine affection. Tatum O'Neal steals it, but the film's about the relationship beneath the schemes—just like The Main Event.

But It's in black and white, which some find a barrier. The pacing is deliberate; this isn't a fast joke machine.

What's Up, Doc?1972

Bogdanovich's madcap homage to screwball comedy. Ryan O'Neal and Barbra Streisand spark here too—it's pure, silly, unpretentious fun with real chemistry and a driving comedic engine.

But The humor is very broad and relies on physical comedy and slapstick. If you prefer subtle wit, this will feel exhausting.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Main Event

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Heaven Can Wait1978

Both films are built on the premise that broken people deserve revival, and that romance and self-interest can coexist without cynicism—a distinctly '70s optimism about reinvention.

Warren Beatty rewrites the classic fantasy as a sports comedy. It has the same '70s romantic energy, the same belief that goodness and joy can exist alongside ambition, and it's criminally underrated. Perfect companion piece—both films believe in second chances.

But It's a premise film, and the concept can feel slight. The tone wobbles between whimsy and sentiment. If you need sharp edges, this isn't it.

Flashdance1983

A woman with a dream and the guts to pursue it, mentor and all—the same DNA as The Main Event but with a different era's sheen. Uplifting, fun, anchored by genuine stakes beneath the gloss.

But The plot is thin. The music video aesthetic means character sometimes bows to spectacle. The romantic subplot is obligatory.

Coming Home1978

Jon Voight and Jane Fonda in a complex, grown-up love story set against the Vietnam War. It has the same late-70s feel and proves that era could do deep emotion alongside lighter fare.

But It's heavy—infidelity, trauma, real consequences. This is not a lark. The pacing is slow and it asks patience.

Nine to Five1980

Three women outwit their boss in a workplace comedy that actually has teeth. It's fun but also angry in a way The Main Event isn't, and it's about solidarity rather than romance.

But The fantasy sequences feel dated. The resolution is a bit neat. Some of the jokes land better conceptually than in execution.

Silkwood1983

Streisand's dramatic sister, also featuring a woman fighting systems that want her quiet. It's proof she could do anything, and it has the same stubborn, principled energy beneath the surface.

But It's a serious political thriller about nuclear safety. Completely different tone and stakes. If you want levity, look elsewhere.

The Goodbye Girl1977

Richard Dreyfuss and Marsha Mason in a romantic comedy about two broken people rebuilding lives together. It's smart, warm, and the banter feels lived-in. Captured the late-70s dating landscape perfectly.

But The humor is gentler, sometimes too gentle. Pacing sags in the middle. It's more wistful than effervescent.

Marnie1964

Tippi Hedren as a compulsive thief in Hitchcock's strangest romance. It's about two damaged people finding each other, though the power dynamics are... complicated by modern standards and honestly by any standards.

But The gender politics are deeply uncomfortable. It's psychologically twisted in ways meant to seduce you but may disturb you instead. Marnie's agency is questionable throughout.

Raging Bull1980

Same sport, opposite philosophy: where Main Event uses boxing as backdrop for romance and renewal, Raging Bull uses it as lens for examining masculine rage and self-sabotage. Both capture an era through the ring.

Scorsese's black-and-white masterpiece about a boxer's self-destruction and the women around him. It's the inverse of The Main Event's boxing comedy—brutal, artistic, and absolutely hypnotic. Shows what the same arena can become.

But It's violent, misogynistic, and punishing to watch. No levity. It's a three-hour deep dive into male ego and rage. Nothing like Main Event except the sport.

Network1976

Both are '70s portraits of business-as-game and people maneuvering within systems for survival, but Network sees the system as irredeemably corrupt while Main Event believes in charm and luck winning the day.

Paddy Chayefsky's savage satire about a TV executive and a has-been news anchor fighting corruption. It's in the same moment as The Main Event but from a completely different angle—cynical, biting, prophetic. Peak '70s cinema.

But It's angry and urgent in ways that exhaust you. No romance, no ease. It demands you think. Some will find it dated in its fury.