For Pete's Sake (1974) User Reviews

Still Very Funny

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 8 August 2018]

In New York, the housewife Henrietta Robins (Barbra Streisand) and the taxi driver Pete (Michael Sarrazin) have financial difficulties since they got married very young and Pete has not concluded the college education. When Pete receives an inside information from a coworker that the pork bellies will raise their price since the Americans and the Russians are negotiating a great business transaction, Pete needs US$ 3,000.00 to invest in the market. Henrietta decides to help Peter and secretly makes a loan with a mobster. However the price of the pork bellies fall and she is not able to pay the loan. The loan shark promises to kill Pete and Henrietta accepts that her debt be sold to a madame by a higher amount. After many problems, her debt is increased and sold to mobsters and then to a cattle thief. What will happen to Henrietta and Pete?

After forty-four years from its release, "For Pete's Sake" is still a very funny comedy. Barbra Streisand shows great talent performing the role of Henrietta Robins, who gets in a sequence of troubles trying to help her beloved husband. There are many hilarious situations and the film has not aged. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Nossa, que Loucura!" ('Wow, What Madness")

Smart satire eventually gives way to galumphing slapstick...

[moonspinner55 · 6/10 · 26 July 2006]

The first 30 minutes or so of "For Pete's Sake" are amusingly on-target: Brooklyn housewife Barbra Streisand drops her husband off at work on their motorcycle and then pops a wheelie; she proceeds to forge a battle of the bills with the grocery store cashier, the insurance company, the banker, and the telephone company exec (Anne Ramsey, pre-"Throw Momma From The Train"). All this time, Streisand is in terrific comedic form, her expressions more and more incredulous. A dinner with her husband's relatives is equally funny, but "Pete" starts to give out somewhere after this. Barbra can't pay back loan sharks and has to work as a prostitute, a bomb deliverer and a cattle rustler. This last job gives the movie its big slapstick scene, which was a groaner even in 1974. Clearly a rip-off of Streisand's "What's Up, Doc?", it features a stampede of cows down the Columbia backlot accompanied by some of the silliest "country" music I've ever heard. If the filmmakers had kept the movie on a grounded level--and kept Streisand as the perfect Everywoman--this might have been a dead-on satire of the ailing economy. As it is, it's passable fluff. **1/2 from ****

See this if you can.

[arturopanduro · 7/10 · 11 May 2000]

Barbra Streisand shines as a woman helping her husband (Michael Sarrazin) get through school, whatever it takes. What takes place is very funny because he has no idea what she does all day as he's working as a cab driver in New York City. She keeps all of her hilarious misdeeds from him, hoping to be able to make the money he needs for school. She'll do anything...all for Pete's sake. My rating: 8

One of Bab's Funniest

[Sargebri · 18 March 2003]

This is one of the funniest comedies that Barbara Streisand ever made. To me this is an updated version of "I Love Lucy" only updated to fit the 1970's. Also, the assortment of mobsters, madames and underworld types makes this film even more funny. Also, Estelle Parsons role as Pete's bitchy sister in law is a scream. Too bad Henrietta didn't just pop her one.

What's Up, Pete?

[kenjha · 6/10 · 4 July 2010]

Struggling financially, a young couple needs quick cash to invest in pork bellies, prompting the wife to concoct a series of wild schemes to raise the cash. This is basically a vehicle for Streisand to engage in some zaniness, trying to duplicate the success of "What's Up, Doc?" a couple of years earlier. Unlike the latter film, however, this one does not have a particularly inspired script. Babs tries hard, but is unable to raise the material beyond a level of mild amusement. To pay off loan sharks, she goes through a series of jobs, including prostitution (taken rather lightly), each meant to setup hilarious situations but the payoff isn't there.

FOR PETE’S SAKE (Peter Yates, 1974) **1/2

[Bunuel1976 · 6/10 · 27 September 2008]

Although I have been aware of this film for a long time, it was only after watching its amusing theatrical trailer – on THE OWL AND THE PUSSYCAT (1970) DVD – that I became eager to watch it. The end result proved to be a patchy affair but, nevertheless, it does have its fair share of belly-laughs and, in any case, watching Streisand in kooky mode is always fun; Estelle Parsons and William Redfield are her hubby (Michael Sarrazin)’s well-to-do and snobbish relatives who particularly look down on Streisand.

