Review of Hello, Dolly! (1969) by Victoria. . — 21 Jan 2010

Coming towards the end of the lavish roadshow musical cycle, HELLO, DOLLY! was something of a box-office dud at the time, and, despite an Oscar nomination for Best Picture, its reputation since has been mediocre.

To be sure, it has a number flaws, chief among them being Barbra Streisand. She's not as annoying as she was in FUNNY GIRL, and her singing is, of course, excellent, but she fails to bring much spark to Dolly, and she leaves a hole at the center of the film.

The plot is thin, and the humor is often shockingly weak; for example, a scene where Cornelius (Michael Crawford, who's adequate) "disturbs the peace" involves him raising his voice marginally above speaking level.

The songs are good at best an unmemorable at worst, which is, unfortunately, much of the time. Also, a rather bland, anonymous air hangs over much of the picture, not helped by the unspectacular supporting cast.

There are compensations, though: Walter Matthau's rumpled, crotchety Horace Vandergelder makes for a refreshing contrast with Streisand's mediocrity, and his singing is perfectly fine for the role.

The production itself is hard to fault; the expensive sets of Old New York are stunning, and deservedly won an Oscar, and Michael Kidd's choreography reaches some inspired heights in the elaborate Harmonia Gardens sequence, which also includes Louis Armstrong's brief appearance, which is the movie's best scene; in their minute or so on screen together, Armstrong and Streisand seem totally at ease, and the film really comes to life, at least for a moment.