Ma femme est dingue

Although this one got left out by the Steisand fans, but it's really an okay movie. Streisend as a the wife of the decade, that would do anything for her depressed cab driver husband, even if it means driving a herd of cattle throughout New York city. Streisand sure has an eye for comedy, and she's doing her best in this film. Not hilariously funny but a pleasant 90 minute flick

Pete (Michael Sarrazin) and Henrietta Robins (Barbra Streisand) are a Brooklyn couple with money problems. Cab driver Pete hears a tip on pork bellies from his dispatcher and the couple decides to buy the futures. Nobody is willing to lend them the money and Henrietta goes to a loan shark in secret. When the debt comes due, she has to work in increasingly weirder jobs while hiding it from her husband.

It starts poor. Henry is not particularly that appealing. The pork bellies McGuffin does not taste good. I didn't like this movie at first and didn't know where it was going. Then it starts to get edgier and then it gets weirder. The silliness gets funny. Streisand is able to do stupid comedy and she eventually gets there. The movie should start silly and forget about the pork bellies. Pete is a bit of wet blanket but he does get into a funny screwball situation with a judge. This is good for a few giggles in the second half.

Barbra Streisand shines as a woman helping her husband (Michael Sarrazin) get through school, whatever it takes. What takes place is very funny because he has no idea what she does all day as he's working as a cab driver in New York City. She keeps all of her hilarious misdeeds from him, hoping to be able to make the money he needs for school. She'll do anything...all for Pete's sake. My rating: 8

Although I have been aware of this film for a long time, it was only after watching its amusing theatrical trailer – on THE OWL AND THE PUSSYCAT (1970) DVD – that I became eager to watch it. The end result proved to be a patchy affair but, nevertheless, it does have its fair share of belly-laughs and, in any case, watching Streisand in kooky mode is always fun; Estelle Parsons and William Redfield are her hubby (Michael Sarrazin)’s well-to-do and snobbish relatives who particularly look down on Streisand.

It clearly emulates the screwball style of WHAT’S UP, DOC? (1972), parodies THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971) – the underground station cat-and-mouse chase between Gene Hackman and Fernando Rey is performed here by a disguised Streisand and a persistent police dog! – and it also homages Buster Keaton’s GO WEST (1925) in the urban cow stampede sequence and Luis Bunuel’s BELLE DE JOUR (1967) in the role-playing encounters during Streisand’s disastrous stint as a call-girl! British action director Yates was surprisingly roped in for this, but he seems to have enjoyed the experience as his next project was on similarly zany lines – the black comedy MOTHER, JUGS AND SPEED (1976; which I’ll be watching presently).

Another notable sequence sees the heroine involved, unbeknownst to her, in terrorist activity (she’s asked to deliver a package in disguise to a similarly-dressed woman) – which eventually rebounds on her shady brother employers! Similarly, one of the best lines has Streisand’s nonchalant black maid (she hires a Hispanic woman to do her own cleaning-up!) who, admiring the former’s tenacity, tells her: “Girl, you could even sell a Confederate flag in Harlem!”

This is one of the funniest comedies that Barbara Streisand ever made. To me this is an updated version of "I Love Lucy" only updated to fit the 1970's. Also, the assortment of mobsters, madames and underworld types makes this film even more funny. Also, Estelle Parsons role as Pete's bitchy sister in law is a scream. Too bad Henrietta didn't just pop her one.