It clearly emulates the screwball style of WHAT’S UP, DOC? (1972), parodies THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971) – the underground station cat-and-mouse chase between Gene Hackman and Fernando Rey is performed here by a disguised Streisand and a persistent police dog! – and it also homages Buster Keaton’s GO WEST (1925) in the urban cow stampede sequence and Luis Bunuel’s BELLE DE JOUR (1967) in the role-playing encounters during Streisand’s disastrous stint as a call-girl! British action director Yates was surprisingly roped in for this, but he seems to have enjoyed the experience as his next project was on similarly zany lines – the black comedy MOTHER, JUGS AND SPEED (1976; which I’ll be watching presently).

Another notable sequence sees the heroine involved, unbeknownst to her, in terrorist activity (she’s asked to deliver a package in disguise to a similarly-dressed woman) – which eventually rebounds on her shady brother employers! Similarly, one of the best lines has Streisand’s nonchalant black maid (she hires a Hispanic woman to do her own cleaning-up!) who, admiring the former’s tenacity, tells her: “Girl, you could even sell a Confederate flag in Harlem!”

.............and For Our Sake, Too!

[redryan64 · 7/10 · 27 November 2014]

FOLLOWING THE GREAT success, box office and critical acclaim of Director Peter Bogdanovich's WHAT'S UP, DOC? (Warner Brothers/Saticoy Productions, 1972), the World took notice of Miss Barbara Streisand, not only as a singer, but also as a comedienne. Her teaming with Ryan O'Neal, Madeline Kahn,Kenneth Mars, Sorrell and Austin Pendelton (among others) under the auspices of Mr. Bogdanovich proved to be a game changer.

NOT THAT THIS feature film of a couple of years later was quite on the same level, nor was it done in the same genre. Whereas WHAT'S UP, DOC? was true 'Screwball' in the 1930's sense, FOR PETE'S SAKE was more along the lines of situational, or 'Sit Com', as we would call it today.

THE STORY LINE, such as it is, concerns a rather contrived plot in which Pete Robbins(Sarrazin), Husband, drives a cab in order to support himself and Henrietta (Streisand), wife; while at the same time that he is attending college, seeking his sheepskin. The Mrs. is suddenly overcome with guilt and decides to help out by seeking fund$ to invest in the Commodities Market to purchase futures in Pork Bellies. (Do you get that, Schultz?)

AMONG THE SCAMSS that Henrietta (Henry for short) explored was that of prostitution. Great comic situations are created in scenes involving the 'Madame', Mrs. Cherry (Molly Picon).

OTHER LITTLE VIGNETTES of inspired comic interactions are fairly well distributed throughout the film. Our favourite is a parody and homage to the then recent film, THE FRENCH CONNECTION (D'Antoni/Schine-Moore/20th Century-Fox, 1971).,It involved Barbara, a very tenacious Police Dog/German Shepard and interplay with the opening and closing of subway train doors.

ONE OTHER QUALITY wort mentioning is that the movie is very New York specific; both in locale and feel. That makes for some 'attitude', eh Schultz?

Dated, only for 70s film or Streisand fans

[goods116 · 5/10 · 14 August 2017]

I appreciate the 1970s dress, manner of speaking, street scenes of NYC, cars, etc. but this movie is quite dated. Viewers today will find little humor and not much of interest. Streisand is always pretty good to watch (no signing here) and carries what little there is in this movie.

Streisand comedy great fun

[barryrd · 8/10 · 6 June 2017]

This romantic comedy from 1974 features Barbra Streisand as she was reaching her stride as an acting and comedy talent. Her husband is 1970's star Michael Sarazzin as the tall, long-haired, bell bottomed jeans taxi driver who fills the role as the romantic interest. The other talent on display is Estelle Parsons as the social climbing sister-in-law who delivers a long list of catty remarks aimed at putting the couple down; no doubt resulting from jealousy over their hot sex life. The 1970's produced a lot of great movies, including comedies, and this is certainly one of them. It is full of belly laughs from start to finish. Streisand is the harried housewife trying to make ends meet in the inflationary 1970's. Her interactions with her friends and business people in her Brooklyn neighbourhood will delight viewers. When she gets involved in a crazy scheme to raise money for her husband's foray in the futures market, the gags come in rapid succession. Lots of fun, it's a look back at the 1970's with anxieties that now seem somewhat homespun by today's standards. I saw it when it first came out and seeing it again was well worth the time.

