'hello, dolly' should have been a great movie. instead it's mediocre. you could even call it trash.
it has barbra streisand and a lot has been made about her shifting characterization. but there's no character for her to play so i really think her part mae west, part this, part that performance works. it at least keeps things moving.
walter matthau is all wrong. he's too old. he's too ugly. he has no charm and no magnetic appeal. that they took so much trouble to find the right leading man for 'funny girl' and none at all for 'hello dolly' goes to how and why the film flopped. they should have aged the character down at least ten years or else gotten some 1 like frank sinatra who had charisma.
louis armstrong shows up and brings great life to his 1 scene.
otherwise,? the song should be 'so long dreary.'
and despite what the woman says above, michael crawford was awful in the film. he was part of a cast of incompetents.
the woman babbling above about irene? the costume designer was an idiot. this is a musical and she kept putting trains on barbra and the women. she had a fit when she was overruled. in 'hello dolly,' that song, you'll notice barbra's dress has a train at the beginning and once she starts dancing it's gone.
the woman babbling along really doesn't seem to know much about the movie - or about quality.
'hello dolly' is the worst film barbra ever made - and, believe it or not, that's not her fault. she is consistently entertaining.
let's close with c.i.'s '
