Customer Reviews

For Pete's Sake

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

It's nice to see more Barbra Streisand titles appearing on DVD. FOR PETE'S SAKE has arrived and although it is not one of Streisand's "classic" films, it is certainly entertaining -- and the DVD makes this 1970's film look great!

For starters, the disk comes with a letterbox presentation on one side and a full-screen presentation on the other. The menu is colorful and a funky 1970's design. The trailers included (WAY WE WERE, PRINCE OF TIDES, and the PETE'S trailer) are interesting. The Talent Files are brief. The colors and clarity of the picture look great to me.

As for the film, Barbra is very funny. She's in her fast-talking Brooklynese mode here. The plot is barely realistic, but that doesn't really matter because this is a romantic, screwball comedy. Actually, when you think about it, the story of a wife who prostitutes herself to pay for a loan is quite horrendous. But director Peter Yates somehow makes you forget this -- in his commentary (an extra audio track on the disk) he keeps saying "This movie is entertainment, it's supposed to be fun and not taken seriously."

Barbra sings the title song (the lyrics are a bit dated, but the song is fun) and wears a short Jon Peters-designed wig. Look for Barbra's longtime manager Marty Erlichman in a cameo. Also, praise should be given to Gene Callahan's production design. Streisand's apartment (although clearly out of her character's means) is gorgeous!

My favorite scene is when Barbra gets licked by the bull while driving a trailer. Barbra's laughs of disgust and amazement are quite hilarious.

Enjoy FOR PETE'S SAKE!

I just love this movie.It's still funny after 25 years.The best part is when the Bull and Cows run right through the Movie screen during the Western,and Barbra's shouting,"Girls,come back here." I love Mrs Cherry,and Barbra's try at being one of her call girls.Not only is Streisand one of the greatest singers will ever know,but a great comedian as well. Along with"The Owl and the Pussycat," this is my favorite Barbra Streisand comedy.

I have been looking for this video everywhere. I saw the movie years ago and have fond memories of the slap-stick humor of this and other early Streisand movies. (ie: What's up Doc? ) Maybe its the storyline in which young people, in love, struggle with day to day life in the big city and come upon a winfall fortune that enables them to make their dreams come true, riding off into the sunset to live happily ever after....pure escapism at its best...I loved it. HOW ABOUT A SEQUEL? ...but not one that takes itself too seriously, rather, one that is retro to the early, carefree, funny and very entertaining Streisand movies.

Barbra brings her magic to the screen as Henrietta ("Henry"), the devoted but zany wife of cabby Pete (Michael Sarrazin). Henry will stop at nothing to put Pete through school, so when pete gets a hot tip on the stock market. Henry raises $3,000, convincing him that the loan came from her rich uncle instead of the local loan shark! But as the stock tumbles, the interest rate rises and so does the pace as Henry gets herself into one wacky mess after another trying to earn the money back before Pete finds out. The film is a hilarious farce that is underrated, do to it's plot wholes, like Barbra having a maid even though they are suppose to be broke, but the true movie here is Barbra herself doing what she did in "What's Up, Doc?", "The Owl & The Pussycat" and "The Main Event", plus she looks great with that short haircut even though I think it's a wig. The DVD includes: Widescreen & Fullscereen versions, Theatrical Trailers, Director's Commentary, Talent Profiles, Production Notes and the film is available in English (Mono) & French with English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean and Thai subtitles, Interactive Menus and Scene Selections.

A wonderful, feel-good film! Streisand is a natural comic(and New Yorker). She plays the supporting and vivacious wife of the unsuspecting Pete, who seeks to better their life together through a stock investment. Streisand jumps through hoop after proverbial hoop to get him the money to make the investment, then pay it back, to an assortment of shady characters. Sarrazin is superb as the gentle and innocent Pete.

"For Pete's Sake" is a "cute" film at best and Streisand does have some funny moments (she's such a great film comedian! She needs to do more comedies!), however if you are looking at this DVD for the "extras" (theatrical trailers and director's commentary) skip it! If you are the type who loves to hear director's talk about why they selected this angle or that shot or how the film was actually made -- you know, what a director's commentary is supposed to be -- then you will be truly disappointed in this DVD. Peter Yates must have wonderful stories to tell, but I think he recorded this in his sleep. There is so much dead air -- too many missed opportunities to talk about making the film! Instead he focuses on Barbra's hair, Barbra's figure and -- of all things -- the size of the automobiles in the background of a shot "It's amazing how big the cars were in those days... they really have got smaller. Thank God, because there wouldn't be much room on the road if they had stayed this size." No, Mr. Yates, it's not amazing, it's boring. Unfortunately, his facts aren't accurate either (refering to this film as Barbra's first non-singing role). Oh well. Also, the theatrical trailers are the same as the ones on "The Way We Were" DVD (including trailers for "Way We Were", "For Pete's Sake", "Prince of Tides" and "Mirror Has Two Faces"). If you want a light, funny film, check this out, but don't get "For Pete's Sake" for the DVD extras.