What women won't do in the name of love

[helpless_dancer · 7/10 · 6 January 2002]

Lightweight romantic comedy featuring the always delightful Babs as the put upon housewife who goes all out to put hubby into a higher tax bracket. Fairly funny in spots, dull in most: the slapstick was a tad overdone for my tastes. She did a better job in "What's Up Doc?"

Strident and forced, but acceptable screwball comedy

[robb_772 · 4/10 · 20 April 2006]

In retrospect, it isn't hard to understand why Barbra chose to make this limp, embarrassingly unfunny farce. The arty UP THE SANDBOX had just flopped and the future prospects of the just completed THE WAY WE WERE were unknown. Deciding that her reputation as a movie superstar couldn't take another project that was a commercial risk, she agreed to star in FOR PETE'S SAKE, a woefully misguided attempt at modern screwball comedy. Basically, everything that WHAT'S UP, DOC? succeeded at brilliantly, FOR PETE'S SAKE fails at miserably. Not only are the characters annoying and the puns infantile, but FOR PETE'S SAKE commits the biggest crime known to comedy: it just ain't funny. Throughout all of the typical comedic mix-ups and chases, the viewer will find his or herself moaning rather than laughing.

Barbra tries her best to pump the film up with her undeniable comic gifts, but there's no inspiration in this sitcom-level script, so even her earnest portrayal gets lost amid the murk. Michael Sarrazin fares even worse due to his badly underwritten character, and he has no chemistry with Streisand. Unfortunately, the rest of the cast doesn't fare much better. True, veteran comedic actress Molly Picon has a few amusing bits as Ms. Cherry, but none of the other supporting players are able to break out of their one-note characters. However, when a screenplay is this labored and unfunny, you can't really blame any of the actors - they obviously did the best with what they were given. It's certain that Barbra wouldn't have made this film had she known that THE WAY WE WERE was going to be a blockbuster hit, however that is not a good enough reason to excuse the poor execution behind this picture.

There are fans who like to say that the contrived box office hit THE MAIN EVENT or the off-beat box office flop ALL NIGHT LONG are Barbra's weakest films, but I must strongly disagree. THE MAIN EVENT may have been tired and predictable, but at least it was funny overall, and Streisand did had chemistry with her leading man in that one. And though ALL NIGHT LONG may have not been a perfect film (the film's soggy mid-section is it's biggest flaw), it did have a charmingly odd-ball perspective that made the movie seem bizarrely endearing. FOR PETE'S SAKE has none of the things that make THE MAIN EVENT or ALL NIGHT LONG entertaining. It just stumbles on to the finale, getting progressively worse as it goes. While FOR PETE'S SAKE was actually a box office hit in it's day, in the end it no doubt had a more damaging effect on Barbra's career. It did nothing but provide fodder for the people who never liked her to begin with.

Michael at his most enjoyable.....but Barbra grabbed the spotlight

[churei · 8/10 · 10 September 2017]

FOR PETE'S SAKE should have been almost as good, goofy, and enjoyable as WHAT'S UP DOC?', but the rather unpleasant backstory eventually irritates despite the comedic potential. Barbra is as bright and spunky as she had been in 'DOC', but the uneven script places her in situations that, potentially hysterical, somehow leave a bad taste for several reasons - the methods by which innocent Barbra tries to get the money her hubby, Pete, needs for 'porkbellies'. The Brooklyn setting is real and fits the story well...but it is Michael Sarrazin that really carries the pleasant and charming center of the story. Far away from his strong and dynamic performance in THEY SHOOT HORSES..., he, here, is a delightful leading man with a fine sense of timing, expressive light comedic style (a/la Rod Taylor). He is entirely convincing. The surprising negative factors include the appearance of Molly Picon as a peculiar and supposedly charming madame-underworld character. The part should have been a superb moment for her, but her dialogue and actions become uncomfortable for this formidable star. Nonetheless. the Steisand-Sarrazin teaming looks and feels right...and the love scenes are satirically delicious.

Not good, but not bad.......

