Plot: What’s it about?
Hillary Kramer (Barbra Streisand) has found immense success in the perfume business, as her scents have been consistent best sellers. As such, she has acquired a large amount of wealth, so she has a lot of resources at her command. Of course, she has tons of cash, but she also has other assets, meant to diversify her holdings. One morning however, she awakes to discover her fortune has vanished and she is left with next to nothing in her accounts. It seems her accountant has left her in quite a bad situation, to say the least. Her accounts have been drained, as part of an embezzlement scheme. Now her accountant, as well as all of her riches, is headed to South America with no plans to ever return. In a state of panic, Kramer begins to browse what little she has left and runs across an unusual tax write-off. She owns the contract of a boxer, known as Kid Natural, a man named Eddie Scanlon (Ryan O’Neal). But Scanlon hasn’t been that active and instead, he spends his time giving driving lessons. But Kramer sees the boxer as her ticket back to the fast lane, so she decides to become his manager. With her help, he can rise through the ranks and become a champion, or so she thinks. But he has no desire to return to the ring, so can she convince him and if so, what will be the end result?
This movie is a light, brisk romantic trek, but don’t expect much depth from the storyline or its characters. But then again, time and time again, the same old romantic comedy formulas work and as such, I doubt genre fans will mind the lack of substance. In its defense, The Main Event never tries to be more than a simple, fun romantic jaunt and in the end, it manages to fulfill all the obligations such a film should. I found the writing to be on the weak side, especially in terms of basic dialogue and tons of cliches are used. But then again, the film isn’t supposed to be more than a basic romantic comedy and as such, you shouldn’t expect much beyond the basics. I didn’t find the romance to be effective, but I need more than cookie cutter plots and lackluster dialogue, but for genre devotees, I think The Main Event is a decent effort. Of course, a lot of people will be drawn to this release because of its lead, the one and only Barbra Streisand. And since she shows a lot of skin in this flick, from thighs in short shorts to braless breasts in tight shirts, perhaps even her critics can admire the time when at least her body looked good. She is joined by Ryan O’Neal, meaning the lead duo of What’s Up, Doc? returns to dazzle audiences. I can’t recommend this in good faith to everyone, but for fans of the genre and Babs, The Main Event is worth a look.
I’ve never been a big fan of Barbra Streisand’s work, whether it be her music or the movies she starred in. I know she has an immense following all over the world, but I could never get into her stuff that much. A few of the movies she’s in are quite good, but not so much because of her presence and in some cases, her performances have lessened the experience. The Main Event is a project tailor made for Streisand and O’Neal however, so you can tell the entire production was created with the couple in mind. Aside from Streisand’s lack of thespian skills, she manages to be decent here and pulls off her role well enough. Then again, the role is a thin one that requires minimal acting, so draw your own conclusions there. A romance needs chemistry though, which is an area The Main Event has covered and then some. Streisand and O’Neal have blazing chemistry here, which fuels the romance angle into effective spaces. And if nothing else, like I said above, its kind of fun to see Streisand show off her body so much. Other films with Streisand include The Prince of Tides, The Way We Were, For Pete’s Sake, Yentl, and Nuts. The cast also includes Ryan O’Neal (Love Story, Barry Lyndon), Paul Sand (Can’t Stop the Music, The Hot Rock), and Whitman Mayo (The Black Klansman, Tv’s Sanford and Son).
Video: How does it look?
The Main Event is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. Warner has delivered the goods in this case, as this movie looks superb in this treatment. The print used has a few rough scenes, but looks almost pristine most of the time. So grain is never an issue and I saw few print defects to mention, as an excellent source print has been used. The image is also quite crisp, so detail is high and softness is never a problem. The colors come across as smooth, bright hues and contrast is well balanced throughout. This is an impressive visual treatment for a catalog release, so kudos to Warner on this one.
Audio: How does it sound?
As you should be able to guess, this film is not an audio powerhouse, so while the included mono track is basic, it proves to be sufficient. It does seem like age has taken a toll on the materials, but not to an extreme level, so I wasn’t too let down. The dialogue is thin, but easy to understand, while the sound effects are in decent enough form. The excellent musical score is well presented, though again limited by the mono track’s abilities. This is not a great track to be sure, but it handles the basics and is acceptable, though a new remix could enhance the experience. This disc also includes a French language track, as well as subtitles in English, Spanish, and French, just in case you’ll need those.
Supplements: What are the extras?
In a move that should delight her fans, Streisand has recorded some comments in an alternate audio soundtrack. But her comments are scene specific, not feature length, which has to be a let down for her fans. Still, I suppose its better to have a little than none, so I see no reason to raise much of a ruckus. This disc also includes an original behind the scenes featurette, some still photos, and the film’s theatrical trailer.
