The miscasting of Barbra Streisand is an interesting topic of discussion regarding this movie. She's way too young, as everyone else has said; despite slight changes to the script and giving everyone the benefit of the doubt, it's silly to think that a woman in her mid twenties would have built up both the social contacts and worldly sangfroid that the character possesses. That said, however, she does about as well as anyone could ask playing a role she was 3 decades too young for. The animosity between Barbra and Walter Matthau is another problem--they have no chemistry together whatsoever. While his annoyance with her at the beginning is believable, the turnabout at the end comes across completely false. Fortunately, the movie has many other charms to make up for that central problem.

My favorite part of the movie, and the heart of the film, is the "courtship" of Cornelius & Irene and Barnaby & Minnie Fay. Michael Crawford and the late Danny Lockin are absolutely adorable as Cornelius and Barnaby. The "Dancing" and "Elegance" numbers and the dinner scene at the Harmonia Gardens are worth the price of admission alone. Barbra plays better with the rest of the cast too; she's more believable as a "woman of the world" when she's with the younger cast members. The production design is wonderful as well. While the movie was outrageously expensive for its time, just about every dollar is visible on screen. The claustrophobic musicals they've made since the Seventies really look deficient when compared to the wide-open dance scenes and crowd shots in classic musicals like this one.

All in all, Hello, Dolly has much to offer. It's not the best musical ever made by a long shot, but it's undeniably fun to watch. It would be fun to see Barbra play the role now that she's a more appropriate age for it. Unfortunately, she doesn't do musicals anymore. Maybe Tyne Daly would take the part.

One of the last of the lavish Old Hollywood musicals. The performances are all fine, with Streisand the obvious standout, vocally and otherwise. Michael Crawford is a little goofy but I guess he's supposed to be. He's a little Dick Van Dyke-ish at times. Your mileage may vary on whether that's a good thing or not. I was less interested in his plot than the one involving Streisand and Walter Matthau. Pretty much anytime Babs is on screen things are much more lively. I say this as someone who isn't her biggest fan, but she really does own this film. The direction from legend Gene Kelly is solid and appropriately old-school for its time. It really feels like a throwback to the MGM musicals of the 1940s and 50s, with great sets and costumes and big production numbers. The cinematography is also very beautiful. So it's a great-looking movie with an upbeat tempo throughout and some very nice songs. The length is the biggest negative, and I did find myself checking my watch during a couple of the lengthy Crawford segments. But it's still a good movie with a lot to recommend, especially for fans of older musicals.

I read several sources and found it was difficult to determine how big a flop "Hello, Dolly!" was at the box office...if at all. If you read the IMDB trivia, it sounds as if the film made a decent little profit. But every other source indicate that the film was a loser...losing as much as $10,000,000 at the box office. Considering the financial straights of Twentieth Century-Fox was in at the time, it apparently was a major financial blow.

When I saw the film, I actually enjoyed it but I also could see easily how the movie couldn't make money. The film is excessive....with too many HUGE scenes with huge casts and costumes. Just look at the gigantic parade scene...one that easily could have been made on a much smaller and cheaper scale. And this could be said about pretty much all the movie....the lavish restaurant scene, the streets of Hoboken, etc.. Director Gene Kelly simply seems to have thrown barrels of money at everything and in today's money,...which is about $164,000,000!

Another problem about the film,, especially back in 1969, is the story itself. Back in the 1950s, the story was the basis for a Broadway play AND Hollywood movie starring Shirley Booth. Then, in 1964, the same play was re-written and made into a musical...and in 1969 this movie version debuted. In other words, the story was VERY familiar...perhaps too familiar in order to bring in audience numbers needed to make it a success.

As far as the story goes, it didn't bother me very much that Barbara Streisand was much too young for the role...which she was. Her singing was lovely (especially compared to Walter Matthau's godawful singing!!) and that seemed to make up for a lot. Otherwise, the characters are mostly interesting and the story kept my interest...but not so much that I could ever imagine paying to see the movie. It's decent...but it's just not that good.

As for me, I actually prefer the 1950s version, "The Matchmaker", with Shirley Booth....try to see it if you can.