[ksdilauri · 7/10 · 12 November 2023]

This could be one of the Streisand movies you haven't seen. I remember when it was released in the '70's but somehow I let it slip by. As her comedies go, this is no What's Up, Doc (which is truly inspired lunacy) but it tries hard. Despite the talent of the cast, and the sheer energy expended by its star (the last person on earth you'd expect to see rustling cattle) it lacks "Doc"s cleverness and sparkling dialogue, but I'd still recommend giving it one look some lazy Sunday afternoon--if only as a tip of the hat to Miss Streisand's gameness. I never pictured her trying not to be upstaged by cattle. 😂

Barbra Stocks Pork

[wes-connors · 5/10 · 28 March 2010]

Bubbly Brooklyn housewife Barbra Streisand (as Henrietta "Henry" Robbins) can't seem to make ends meet. Eating over her head, Ms. Streisand must return food to grocery clerk Vincent Schiavelli, saying, "You take the fruit loops, you'll love 'em!" She argues with Ma Bell about a call to Yugoslavia, telling telephone lady Anne Ramsey to, "Stick that in your computer!" And, Streisand has to pay sharp-tongued, self-described "colored" maid Vivian Bonnell (as Loretta), who never seems to do much of anything.

Streisand's attractive husband Michael Sarrazin (as Pete Robbins) works as a cab driver while taking college classes three nights a week. They have time for an active sex life, much to the dismay of acid-tongued Estelle Parsons (as Helen), wife of wealthy brother William Redfield (as Fred). Streisand decides to make extra money by buying stock in "pork bellies" - but, short on investment money, she borrows from a loan shark. Unable to pay her debt, Streisand is forced into prostitution and other unsavory activities.

Adequately done by director Peter Yates and the then top female "Box Office" star (since 1972) in the nation - but, Streisand's character seems neither to be prostitute material, nor someone who would be so inclined. There are easier ways for this ball of energy and charisma to make a buck in New York City. And, long stretches in this comedy feature nothing particularly funny. Streisand gets good support from Sarrazin (watch those hands on rear) and the above, plus elderly "Madame" Molly Picon (as Mrs. Cherry).

***** For Pete's Sake (6/26/74) Peter Yates ~ Barbra Streisand, Michael Sarrazin, Estelle Parsons, Molly Picon

Give it a try

[tao-3 · 2 January 1999]

Although this one got left out by the Steisand fans, but it's really an okay movie. Streisend as a the wife of the decade, that would do anything for her depressed cab driver husband, even if it means driving a herd of cattle throughout New York city. Streisand sure has an eye for comedy, and she's doing her best in this film. Not hilariously funny but a pleasant 90 minute flick

gets wackier and funnier

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 24 April 2020]

Pete (Michael Sarrazin) and Henrietta Robins (Barbra Streisand) are a Brooklyn couple with money problems. Cab driver Pete hears a tip on pork bellies from his dispatcher and the couple decides to buy the futures. Nobody is willing to lend them the money and Henrietta goes to a loan shark in secret. When the debt comes due, she has to work in increasingly weirder jobs while hiding it from her husband.

It starts poor. Henry is not particularly that appealing. The pork bellies McGuffin does not taste good. I didn't like this movie at first and didn't know where it was going. Then it starts to get edgier and then it gets weirder. The silliness gets funny. Streisand is able to do stupid comedy and she eventually gets there. The movie should start silly and forget about the pork bellies. Pete is a bit of wet blanket but he does get into a funny screwball situation with a judge. This is good for a few giggles in the second half.

Streisand's one foray into slapstick comedy

[preppy-3 · 7/10 · 12 June 2011]

Henrietta (Barbra Streisand) and Pete (Michael Sarrazin) Robins are happily married but not rich. He drives a cab for a living when Henrietta struggles to pay the bills. Somehow they're able to have a maid (Vivian Bonnell) who comes in a few times to clean up. Then Pete finds out that the US and Russia are going to make a deal on pork bellies. If he invests he could become rich--but he needs to put down $3,000 which he doesn't have. Henry borrows it from a loan shark--but the pork belly deal doesn't go through and Henry has to do various "hilarious" jobs to pay him back.

The script is weak and most of the humor falls flat (and I think it bombed at the box office) but this is OK to watch. Streisand gives it her all and she manges to make some of the very weak lines seem funny with her readings. I never thought she could do comedy till I saw this movie. Sarrazin is super sweet as her husband and is a likable guy. Bonnell is the token wise-cracking black woman but she still manages to be funny. The only casting misstep is Estelle Parsons as a VERY annoying cousin of Pete. She's supposed to be annoying but funny but comes across as a mean, cruel witch. Just ONCE I wanted Streisand to slap her.

