The Owl and the Pussycat (1970) Review

Lucas Versantvoort / December 5, 2014

The Owl and the Pussycat is a relatively unknown chapter in the careers of both Barbra Streisand and George Segal. Nevertheless, the talent was definitely there: director Herbert Ross would eventually direct successes like The Goodbye Girl and writer Buck Henry had contributed to The Graduate. The first half of The Owl and the Pussycat has these talents on full display and yet, somehow, the second half is a boring and disjointed mess.

            Felix is a wannabe writer who comes home on a rainy night to discover that his book will not be published. He shows his frustration by calling his super and telling him the woman across from him takes money for sex. This gets her thrown out, but not before she finds out it was Felix who told on her. She, Doris, knocks on his door at 3 in the morning, demanding answers. He tries to scare her away by playing his recording of a barking German Shepherd, but she enters and hilarity ensues. Their antics get them thrown out of his apartment too…and out of a friend’s, so they’re forced to wander while pondering their relationship and life in general.

            If that last sentence sounds lame and vague, that’s because it is. There’s a precise moment when the film’s second half starts. It’s the morning after they spend the night at Felix’s friend’s place. It’s literally a night and day difference between the film’s halves. Somehow you just sense the fun’s over. After the great first half, I was astounded by the lack of laughs. It defies belief. It’s almost like another director/writer team took over. Yes, it’s obvious something’s being explored: life, their relationship, his engagement to an emotionally stuck up woman (who’s of course nothing like Doris), what have you, but it just feels so directionless and downright boring. It’s the first thing I think of when remembering The Owl and the Pussycat: first half great, second half boring.

            But what a great first half. There really is no story being told at that point, just the owlish Felix and wildcat Doris playing off one another. Hilarious moments abound. From Felix attempting to help Doris with her hiccups, to him reading her a bedtime story about the sun spitting morning into the main character’s face which results in Doris ranting about how that metaphor doesn’t make sense. It just goes on and on and it’s great. It also helps that Segal and Streisand play wonderfully off one another. I’ve read stories about how Streisand and Walter Matthau didn’t get along in Hello Dolly! Thankfully, no such troubles here. In the end, if you just want some great comedy (let’s face it, who doesn’t?), then watch the first half and greatly temper your expectations for the second half.