The Prince of Tides

Director: Barbra Streisand
(1992)

After learning of his twin sister’s most recent suicide attempt, Nick Nolte leaves his family in the south and heads for New York where he must relate stories of his traumatic childhood to therapist Barbra Streisand in order to help his troubled sister. Gripping, dramatic, sad yet surprisingly funny— Streisand’s film leaves no emotion unexplored although some poor choices in musical selection, along with some rampant overacting by Nolte unfortunately detract from the story rather than heighten the intensity make the finished product a bit uneven. The plot deserves subtle, passionate storytelling and Streisand is a master yet these few flaws call attention away from Pat Conroy’s brilliant words and to the work itself as a piece of cinema instead of a glimpse into life. Overall despite these errors, it's a must-see as it deals with masculine emotion (a near-foreign emotion in American film) including the way we bury our problems in humor and cynicism, smile or laugh because it’s the “southern way” to avoid discussing anything painful or unpleasant, thus The Price of Tides is admirable in its willingness view these issues with such accuracy. Note: Streisand’s son Jason Gould plays her screen son Bernard in the film.