This is mostly ignored by Streisand fans but it's not her worst movie ("The Mirror Has Two Faces" is). Worth catching. And Streisand DOES sing a song during the opening credits.

Clever But Forgettable at the Same Time

[mike48128 · 7/10 · 27 July 2013]

Yes, I love the Marx Bros. but some of their movies are not top notch. Similarly, this is not one of Barbra's best. It's a Rube Goldberg of a movie: She borrows $3,000 from a loan shark, then $4,000 to pay him off, and her "contract" gets sold twice again so she owes $7,000 to an urban cattle rustler. Confused? Oh course you are! However, many of the situations are funny but should be hilarious. Molly Picon plays "Mother Cherry" the benevolent "Jewish" madam and is terrific. Streisand almost scares one of her "Johns" to death, but, thankfully, she never actually connects with any of them. So "Mother" sells her contract to two greasy, sleazy bomb-makers and she gets chased thru the subway by the smartest German Shepard Dog since Rin-Tin-Tin; after unwittingly delivering a "bomb" to a police undercover man. Several ludicrous comic situations and some pay off better than others. The best one involves stolen cattle. She is supposed to transport them in a Winnebago and of course they stampede out of the truck and end up in Brooklyn traffic and, yes, in a chandelier store. All "For Pete's Sake", so he can buy $3000 in pork belly futures on an inside tip, and make a fortune. Michael Sarrazin plays Pete, her taxi-driving, over-sexed, struggling husband. He and Babs chase each other around the apartment a lot. She appears to be bra-less most of the time. A very lightweight comedy with a good supporting cast. But I think that both the Brahma bull and the dog are funnier than Barbra. The incredibly impossible, unbelievable storyline is fun but not memorable.

Barbra goes nuts over Pork Bellies.

[mark.waltz · 5/10 · 12 May 2015]

Barbra Streisand's 1970's comedies were a mixed bag, from the loud and obnoxious "The Owl and the Pussycat" to the hysterically funny "What's Up Doc?" to this funny but somewhat labored comedy about a young wife's determination to make her husband do better no matter what it takes. She's even co-erced into attempting to become a homebody hooker (with Molly Picon as a hysterically funny madam), deliver a surprise package, and eventually even transport stolen cattle (including a very butch bull) through the streets of Brooklyn.

"It's not nice to fool Mother Cherry", Picon snarls after Streisand's failed attempts to turn tricks end up breaking one client's nose and with a passed out one locked in a trunk which Streisand's husband (Michael Sarrazin) helps being taken out of their apartment. This is all because Streisand borrowed $3000 from a mobster/loan shark, and in order to avoid being bumped off by them has to do all these strange jobs (causing the money she owes to be raised $1000 each time) which get odder and odder and even may lead to prison time for her character.

An odd follow-up to Streisand's outstanding Oscsr Nominated performance in "The Way We Were", this is a comedy of moments, and some of it misses the mark. William Redfield and Estelle Parsons are Sarrazin's extremely obnoxious brother and sister-in-law whose wealth has forced Streisand to take drastic measures to help her save face in the wake of possible bankruptcy. In the opening minutes of the film, Streisand has a truly bad day, being short on her grocery bill, denying a call on her bill to telephone clerk Anne Ramsey ("Throw Mama From the Train", yes that mama....) and dealing with a bad check returned from the bank. Each of the people she encounters comments on how she can afford pot roast while having financial issues, and it's odd to see the obviously Jewish Streisand pretend to be craving pork bellies so she can convince Sarrazin to invest. Barbra gets to ride on a bull, play hide and seek with a doberman in the subway (check out those 70's subway cars!), and haphazardly get rid of a bomb.

With the comedy a hit and a miss, this still managed to be a hit, because in the mid 1970's (other than possibly "Up the Sandbox"), every film Babs made was a box-office smash. She would make one more in this mold ("The Main Event") before turning to a more artistic path in her sporadic film career. She gets some great cracks in at Parsons' expense, shows a great sense of humor and romantic side with husband Sarrazin (even when yelling at him to get out so she can deal with the tricks Picon is sending over), and is very funny in a curly blonde wig, hat and sunglasses delivering a secret package. And when the cows and bull invade a china shop, the movie gets its one moment of comic genius.

