--- title: "Funny Girl: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/funny-girl/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/funny-girl" critics_score: 69 critics_reviews: 12 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Funny Girl (1968): what the critics said Critics' score 69 from 12 reviews: 8 positive, 2 mixed, 2 negative. Most critics come down in favour, and the praise lands almost entirely on Barbra Streisand. Her screen debut as Fanny Brice is the one thing every review agrees on, from the warmest to the coldest; even critics who dislike the film call her the reason to watch it. Several credit William Wyler with building the show around her and holding it together, and the musical numbers, Don’t Rain On My Parade in particular, are singled out for their staging and camerawork. The spread is wide. Reservations fall on the film rather than its star: overlong, overproduced, a familiar story, a supporting cast that cannot keep up with her. The New York Times and The New Yorker, reviewing on release, are the sharpest dissenters, both admiring Streisand while rejecting the picture around her. The Guardian, decades later, finds her comic scenes embarrassing, a complaint no one else makes. The most recent reviews are the kindest, reading the film as a vehicle that has lasted because of who is driving it. ## Empire — David Parkinson Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. The critic notes that Barbra Streisand's film debut as Fanny Brice earned her an Oscar and mirrored the character's rise, with Wyler's direction and strong supporting elements helping the biopic succeed as a top box-office hit of the 1960s. Streisand excels in both comedy and drama, particularly in her musical numbers. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/funny-girl-review/) ## Los Angeles Times — Kevin Thomas Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 31 August 2001. Hails the restored film as a true classic and superb example of Hollywood craftsmanship, praising Streisand's electrifying debut, Wyler's direction, the songs, and the restoration quality. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-aug-31-ca-40365-story.html) ## Slant Magazine — Derek Smith Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 27 November 2024. The critic lauds Streisand's awe-inspiring performance of vulnerability and humor that made her a star, noting how the film's enduring appeal stems from her magnetic presence rather than the musical genre's excesses. They highlight the elegant style and emotional power in numbers like the final “My Man” sequence. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/funny-girl-4k-uhd-blu-ray-review-william-wyler/) ## The Telegraph — Margaret Hinxman Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 19 January 1969. Streisand is superbly right as Fanny and the life force of the film. Director William Wyler drapes the opulent show around her, making the story work despite its clichés. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/on-demand/2016/05/18/funny-girl-comes-to-netflix-today-read-our-1969-review/) ## Radio Times — Adrian Turner Rating 4/5. Streisand delivers a bravura performance replicating her Broadway triumph as Fanny Brice, earning a joint Oscar. It is a marvellous musical comedy tracing her rise and troubled marriage, Wyler's first musical and penultimate picture. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-4y6skt/funny-girl/) ## The AV Club — Jacob Oller Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 6 November 2024. The critic praises William Wyler's direction as perfectly complementing Barbra Streisand's charismatic performance in her screen debut, highlighting the film's balance of traditional musical elements with youthful irony and self-deprecating humor. They single out the inventive camerawork in musical numbers like “Don’t Rain On My Parade” for praise. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/cult-of-criterion-funny-girl) ## Time Out — PH Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 22 April 2016. Wyler's only musical is the fictionalised biography of Fanny Brice, with Streisand as the ugly duckling who becomes a Ziegfeld star. The central irony concerns success at the expense of personal knowledge, and it is well worth watching. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/funny-girl) ## Variety Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1967. Notes Streisand makes a marked impact in her Hollywood debut and credits the cast and crew for making the familiar story play convincingly with enhanced songs. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1967/film/reviews/funny-girl-1200421643/) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 55/100 (inferred from the text). 15 February 2002. The film is a spirited but creakily old-fashioned musical that feels out of step with the 1960s. Songs like Don't Rain on My Parade live triumphantly on, though Streisand's attempts at comedy are embarrassing. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2002/feb/15/culture.peterbradshaw3) ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 18 October 1968. Praises Streisand as magnificent with superb comic timing and acting in songs, but criticizes the overproduced, overlong film and wooden supporting cast and direction of everything else. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/funny-girl-1968) ## The New Yorker — Pauline Kael Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 21 September 1968. Calls it a terrible movie overall but hails Streisand's performance of greatness for her talent, beauty through skill, and ability to make dialogue sound improvised. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1968/09/28/bravo) ## The New York Times — Renata Adler Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 20 September 1968. Credits Streisand's strong talent but faults the movie as an overlong, patronizing launching pad that holds shots too long and miscasts supporting roles like Omar Sharif. [Read the review](https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/97/04/27/reviews/streisand-bow.html) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/funny-girl.md