Funny Lady

11/19/2024

I guess a sequel to "Funny Girl" (1968) was always likely, but it really ended up being a shame that we waited seven years for this really unremarkable follow-up. The theme picks up the life of the now successful Fanny Brice (Barbra Streisand) and develops her rather lively relationship with two-bit writer Billy Rose (James Caan), who wrote a few of her hits and to whom she got married. Unfortunately, despite a decent effort from the star, the writing is not a patch on the first film: the humour there that was naive and amusing has now become coarse, unfunny and strained. The musical numbers - "More Than You Know" from Streisand and "Me and My Shadow" from Al Jolson demonstrate that Rose had some skill (with Yip Harburg on the first song too) at song writing, but again there is a paucity o