Ma chi te l'ha fatto fare?

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!”

In New York, the housewife Henrietta Robins (Barbra Streisand) and the taxi driver Pete (Michael Sarrazin) have financial difficulties since they got married very young and Pete has not concluded the college education. When Pete receives an inside information from a coworker that the pork bellies will raise their price since the Americans and the Russians are negotiating a great business transaction, Pete needs US$ 3,000.00 to invest in the market. Henrietta decides to help Peter and secretly makes a loan with a mobster. However the price of the pork bellies fall and she is not able to pay the loan. The loan shark promises to kill Pete and Henrietta accepts that her debt be sold to a madame by a higher amount. After many problems, her debt is increased and sold to mobsters and then to a cattle thief. What will happen to Henrietta and Pete?

After forty-four years from its release, "For Pete's Sake" is still a very funny comedy. Barbra Streisand shows great talent performing the role of Henrietta Robins, who gets in a sequence of troubles trying to help her beloved husband. There are many hilarious situations and the film has not aged. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Nossa, que Loucura!" ('Wow, What Madness")

Struggling financially, a young couple needs quick cash to invest in pork bellies, prompting the wife to concoct a series of wild schemes to raise the cash. This is basically a vehicle for Streisand to engage in some zaniness, trying to duplicate the success of "What's Up, Doc?" a couple of years earlier. Unlike the latter film, however, this one does not have a particularly inspired script. Babs tries hard, but is unable to raise the material beyond a level of mild amusement. To pay off loan sharks, she goes through a series of jobs, including prostitution (taken rather lightly), each meant to setup hilarious situations but the payoff isn't there.

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

Barbra was 31 when she made this film. Her hair (a poor short-haired wig) was done by her then boyfriend,

Jon Peters, and her outfits remind me of her "stoney end" phase (remember that?). This movie was released in 1974. Her co-star is 'ok' but he's no Brad Pitt. He does have one sexy bathtub scene. If you look quickly when he pulls Babs into the tub you'll see he is wearing a pair of white bikini briefs (poor editing, they should have cut that).

Now a little outdated (I'm writing this in the year 2000) the film is funny overall with some greater funny moments.

Barbra shows a real flair for comedy. I wish she had done more character acting in other films because in this one she dons a blond curly wig, big yellow hat and oval sunglasses then screams and runs like a little girl. She literally had me laughing uncontrollably several times.

The plot is sort of hokey: her husband's brother and pompous wife insinuate Babs (Henry) conned her husband into an early marriage which robbed him of a good college education and a decent job (he's a taxi driver). They get an inside stock tip on 'pork bellies' and she borrows $3,000 from the mob. The tip doesn't pay off at first and her contract is sold to more and more crooks - and with each sale she screws up her assignments. She goes to work for a little old lady (Mrs. Cherry) who sends men clients to her apartment and Babs accidently breaks the nose of her first client then nearly kills the second, a judge who is taxi'd to the N.Y. apt by her husband. This second client is hidden in a trunk and revived in the back of a flower delivery truck then placed back in the taxi when Henry's husband isn't looking.

The whole movie goes on like this - and she ends up in several funny situations, even unwittingly carrys a bomb (the wig, hat and glasses). She turns the package over to an undercover cop and is promptly arrested but runs away screaming through Central Park claiming he is a pervert (the cop is dressed in identical women's clothing)

Eventually her contract is sold to a cattle rustler who fills up a motor-home with stolen cattle for delivery in downtown N.Y. She has an accident and the one lone bull and all the cows get lose running through New York streets and into shops. By the end of the picture the stock tip pays off and they end up rich and happy.

If you like Barbra you'll like this movie. I say 'thumbs up'!