Main Cast: Barbra Streisand, Ryan O'Neal, Paul Sand, Patti D'Arbanville, Whitman Mayo, Rory Calhoun
Release Year: 1979
Country: US
Run Time: 112 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Plot
Barbra Streisand and Ryan O'Neal attempt to recapture the screwball spark of What's Up, Doc? in the labored farce The Main Event. Streisand plays Hillary Kramer, a bankrupt perfume executive who discovers that one of her tax write-offs from more prosperous times was the ownership of prizefighter Kid Natural (Ryan O' Neal). Kid Natural is now a driving instructor who wants nothing to do with boxing, but Hillary is determined to resurrect the Kid's less-than-spectacular boxing career. She installs herself as the Kid's manager and tries to get him in shape to go the distance. Along the way, the two fall in love. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
Review
As screen teams go, Barbra Streisand and Ryan O'Neal are not up there with Hepburn and Tracy or Woody Allen and Diane Keaton, but they made a surprisingly winning couple in What's Up Doc? The follow-up, The Main Event, doesn't match the original, but it's enjoyable, and the stars are still watchable. The main problem, of course, is the script. The plot is weak and predictable, and the humor is forced. For example, Streisand says, "I said celebrate, not fornicate!" O'Neal replies, "I love a woman who talks dirty." The stars are also saddled with characters that are a little hard to take. Fortunately, they still have that all-important chemistry, and that -- plus their timing and their way with even second-rate lines -- makes up for a great deal. In addition, there are some excellent players in the supporting cast, including the always-welcome Paul Sand and the dependable James Gregory, although one wishes better use had been made of their talents. Patti D'Arbanville at least gets a very memorable coughing scene. Though not a musical, Streisand does sing the popular but vapid title song (and sounds quite good doing so). Not a film for the ages, Main Event gets enough punch from its cast to go the distance. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Ernie Hudson - Killer; Richard Lawson - Hector Mantilla; Chu Chu Malave - Luis; James Gregory - Gough; Richard Altman - Tour Guide; Joe Amsler - Stunt Double Kid; Seth Banks - Newsman; Lindsay Bloom - Girl in bed; Earl Boen - Nose-Kline; Roger Bowen - Owner, Sinthia Cosmetics; Badja Djola - Heavyweight in Gym; Sue Casey - Brenda; Alvin Childress - Man in Gym; Kristine de Bell - Lucy; Al Denava - Gomez; Shay Duffin - Fight Announcer; Murphy Dunne - Mario; Art Evans - Fighter; Ron Henriques - Fighter; Dave Ketchum - Photographer; Len Lesser - Trainer at Kid's Camp; Eddie Lopez; Denver Mattson - Referee; Harvey Parry - Referee in Long Beach; Tim Rossovich - Cannibal; Maurice Sneed - Fighter; Jack Somack - Murry; Darrell Zwerling - Sheldon; Lee C. Harman; Bill Murray - Mantilla's Cornerman; Jimmy Lennon, Sr. - Announcer; Robert Nadder - Nose - Dean; Vic Heutschy; Richard S. Steele; John Reilly - Alan Crane
Credit
Jeff Werner - Associate Producer, Karen Rea - Casting, Dianne Crittenden - Casting, Ruth Myers - Costume Designer, Gary Daigler - First Assistant Director, Howard Zieff - Director, Edward Warschilka - Editor, Renee Missel - Executive Producer, Zvi Howard Rosenman - Executive Producer, Michael Melvoin - Composer (Music Score), Paul Jabara - Songwriter, Joel King - Camera Operator, Charles Rosen - Production Designer, Mario Tosi - Cinematographer, Jon Peters - Producer, Barbra Streisand - Producer, James W. Payne - Set Designer, Denver Mattson - Stunts, Denver Mattson - Stunts Coordinator, Jose Torres - Technical Advisor, Gail Parent - Screenwriter, Andrew Smith - Screenwriter
The film received negative reviews from critics, but was one of the among the Top 10 highest grossing films of the year at the box office. It was also the impetus for Barbra Streisand's first foray into disco, singing the theme song written by Paul Jabara and Bruce Roberts.
Hillary Kramer (Streisand), a successful perfume magnate awakes one morning to find that her accountant has robbed her blind and left for South America. Going through all of her remaining assets she finds a boxer, purchased as a tax write off. She decides to take Eddie "Kid Natural" Scanlong (Ryan O'Neal) who is much more at home giving driving lessons, into the ring and use him as her key to riches. Eddie thinks this will only get him killed and resists.
Eventually, Hillary wears Eddie down and she gets funding (mainly from friends, associates, and colleagues) for his first fights, all of which go awry, either through Hillary's lack of knowledge about boxing or Eddie's out-of-shape condition (and general fear of being hit). All the while, Hillary and Eddie continue sparring on their own, thanks to their different personalities. But, as time (and fights) go on, they develop an increasingly personal relationship, which ultimately leads them to have to decide what they really want.
Although critically panned, The Main Event was a box office smash. The films Budget was $8,000,000 and grossed $62,000,000 worldwide with rentals of $26,400,000 with a total gross of $88,500,000.[1] Opening week results were $10,000,000.
Gross including inflation 2007: $251,106,625
Soundtrack
In June of 1979, a soundtrack was released on LP, cassette, and eight-track. In October 1993, it was released on CD. The CD is now out of print. The soundtrack seems to play as basically an extended single of "The Main Event/Fight", containing an 11:39 version, an edited and slightly altered version at 4:54, released as the single, and a ballad version titled simply "The Main Event" as it omits the "Fight" parts. A bootleg of the recording sessions for the title song exists with Streisand commenting on the vocal challenges the song contains. A DJ-only promo 12" single was released for "The Main Event/Fight".
The Main Event/Fight - Barbra Streisand
Body Shop, The - Michalski & Ooversteen
The Main Event/Fight (short version) - Barbra Streisand
Copeland Meets The Coasters (Get A Job) - Michael Melvoin
Big Girls Don't Cry - Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons
According to some sources, Diana Ross was also considered for the lead role, as she had dated O'Neal.
According to several Streisand biographies, Streisand directed the scene at the frozen lake after the director refused to, feeling the scene was unnecessary.
A number of critics took notice of the attention paid to Streisand's derrière throughout the film, as she is often seen bending over or otherwise has her back to the screen.