If she had not been in it (only Goldie or Liza might have done it a similar justice), the film would have been second rate at best. She does get to sing over the opening credits, but unlike "The Way We Were" and "Evergreen", the movie song is one that has not stood the test of time. The movie itself comes off as very dated, but the Brooklyn locations (Streisand and Sarrazin obviously live right across the street from Prospect Park) are fun, and a few moments are more than just mildly amusing. To see Streisand and Picon (the Queen of the Yiddish Theater) working together is another treat which makes this worth seeing.

Making ends meet

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 4 September 2016]

For Pete's Sake has Michael Sarrazin and Barbra Streisand as a married couple in Brooklyn trying to make ends meet. They've got their debts and maybe carrying a bit too much. Sarrazin drives a cab and gets a stock tip about pork belly futures from his dispatcher Louis Zorich who's a pretty sleazy sort. I couldn't wrap myself around the concept of taking financial advice from him any more than from that other noted cab dispatcher Louis DiPalma.

But Sarrazin believes him and tries to get the money and when he fails Barbra goes to a loan shark. When the great financial coup doesn't go off on schedule she's got to pay. Of course she can't and her debt is passed on to various parties who have her doing all kinds of crazy things, all for her husband Pete's sake.

There were some good performances, some funny moments, but the whole thing seemed more silly than funny. Besides the stars the ones to watch out for are Molly Picon as a Jewish Madame, Estelle Parsons as Streisand's sister-in-law, and Richard Ward as the ever helpful building superintendent where she and Sarrazin live.

Barbra's fans will like it, but it's far from the best film she ever made.

For Pete's Sake leave this un-disinterred. RIP

[max von meyerling · 4/10 · 22 May 2009]

I didn't see this picture, FOR PETE'S SAKE, when it came out because the notion, as the picture was marketed at the time, about Barbra Streisand turning tricks to support her husband, was ugly and prima facia ugly. Now that I've seen it I have to say I'm glad I didn't waste a dollar or how ever much it cost to see a movie at the time. It is flat out awful. Really it's nothing more than a series of gags constructed for Babs that are executed on a sub- I Love Lucy level. It's strange because director Peter Yates has shown himself to be a master of very complicated mise en scene in action films like BULLET. Here it's clear that no one working on this picture has the slightest sense of humor.

Pete, a cab driver, wants to be rich and has the opportunity to invest in pork bellies (see, its funny already). His wife borrows the money from a loan shark and can't pay it back. Instead of being rubbed out for not paying back her loan her contract is sold, first to a madam who turns out Babs but, guess what, she has a series of hilarious accidents and never actually has sex. So typical. Right down to Pretty Woman, Hollywood movie hookers never, ever, have sex. Then one belabored, unfunny, poorly played and poorly executed gag after another. Michael Sarrazin, as Babs' husband, is injected onto the screen at intervals for reasons neither he nor the director really understands. In the old days, when women ruled the box office, women were the biggest and most important stars. The male stars were known as leading men. They were around to give the women something to play off of. In FOR PETE'S SAKE Barbra Streisand doesn't need anyone else to play off of. As a comic she has eliminated the straight man. The results are monumentally flat. And so unfunny. Just terrible.

This will make you appreciate Peter Bogdanovich all the more, his ability to produce a coherent, constantly funny comedy with multiple characters playing off each other. Even the little known I WONDER WHO'S KILLING HER NOW, with a similar structure, is a masterpiece compared to this ego trip. I have the terrible feeling that Streisand had become a monster by this time and did everything her way, and the only that was photographed here was her out-sized ego. It's not for nothing that this bummer never gets revived. Like Orson Wells she directed from in front of the camera. Except that Wells had talent. Streisand only has fans.

P.S. As if one didn't have enough reason to hate these people for appearing in a crap movie, check out the huge apartment across the street from Prospect Park. In New York we hate people with great apartments like this especially if they're rent controlled.

I give it a 'thumbs up'

[Jon Torino · 10 March 2000]

Barbra was 31 when she made this film. Her hair (a poor short-haired wig) was done by her then boyfriend,

Jon Peters, and her outfits remind me of her "stoney end" phase (remember that?). This movie was released in 1974. Her co-star is 'ok' but he's no Brad Pitt. He does have one sexy bathtub scene. If you look quickly when he pulls Babs into the tub you'll see he is wearing a pair of white bikini briefs (poor editing, they should have cut that).

Now a little outdated (I'm writing this in the year 2000) the film is funny overall with some greater funny moments.

