Funny Girl (film) "funny girl" with her body, voice, gesture, and character, tying together her Jewishness and oddness. The film values women over men and portrays the men as dependent to their women; it reverses the gender roles. "Funny Girl" helped change the way women were viewed and used comedy to deflect Jewish mockery. Streisand was widely praised by critics, with "The New Yorker"s Pauline Kael calling it "A bravura performance ... As Fanny Brice, she has the wittiest comic inflections since the comediennes of the 30s; she makes written dialogue sound like inspired improvisation. ... Streisand's triumphant talent rides right over the
Funny Girl (film) ... 100 Songs", and the line "Hello, gorgeous" at #81 in its 2005 list of "100 Years ... 100 Movie Quotes". "Funny Girl" is considered one of the greatest musical films ever. In 2016, "Funny Girl" was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress, and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. Set in and around New York City just prior to and following World War I, the story opens with "Ziegfeld Follies" star Fanny Brice awaiting the return of husband Nicky Arnstein from prison, and then moves into an extended flashback focusing