Amazon.com Essentials:
This film actually began with the idea of remaking A Star Is
Born with the then-hot couple James Taylor and Carly Simon. Eventually, it
evolved into this vanity production for Barbra Streisand, with Kris
Kristofferson as the designated stud muffin. The story remains the same: A
superstar on the decline meets a young singer on the way up. They marry
as their career trajectories intersect, and his eventual demise is
meant as a sacrifice to further boost her career by ridding her of the
burden of him. Kristofferson's rock & roll numbers are
decidedly lousy--Hollywood's idea of rock music--and Streisand looks good
and always sounds fine (she won an Oscar for cowriting the song
"Evergreen"). But you can feel her heavy hand guiding every shot; she
seems to serve as puppet master for director Frank Pierson, framing every
image of herself for maximum glow. The ultimate date flick (if the guy
can sit still through it). --Marshall Fine