Barbra shows a real flair for comedy. I wish she had done more character acting in other films because in this one she dons a blond curly wig, big yellow hat and oval sunglasses then screams and runs like a little girl. She literally had me laughing uncontrollably several times.

The plot is sort of hokey: her husband's brother and pompous wife insinuate Babs (Henry) conned her husband into an early marriage which robbed him of a good college education and a decent job (he's a taxi driver). They get an inside stock tip on 'pork bellies' and she borrows $3,000 from the mob. The tip doesn't pay off at first and her contract is sold to more and more crooks - and with each sale she screws up her assignments. She goes to work for a little old lady (Mrs. Cherry) who sends men clients to her apartment and Babs accidently breaks the nose of her first client then nearly kills the second, a judge who is taxi'd to the N.Y. apt by her husband. This second client is hidden in a trunk and revived in the back of a flower delivery truck then placed back in the taxi when Henry's husband isn't looking.

The whole movie goes on like this - and she ends up in several funny situations, even unwittingly carrys a bomb (the wig, hat and glasses). She turns the package over to an undercover cop and is promptly arrested but runs away screaming through Central Park claiming he is a pervert (the cop is dressed in identical women's clothing)

Eventually her contract is sold to a cattle rustler who fills up a motor-home with stolen cattle for delivery in downtown N.Y. She has an accident and the one lone bull and all the cows get lose running through New York streets and into shops. By the end of the picture the stock tip pays off and they end up rich and happy.

If you like Barbra you'll like this movie. I say 'thumbs up'!

They don't make 'em like this anymore

[onepotato2 · 2/10 · 28 December 2007]

...for which everyone should be grateful. The worst comedy released nowadays (Josie and the Pussycats?) will elicit more smirks than this. Anyone mourning the state of movies today (me!), should rent this half-hearted effort to confirm that there have always been poorly-made movies.

Time has not been kind to it. It takes 35 sad, uninspired minutes to introduce the conflict. Today it would be moving in under ten. It's a one-joke movie. See... Streisand borrows money to help out her husband, Pete. Get it? The money is "for Pete's sake." Streisand gets in deep with loan sharks and her debt is continually traded up, leading to standard screwball antics. Peter Yates does not have any ideas for getting a laugh, or for getting this dog moving. He just kind of films each page of the script. Maybe kids with no concept of film structure would like it. The cinematography uses that bad, even lighting from the 60's that kills atmosphere. A mob hideout feels exactly the same as a middle-class living room.

This was not the future of comedy. Really, really... tired.

Sarrazan has a lumpy, strange head. His face looks like it was designed by committee. You can actually see the old man he's going to become, despite his youthful style. Back in the day though my sisters thought he was hot. It didn't take that much.

For Pete's Sake Why Didn't This Work

[daoldiges · 5/10 · 19 December 2023]

The entire cast of For Pete's Sake are solid, in particular Streisand, Sarrazin, Parsons, Redfield, and Picon are all swell and fulfill their individual roles well. Streisand in particular is working overtime to lift this material to something worth investing our time in but unfortunately it's just never fully realized. It starts off well enough but then devolves into predictable cliche and equally predictable slapstick, almost all of which has been done and seen before. The screwball comedy doesn't work and the viewer just isn't ever drawn into the proceedings. The culprit here is a very weak story and script. Despite some really solid performances For Pete's Sake is disappointingly average.

Jon Peters wig!

[BandSAboutMovies · 4/10 · 3 February 2022]

Henrietta and Pete Robbins (Barbra Streisand and Michael Sarrazin) are a struggling couple who have to deal with the insults of their sister-in-law Helen, who tells them that an early marriage took away Pete's chance at success. Yet when Pete gets an insider trading tip - this type of thing was somehow perfectly legal in 1974 - she borrows three grand from a Mafia loan shark and finds herself unable to quickly pay them back, which means that she's sold to Mrs. Cherry and rented out as a call girl, but she fails again and again to satisfy any of her clients and starts adding up even more debt.

It was written by Stanley Shapiro (How to Save a Marriage and Ruin Your Life, Pillow Talk) and Maurice Richli (The Pink Panther) and directed by Peter Yates, whose career has movies like Breaking Away and Mother, Jugs and Speed as well as Bullitt, The Deep, The Dresser and Krull.

It's a light farce and while Streisand didn't like the movie, it was a success.