This is a very funny movie! If you loved "What's Up Doc" you'll love this!

For such a little movie, there's so much to say. Warning to Barbraphiles: Much of it won't be complimentary!

I wanted to like this movie when it originally came out. But I remember being somewhat appalled that this was what Streisand chose to follow on the heels of her much-overhyped dramatic success in "The Way We Were."

Like many, I asked myself "What was she thinking???" But then we must consider that she is doing Jon Peters at this point in her life, believing his lines and taking his advice (ouch!) Case in point: it is well known that Peters told Streisand during their initial meeting that she had a "great ass." She allegedly liked that her treated her as a woman instead of "some famous thing." Understandable. But the ass we see in this movie should NEVER have been permitted to be shoehorned into the very unattractive and high-waisted jeans she wears in several scenes. She's always needed to choose styles that diminish her dreadful spare tire. And although she does manage to look cute here, her dumpiness isn't all that well hidden.

The goal here was to continue the updating of her youthful "hip" image, which began with "Owl & the Pussycat" and some soft-rock-themed Streisand albums of the era. Toward this end she is shown high-fiving and sassing "the help," popping a fake wheelie on a motorcycle, and she goes braless in a few scenes. But she's no hottie, sorry. And if she is going to call her nasty sister-in-law Helen a "fat ass grizzly bear" then she should make sure she doesn't have the bigger ass, WHICH SHE DOES and which we can see she does after several full body shots of Helen's very trim and attractive figure. Strike one.

"For Pete's Sake" probably would have been a better movie with anyone else in the lead besides Streisand. She can't really be called a comedienne, and this is supposed to be a comedy along the same lines as "What's Up Doc?" (The ending with the cow-chase is, in fact, a blatant rip-off of "Doc.") While Streisand can certainly perform shtick, it's always obvious that she takes herself SO SERIOUSLY that she undermines her own attempts to be funny. Her little-girl act, which we are treated to in one form or another in virtually all of her pictures, and which never fails to encourage sour stomachs, is never believable and grows tiresome quickly. And her whining and fake screams do tend to get on one's nerves, such as when she is running after the Brahma bull late in the film. (Notice this is the same street she runs across at the opening of "The Way We Were.") Strike two.

Fortunately, Streisand has ample help to make her presence more palatable. The direction is smooth and well paced, as is the editing, although there is a clumsy chop at the end between the jail scene and the scene with Henry, her bags packed, preparing to leave the apartment. The underscoring is exceptionally well done and gains power from its subtlety. The art direction is excellent, although you never quite believe that this is a young couple struggling financially. Not with the spacious and gorgeously furnished apartment with windows in EVERY room (including a stained-glass one in the bathtub!) and the black maid, Loretta!

Speaking of which, the supporting cast deserves raves, as is usually the case in a Streisand film. Estelle Parsons steals the show as Helen, and there should have been much more for her to do, but it's no secret that Barbra doesn't like to share the spotlight with another capable female. Molly Picon as Mrs. Cherry is a downright hoot. Michael Sarrazin tries, and he's certainly likeable, but Barbra "devours" him in almost every scene they share together, unfortunately. He does a sensational and oh-so-moving speech as he slips a ring on Henry's finger at the end which will surely tug at your heartstrings. So beautifully is it done that you really believe Pete and Henry are veryvery much in love and it is this one scene that is probably the highlight of the entire film. Alas, it is immediately followed by a shot emphasizing Barbra's nails, so we are once again taken OUT of the movie and into Barbra's private world, wondering how much she pays for a manicure. Strike three.

Back to the supporting cast of professionals. The various bankers, insurance and telephone company reps all do a masterful job, and raise the entertainment quotient substantially, although I'm not sure I quite appreciate the crack Streisand makes to the effeminate supermarket cashier early in the film when she tells him off, saying "You take the Froot Loops, you'll love 'em." Sure sounds like an anti-gay slur to me! If so, and what else COULD it be, it's revealing of how out-of-touch Barbra was then with the very people who raised her to prominence as an entertainer. Either she didn't know who made up her fan base, which is hardly possible given she started singing in a gay bar, or she was hell-bent on alienating those very people and distancing herself from them. Didn't work, did it.

