Why Barbra Streisand’s 1975 sequel Funny Lady remains a polarizing Hollywood musical experiment

Entertainment · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Barbra Streisand initially resisted making the sequel to her hit film Funny Girl, only agreeing after finding the script’s portrayal of a more mature Fanny Brice compelling. Despite a high-profile production and a successful box office debut, the film faced harsh critical scrutiny for its uneven blend of drama and music.

Released in 1975, Funny Lady chronicles the later life of comedienne Fanny Brice, focusing on her complex relationship with songwriter Billy Rose. The production was marked by significant behind-the-scenes friction. Director of photography Vilmos Zsigmond was fired after less than three days because producer Ray Stark felt his realist, dark aesthetic—inspired by Cabaret—clashed with the stylized, classical Hollywood look he demanded. The film was ultimately completed by the ailing James Wong Howe, who received an Academy Award nomination for his final project.

The film’s narrative, which spans years of Brice’s career, was heavily edited by studio executives who forced director Herbert Ross to trim the runtime to 136 minutes. This resulted in significant portions of Ben Vereen’s performance and dramatic scenes involving Brice’s daughter being cut. While the film grossed over $40 million in the U.S. and Canada, making it the seventh highest-grossing picture of 1975, critical reception was deeply divided. Reviewers like Roger Ebert dismissed it as a messy flop, while others, such as Arthur D. Murphy, praised Streisand’s performance as even stronger than in the original film.

Streisand’s portrayal of a tougher, more acerbic Brice was a deliberate choice to evolve the character from the impetuous hopeful seen in Funny Girl. However, critics like Pauline Kael argued that the musical numbers suffered from excessive, strident energy, and many felt the dramatic plot points were clichéd. Despite the mixed reviews and a lack of wins at the Golden Globes or Academy Awards, the film remains a notable example of the era's 'Big Movie Musical' ambition, underscored by a soundtrack that peaked at number six on the Billboard charts.

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