Funny Girl (1968)

  Whoo boy.  This one hurts.  You know I love me some classic musicals and this is the one that launched Barbra Streisand's career and won her an Oscar.  It is a Big Deal.  And I hated it.

I'm so mad about this, you guys.

Fanny Brice (Barbra Streisand) is a talented comedienne who catches the eye of Florenz Ziegfeld (Walter Pidgeon), the biggest producer on Broadway.  As her career takes off, she meets the handsome Nick Arnstein (Omar Sharif) and marries him in a whirlwind romance.  Unfortunately, Nick begins to resent his wife's success as his own fortunes dwindle.

Can you see the problem already?

In 1968, this is framed as a romantic tragedy of star-crossed lovers with Nick as a sympathetic character.  His pride is too great to allow his wife to be the primary breadwinner.  He just cannot live with being emasculated, despite his love for Fanny.

In 2019?  Fuck outta here with that toxic bullshit.  Nick is a professional gambler, raised in money, who has squandered every dime on stupid "investments" because ultimately money doesn't mean anything to him.  He is shiftless, lazy, and entitled.  Fanny can't see his faults because of her crippling lack of self-esteem and tries to do everything in her power just to keep their life together.  Is he grateful?  Does he even acknowledge the emotional burden of his selfish antics?  No.  Of course not.  It's clearly her fault for being the responsible adult.  How dare she throw that in his face by making sure the bills and the staff are paid!

I couldn't even enjoy the costumes and the music (both of which are glorious) because of how irritated I was with his character.  And I don't want to hear a single comment about "oh, it was set in the 1900's, times were different then."  Second-wave feminism was alive and well in 1968 and a story about Fanny Brice could have focused on her career and made Nick the villain with ease.  (Probably wouldn't have won an Oscar, though, if we're being real.)  Especially since Arnstein had zero problems sponging off his wife in real life.

I'm so mad I don't even want to try and see the sequel, which apparently focuses on her other disastrous marriage.  Can we get a new Fanny Brice musical please?  Thank you!