The Prince Of Tides (1991)

A teacher and football coach (Nick Nolte) living in South Carolina leaves for New York when his sister (Melinda Dillon, whose part seems to have been truncated) attempts suicide. His sister's psychiatrist (Barbra Streisand) wants him to help his sister get well by probing their childhood past which the siblings have blocked out. Based on the novel by Pat Conroy (who co-wrote the screenplay) and directed by Barbra Streisand (YENTL). For the most part, this is a lovely adaptation of Conroy's book and as a director, Streisand brings a lot of sensitivity and empathy to the project. She directs the actors well and Nolte and Kate Nelligan (as his domineering mother) gave superb performances and both received Oscar nominations for their work here. But I wish she had cast another actress as the psychiatrist instead of playing the part herself. While I don't agree with a certain segment that refers to the film as a vanity project for her, she throws the movie out of whack. She has herself photographed and lit as lovingly as Josef von Sternberg did for Marlene Dietrich. The emphasis on her seems more on Streisand than on the character she's playing. Yes, she is a true Star and while basking in the starlight is one of the pleasures of moving going, it throws the narrative off kilter. Also casting her son Jason Gould as a wannabe football player was a mistake, his scenes with Nolte are excruciating. With Blythe Danner, Jeroen Krabbe, George Carlin and Brad Sullivan.