La chouette et le pussycat

Adaptation of the Broadway play casts George Segal as an uptight New York City book-clerk who hopes to be a writer but can't get anything published; after calling the landlord one night on prostitute-neighbor Barbra Streisand, he finds her on his doorstep. She tells him she's a model and an actress--her third time on TV is in front of the elevator security camera! The two lovable losers banter back and forth before falling into uncertain love, and you could say the film is either nicely devoid of major plot devices or is an exceptionally thin romantic comedy. Streisand, her Brooklynese so thick she sometimes lapses into Cockney, wears tacky, hilarious hooker-outfits, but her shrillness isn't modulated (at least not in the first act) and she can sometimes be grating. The sex-talk is dated now, and the picture tends to look like a relic from a bygone era, yet it's an often funny film about opposites. Although too soft in its final scenes, director Herbert Ross changes speeds enough to keep things bubbling, even though his rhythm may put some viewers off. *** from ****

It's great to see "Pussycat" in widescreen at last. Streisand and Siegel make a good team and the movie is still pretty racy, even by today's standards, although it would have been racier still if some bluenose hadn't removed one of Barbra's more notorious expletives from the soundtrack. Fans of the original well remember the scene in which she tells a bunch of hooligans that are harassing her and Siegel to "F---- off!" Amazingly, this line has now been dropped from the DVD version so that the two scenes that come next make little sense, including her follow-up line, "people are so touchy these days, you have to watch every word." The cropped VHS tape may have looked terrible but at least it did retain the line with the F-word, probably the first time it was ever uttered by a big female star in a major motion picture. (Of course, now screenwriters have over-used it to such an extent that you suspect they wouldn't be able to get along without it if it were ever banned from use.) Some aspects of the film would probably be politically incorrect today, such as certain homophobic slurs the hooker screams at the writer, and it's pretty hard to imagine this relationship lasting too much longer after the fadeout. Still the stars are compulsively watchable.

The Owl and the Pussycat seems stuck between two worlds - the stage and the screen. While the screenplay has done wonders to make the story feel less cramped and claustrophobic, the performances haven't always been modulated to better fit the screen with Streisand coming across as a bit too shrill, loud, and grating for most of the film's first half.

When the film finally settles into its groove, it can be quite charming and funny, but you just have to get past that initial hump. There are a few pacing issues even with its relatively short 96 minute runtime, but the charm of Streisand and Segal make up for any major shortcomings.

This is a fantastic movie.

I used to think it was too loud, abrasive and most certainly claustrophobic....and at that time it really turned me off. Well, it is all those things...but, it is brilliantly acted by both Segal and Streisand. I don't think I have seen Streisand more natural or convincing than in this role....and in my opinion she's extremely sexy.

Originally I faulted George Segal for being so annoying (as Felix)...now, I applaud him for acting the part.

There are some hysterically funny lines and situations in this movie.

Enjoy

"The Owl and the Pussycat" is an uneven but generally enjoyable mix of comedy and romance, with a few dramatic undertones. There are some genuine laughs and some touching moments, but the movie's loudness occasionally goes over-the-line. Streisand is alternately appealing and annoying, sometimes both in the same scene. Segal is very enjoyable in his "everyman" role, and he makes the picture worth watching, although it does run out of steam in the second half.