HotToastyRag The Mirror Has Two Faces is two movies rolled into one-which you might think fits the title perfectly, but it actually doesn't. I absolutely loved the first movie, but the second movie completely ruined my enjoyment. In the first "face" of the mirror, Barbra Streisand and Jeff Bridges are both professors at the same college. They're both unlucky in love-those of you who think Jeff's a total hunk will have to use suspension of disbelief during this portion of the plot. One day, Jeff sits in on a lecture of Barbra's, and he's incredibly moved by her speech on why people pursue romance even though it's painful. They start seeing each other, but while he's just grateful for the companionship, she thinks there might be something more-and so does her mother, Lauren Bacall, who walks through her dramatic, caricature of a role. Then, Jeff proposes a platonic marriage, based on friendship not sex. End of the first movie.I loved the Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy comedy Without Love, in which an unromantic scientist marries his assistant because they're great companions, not because they're crazy about each other. I'm a realist in romance and think it's infinitely more important to like who you're with than to love them. Jeff Bridge's proposal makes total sense to me! When Barbra tries to add romance into the mix, it ruins everything. I realize I'm completely in the minority. Most people will probably love this romance, since most people have a completely unrealistic view of love. Most people would want someone they find enormously handsome-I've never forgiven Jeff Bridges for The Big Lebowski, so I was drooling over Pierce Brosnan in this movie-to fall in love with their insides and outsides, even if they aren't considered attractive, rarely doll up, and if attraction was taken off the table long ago. Go ahead and rent this movie if you fall into that camp. You'll probably really enjoy it. But if you invite me over for movie night, I'll take a long bathroom break during the second half of the movie.

Python Hyena The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996): Dir: Barbra Streisand / Cast: Barbra Streisand, Jeff Bridges, Lauren Bacall, Mimi Rogers, George Segal: Clever romantic comedy regarding relationships and our warped expectations. The two faces of the mirror could have a variety of meanings but the theme that emerges the strongest is the sex and marriage issue. Barbra Streisand removes sex to demonstrate the value of friendship. She plays a teacher who lives with her mother and is insecure with regards to her appearance. Jeff Bridges sits in on a teaching session and admires her methods. They strike up a friendship and agree that sex is ruining relationships. When they do marry the pressure of sex invades her. Intelligent film delivered with wit and humour by Streisand. She previously directed The Prince of Tides and Yentl. She plays a smart yet sympathetic woman of independence and insecurity. Jeff Bridges completes the chemistry as her husband. Strong supporting work by Lauren Bacall as Streisand's mother who brings comic wisdom. Mimi Rogers plays her sister whose husband was the sight of Streisand. Both roles are more or less comic placements yet portrayed with great care. Outside the leads, other roles are either brief or flat. While somewhat predictable it is still a wonderful portrait of relationships that make the mirror worth looking into. Score: 8 ½ / 10

