Review of The Owl and the Pussycat (1970) by Blake P — 17 May 2012

Felix (Segal) is an intellectual, would-be writer. Doris (Streisand) is a prostitute/porn star/stripper looking to really get a job as a Hollywood actress. Throw these two together by accident, you somehow get a great old pair.

Felix learns that his prissy ways are too much to take for some, and Doris is able to transform slowly into a better person. These opposites somehow attract, and the bond is sensational. "The Owl and the Pussycat" definitely isn't up to par with some of Barbra Streisand's more famous comedies, but it's pretty darn close.

This was made at a time where sex comedies were really starting to come alive; sure, we had "Pillow Talk" eleven years earlier, but considering the Hays Code still was on, none could have been as daring as "The Owl and the Pussycat".

Sure by today's standards this would for sure be a PG-13 (I really think the PG posted on Netflix is a mistake), this at one-time raunchy comedy has aged great-- yes, Streisand's "skimpy" pajamas age the movie a bit so does Segal's "oh-so-'70's" mustache, but other than that the jokes are still funny and the screenplay is still razor sharp.

This is a romantic comedy I can sink my teeth in too. The cliches are nowhere near and the acting is never average, and instead we get simply excellent performances by Streisand and Segal and top-notch direction.

"The Owl and the Pussycat" is very enjoyable, and as a way to spend an hour-and-a-half, it works pretty darn well.