Neither does this movie for the most part, which is unfortunate. And it's all because it's Barbra very obviously trying to control our perceptions of her, rather than portraying a character in a film. It's Barbra being Barbra, showing the world only what she wants them to see of Barbra, Barbra, Barbra. OY! It's embarrassing in a way to have to witness someone who is so in denial. I mean, we know by the very fact of her vehement insistences that she is- or is not- a certain way that the exact opposite has to be true. Why else go to such lengths to convince us? She wants us to THINK she's hot, mod, hep, cool, lithe, slinky, far-out, sexy, desirable and relaxed here. Because she KNOWS that in reality she's uptight, gawky, unyielding, inflexible, tight, unfriendly and uncomfortable.

Just look at those nails!!!!! They are at their longest EVER here, I think. She's like a CREATURE, with 8-inch long fingers! But she THINKS she's appealing and alluring and graceful. Well I certainly can see for myself that she is attractive, but I don't know any men who would want to get anywhere NEAR those nails. I mean, poor Jon Peters must have had nightmares about becoming the first John Bobbitt. He must have had scratches and scars all over his schwantz. Yikes! It's easy to imagine that those very nails might have easily been the inspiration for the Freddy Krueger character in the "Nightmare on Elm Street" movies. In fact, Freddy would have been jealous because THESE nails don't rust!

The DVD packaging is cheap and the presentation is bare-bones, with funky/crappy art on the box, bland silent menus and the requisite lack of special features common to most Streisand releases. Disappointing indeed. There is a rather sparse commentary track by director Peter Yates, who is affable enough but whose memory of the filming seems rather vague, so he doesn't shed much light on anything. The so-called "Talent Files" offer the briefest of bios. Yet ANOTHER dreary and boring listing of all the meaningless awards Barbra has won is foisted upon viewers who have the misfortune of navigating to this section of the disc. I know of no other celebrity who insists that their every introduction, verbally or in-print, be preceded by a detailed listing of every award he or she has ever won in the course of their careers. Why does Barbra do this????????

The title song, quite pleasingly melodic, is also kinda cheesey due to its lyrics, which are a trifle trite. (How's THAT for alliteration?) You don't really wonder why Streisand never released it as a single, never acknowledged it in her later years, or included it on any of the multitudinous compilations she has issued. Even the die-hard fans have somehow managed to refrain from clamoring for this one. Her throw-away vocal, like her throw-away portrayal of Henry, leaves the audience with a faint whiff of trashy production. We expected better because we were led to expect better. So?

I can't finish this review without mentioning "The Wig." The look is undeniably cute. But a wig is a wig is a wig, and this one looks like. . . a wig. Some camera angles show it off more than others, and we see it from behind quite a bit, but still. . .The shame is this would have been a perfectly fetching hairstyle had she actually gone and got her real locks trimmed. And it would have saved the rest of us from having to look at that red poodle-do she sported later, in "A Star is Born" and "Main Event." (UGH.) But again, she was under that haircutter's "mojo." (Speaking of big asses.)

"For Pete's Sake," like most Streisand films, is watchable and even enjoyable at times, but not for the reasons you'd expect. Because this was a Streisand film. And for all she was touted to be able to deliver, she's one of the film's lesser assets.

In retrospect we see that she really wasn't all THAT special after all.

Streisand fans have to have this film, in letterbox even. It's a fast paced, fitfully funny and fun, fun, fun movie with Streisand's Henrietta (Henry) playing a homemaker married to a NY cabbie played by Michael Sarrazin. Sure, it's dated--it's the 70s, but when you overlook that (easily) you see a sharp, wise-cracking, cute and energetic Streisand laughing it up all because she wants to help her man earn some bucks. She gets involved with organized crime, and ends up in some hilarious, ludicrous situations. It's silly. It's fun, and yet Yates, the director makes it a send up of all sorts of films, including *The French Connection* in which Henry/Streisand is chased through subways by a German shepherd. Everyone is comical in this piece of candy, and it may even make you wonder why we like such gross out movie comedies like *There's Something About Mary*. Buy it if you enjoy whimsical comedy.

A funny, salty film FOR PETE'S SAKE features one of the funniest scenes in a Streisand film.

Henry and Loretta argue over the latter's less than perfect housekeeping abilities and that she would 'charge extra to answer phones'.

Henry: 'You come one day a week for four hours. . . you get $2.75 an hour plus carfare and all the cookies you can eat. . .you pay me that and I'll come eat your cookies and clean your apartment.'

Loretta: 'Can't use ya. Already got a Puerto Rican'.

Always a laugh.