What a disappointing film. It's good for 45 minutes or so, then just turns into an hour and a half of mooning over Omar Sharif and his weird, watery eyes. Of course there's "The Voice," but it's not enough. More showbiz and less romance, please.

I have no history with Barbara Streisand beyond her obvious iconic status. In fact, as I sat down to watch Funny Girl, I checked and discovered I'd never seen a movie she was in before. Here she reprises a role she made famous on Broadway, that of unusual Follies star Fanny Brice, who managed to turned most numbers into quirky comedy sketches, otherwise a self-proclaimed "ugly duckling" among the Ziegfeld girls. I've seen many "show people" musicals, and too often, the lead is at once conceited and insecure, but when the Follies are evoked, at least the production values are high, and Brice's comedy takes are very entertaining. It's when Funny Girl wallows in biopic elements (as off the mark as they might be) that it gets tedious for me, despite giving us some of the better songs ("People Who Love People", "Sadie, Married Lady"). Omar Sharif makes a suave gambler-about-town, but his marriage to Streisand's Fanny (cough) quickly turns to melodrama and takes us away from the stage AND from the humor. Starts off well, and I acknowledge its place in musical history, but Funny Girl too quickly turns into Sad Lady.

I was worried this would be one of those rare times where Barbara isn't her normal, insufferable self. The movie failed to disappoint on that.