Blake Peterson The characters in "The Mirror Has Two Faces", all neurotic, intellectual middle class types, are tired of the manipulations of classic Hollywood. You grow up with an understanding that your first kiss will be set to the sounds of triumphant orchestral melodies; you expect that you'll find someone so perfect for you that doubt will hardly ever be a factor in your relationship. But in real life, things like that don't happen. More often than not, you settle, afraid of becoming a spinster — and if you do happen to become a spinster, you may as well mope around about your loneliness while dreaming along with "It Happened One Night".Rose (Barbra Streisand) falls under the category of the latter. She doesn't mope around though: she has completely given up. She knows that she isn't a great beauty, and she knows that her biological clock is falling into the pre-stages of menopause. Instead of fretting over her consistently non-existent love life, she embraces her solitude, filling up voids with fattening muffins you find in those plastic wrappers defined by their gigantic, illegible Swedish titles.Rose, around fifty, still lives with her mother (Lauren Bacall), a past beauty who spends her days as a critical showoff who wishes she were 25 again. Rose teaches literature at a local university, analyzing the doomed lust of Shakespeare's ensembles to the delight of her students — to her surprise, she captures the attention of Gregory Larkin (Jeff Bridges), a mathematics professor who lectures at the very same college. Gregory isn't interested in her like Clark Gable was interested in Claudette Colbert, though; he wants to find love that doesn't have to be strewn together by sex. He wants an emotional connection, a union that requires two souls to unite through their minds rather than their bodies. Rose is skeptical, but she doesn't want to be an old maid the rest of her life — so she throws caution to the wind and starts dating this seemingly asexual oddball.After courting for months, they get married. But only a few moments into the marriage does Rose realize that she can't handle a relationship that isn't, you know, normal. In the process, she rediscovers herself, giving herself a makeover (a part of a cringe-worthy montage sequence that involves lots of treadmills) and a new attitude. A fresh appearance can't instantaneously change things, however; Rose is forced to decide whether she wants to continue being a part of a sexless coupling.It's ironic that so much of "The Mirror Has Two Faces" is spent criticizing cinematic romantic comedies for being so manipulative, with their obligatory happy endings and scheming instances of mood music. Because, like those "manipulative" rom-coms, the film is pretty manipulative itself. It has an obligatory happy ending and scheming instances of mood music too — so what's the deal?Streisand, making her third directorial feature here, doesn't have anything particularly deep in mind. She wants to create a romantic comedy without the seemingly flawless young people with nothing at stake, instead focusing on middle-aged obsessives that have quite a bit more baggage than charm. Putting Streisand's manipulations aside, "The Mirror Has Two Faces" is a successful film, only because it doesn't have a problem with being likable. Likability is nearly a distraction; this is far from an excellent film, but Streisand's indestructible appeal makes it impossible not to slightly, slightly hope that Rose and Gregory will, against the odds, have sex (GASP!) and live happily ever after.Fans of the immortal Babs will figure that the film is the best thing since chicken fried steak; but those who simply appreciate her star power (me) won't be so sold. Streisand is, as usual, impossible to dislike, yet some of her co-stars, particularly Bridges, don't fit into her syrupy vision so easily. Bridges may be one of the leads, but his character's "no sex" theory is difficult to sell, considering Bridges portrayal is shrill, stuttering, and awkward. Most of "The Mirror Has Two Faces" is formulaic romantic comedy-drama glitter, set to the tune of your grandma's movie preferences (not a bad thing; formula can be effective, and the film is good); its bright spot is Bacall, who steps out from behind Streisand's Hallmark sheen and represents something real. It's worth your time if you can stomach sentimentality and appreciate Streisand's warm talent. If your gag reflex is weak, though, avoid.

Rocco Campanaro Does this movie have anything to do with Barbra Streisand? - You'd be blind if you thought otherwise. She directs the picture, she produces the picture, she stars in the picture, and she even writes the picture's theme song… all to an average and substandard level. This increasingly tedious and unbelievable plot just appears to spiral out of control as Streisand's character appears to get prettier and prettier. How can a handsome (but incredibly dull) man yearn for just a sexless marriage with a self-proclaimed 'ugly duckling'? What was the message of this film?... In order to rekindle an almost broken marriage you should aspire for external self-improvement and a "bitta' makeup". Secondly, where does 'The Mirror Has Two Faces' title come from? In one reflection, you're pretty and in another you're not so pretty? The final question I have with this movie is: is it a romantic comedy or a romantic drama? Streisand's cliché jokes are completely inappropriate in the scenes where we're just about to find some sensual passion that could excite us and revive this bomb.The appearance of legendary film icon Lauren Bacall provides the only authentic and raw acting emotion that was definitely lacking in this picture. Bacall, in what would be her career-resurging role, plays Streisand's mother in the picture who fails to reckon with the fact that she has wronged her daughter in a way that she can't seem to deal with. The only shame is Bacall's scenes were very limited and more of a featuring role rather than a supportive one, but nonetheless it won her Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination.This is a complete vanity project increasing the ego of Ms Streisand of continuing the legacy of being the first and only woman (at the time) to have directed, produced, scripted, stared and composed the lyrics to a single picture. What would have worked if Barbra stayed completely out of the picture, stuck to behind-the-scenes (which would have, maybe, improved the camera angles to this shoddy film - or perhaps not) and casted perhaps either Geena Davis, Michelle Feiffer or even Jodie Foster rather than the 54-year-old Streisand trying to portray a 40-something late bloomer.Since 'The Mirror Has Two Faces', Streisand's film career has plummeted to Razzie-nominated leading and supporting roles and 'Mirror' seems to have been the final nail in the coffin for Streisand's all too descending Hollywood career. Stick to being the greatest singer of our generation, and you'll be alright, Babs! Nonetheless, our girl did manage to increase her ego FURTHER by receiving an Oscar nomination for co-writing "I Finally Found Someone" – the picture's theme song – now, to mention it; I did think it was a catchy duet with Bryan Adams – Streisand's first significant hit since 1981.