The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996 Barbra Streisand)

Slightly dubious in the plotting department around the pivotal scene where professor Jeff Bridges, overcome with lust for his wife Barbra... rejects her. Based on a somewhat different idea from a 1958 film by André Cayette and Gerard Oury, here written by Richard LaGravenese (The Fisher King, A Little Princess, The Horse Whisperer, P.S. I Love You, Water for Elephants).

Winning pairing of the always watchable Bridges and Streisand. Good support from George Segal, Lauren Bacall (in good bitchy mode), Mimi Rogers, Pierce Brosnan, Brenda Vaccaro, Austin Pendleton, Elle Macpherson, Leslie Stefanson.

Towards the end I was getting a slightly queasy feeling that the film was saying women have to work out and wear make-up to be fulfilled - fortunately, that (sort of) doesn't seem to be the morale of the film, but it's a little muddy. Still, entertaining drama set in and around Columbia University, New York.

Shot by André Bartkowiak and Dante Spinotti (one cameraman for each side of Barbra's nose), sugary music from Marvin Hamlisch.

Very ending, with Turandot singing neighbour (real tenor Carlo Scibelli), is beyond cheese.

Ali Marsh and Leslie Stefanson