The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996)

Fresh and Exciting

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

The Mirror Has Two Faces is two movies rolled into one-which you might think fits the title perfectly, but it actually doesn't. I absolutely loved the first movie, but the second movie completely ruined my enjoyment. In the first "face" of the mirror, Barbra Streisand and Jeff Bridges are both professors at the same college. They're both unlucky in love-those of you who think Jeff's a total hunk will have to use suspension of disbelief during this portion of the plot. One day, Jeff sits in on a lecture of Barbra's, and he's incredibly moved by her speech on why people pursue romance even though it's painful. They start seeing each other, but while he's just grateful for the companionship, she thinks there might be something more-and so does her mother, Lauren Bacall, who walks through her dramatic, caricature of a role. Then, Jeff proposes a platonic marriage, based on friendship not sex. End of the first movie.I loved the Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy comedy Without Love, in which an unromantic scientist marries his assistant because they're great companions, not because they're crazy about each other. I'm a realist in romance and think it's infinitely more important to like who you're with than to love them. Jeff Bridge's proposal makes total sense to me! When Barbra tries to add romance into the mix, it ruins everything. I realize I'm completely in the minority. Most people will probably love this romance, since most people have a completely unrealistic view of love. Most people would want someone they find enormously handsome-I've never forgiven Jeff Bridges for The Big Lebowski, so I was drooling over Pierce Brosnan in this movie-to fall in love with their insides and outsides, even if they aren't considered attractive, rarely doll up, and if attraction was taken off the table long ago. Go ahead and rent this movie if you fall into that camp. You'll probably really enjoy it. But if you invite me over for movie night, I'll take a long bathroom break during the second half of the movie.

Suspiciously similar to "Goodbye Love", a movie with Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn in 1945. The theme, a woman unloved, a man betrayed, a marriage of convenience. Even the struggle the husband goes through to avoid consummation. If an idea was stolen or copied this would be it.

The characters in "The Mirror Has Two Faces", all neurotic, intellectual middle class types, are tired of the manipulations of classic Hollywood. You grow up with an understanding that your first kiss will be set to the sounds of triumphant orchestral melodies; you expect that you'll find someone so perfect for you that doubt will hardly ever be a factor in your relationship. But in real life, things like that don't happen. More often than not, you settle, afraid of becoming a spinster — and if you do happen to become a spinster, you may as well mope around about your loneliness while dreaming along with "It Happened One Night".Rose (Barbra Streisand) falls under the category of the latter. She doesn't mope around though: she has completely given up. She knows that she isn't a great beauty, and she knows that her biological clock is falling into the pre-stages of menopause. Instead of fretting over her consistently non-existent love life, she embraces her solitude, filling up voids with fattening muffins you find in those plastic wrappers defined by their gigantic, illegible Swedish titles.Rose, around fifty, still lives with her mother (Lauren Bacall), a past beauty who spends her days as a critical showoff who wishes she were 25 again. Rose teaches literature at a local university, analyzing the doomed lust of Shakespeare's ensembles to the delight of her students — to her surprise, she captures the attention of Gregory Larkin (Jeff Bridges), a mathematics professor who lectures at the very same college. Gregory isn't interested in her like Clark Gable was interested in Claudette Colbert, though; he wants to find love that doesn't have to be strewn together by sex. He wants an emotional connection, a union that requires two souls to unite through their minds rather than their bodies. Rose is skeptical, but she doesn't want to be an old maid the rest of her life — so she throws caution to the wind and starts dating this seemingly asexual oddball.After courting for months, they get married. But only a few moments into the marriage does Rose realize that she can't handle a relationship that isn't, you know, normal. In the process, she rediscovers herself, giving herself a makeover (a part of a cringe-worthy montage sequence that involves lots of treadmills) and a new attitude. A fresh appearance can't instantaneously change things, however; Rose is forced to decide whether she wants to continue being a part of a sexless coupling.It's ironic that so much of "The Mirror Has Two Faces" is spent criticizing cinematic romantic comedies for being so manipulative, with their obligatory happy endings and scheming instances of mood music. Because, like those "manipulative" rom-coms, the film is pretty manipulative itself. It has an obligatory happy ending and scheming instances of mood music too — so what's the deal?Streisand, making her third directorial feature here, doesn't have anything particularly deep in mind. She wants to create a romantic comedy without the seemingly flawless young people with nothing at stake, instead focusing on middle-aged obsessives that have quite a bit more baggage than charm. Putting Streisand's manipulations aside, "The Mirror Has Two Faces" is a successful film, only because it doesn't have a problem with being likable. Likability is nearly a distraction; this is far from an excellent film, but Streisand's indestructible appeal makes it impossible not to slightly, slightly hope that Rose and Gregory will, against the odds, have sex (GASP!) and live happily ever after.Fans of the immortal Babs will figure that the film is the best thing since chicken fried steak; but those who simply appreciate her star power (me) won't be so sold. Streisand is, as usual, impossible to dislike, yet some of her co-stars, particularly Bridges, don't fit into her syrupy vision so easily. Bridges may be one of the leads, but his character's "no sex" theory is difficult to sell, considering Bridges portrayal is shrill, stuttering, and awkward. Most of "The Mirror Has Two Faces" is formulaic romantic comedy-drama glitter, set to the tune of your grandma's movie preferences (not a bad thing; formula can be effective, and the film is good); its bright spot is Bacall, who steps out from behind Streisand's Hallmark sheen and represents something real. It's worth your time if you can stomach sentimentality and appreciate Streisand's warm talent. If your gag reflex is weak, though, avoid.

"The Mirror Has Two Faces" is, actually, a great romantic comedy. It counts with all the elements of a successful one. It has a sympathetic main character(Barbra Streisand's Rose), a charming good looking man that falls in love with her (Jeff Bridges) and a great supporting cast(including an Oscar deserving performance from Lauren Bacall). But it's main problem is that it is directed by Barbra Streisand. Those who are familiarized with Streisand's previous work (Yentl, The prince of tides) will agree that she loves to be the center of her movies, and she hurts her films by making this, and "The mirror has two faces " is not the exception.The story centers on Rose Morgan(Barbra Streisand), a literature teacher in Columbia's University, and on Gregory Larkin(Jeff Bridges), a math teacher on the same university. Gregory looks for a relationship based on mutual respect and not in physical attraction, and Rose looks for any relationship with an average good looking man. So when Rose's sister joins them by answering an internet advertisement put by Gregory, they begin to date and the even get married, without having any physical contact. But when Rose looks for it, Gregory argues with her and she decides to go to her home with her mother(Lauren Bacall).Until this point of the film, Streisand looks at her character(Rose) with objectivity, never making of her a very desirable good looking woman. But in the second half of the film she works in her characteristic self absorbing way. Rose decides, thanks to her mother's advise, to change her appearance. So, she begins to do some exercise, to wear make up and very elegant clothes, and to eat less. But when Gregory looks at her, he only criticizes her and she goes from home telling him that she doesn't love him anymore. At the end, Gregory realizes that he loves Rose, and they both end up together in a very romantic closing scene.Many people, specially critics, hated the movie arguing that it was another vanity project made by Sterisand, but it much more than that. "The mirror has two faces" is a serious analysis to the relationships and how the physical and intellectual part influences them. It is true that the movie would work better if Sterisand had chosen another woman to play her character, but at the end the result is a satisfying movie with great performances and a good story.