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The Mirror Has Two Faces finds Barbra Streisand making the mature choice, as both an actor and a director, to look at herself objectively, and cast herself accordingly. The result is a welcome addition to the genre of relationship films featuring self-deprecating New Yorkers. By finally acknowledging that she is the brains of the family, and casting another actress (Mimi Rogers) as the looks, Streisand frees herself up for some wickedly personal humor that strikes a deeper chord for its honesty. Richard LaGravenese's writing shines most brightly during Streisand's lectures to her university students, which also showcase her acting at its most natural and relaxed. In several masterful scenes, she couches the film's themes in the language of classroom debate, as insightful as it is irreverent, and all the more impressive because it demonstrates her easy nature and sharp sense of humor. There's plenty of humor beyond the classroom walls, from Streisand's ironic laments ("Why put makeup on? It's still me, only in color") to the physical and emotional awkwardness of Jeff Bridges' fuddy-duddy. Streisand does revert to "aren't I pretty?" mode on occasion, as when her elaborate makeover proves enough to win the affections of the shallow hunk played by Pierce Brosnan. For the most part, however, The Mirror Has Two Faces is a smart consideration of the regrettable dichotomy between intellectual and physical love, and whether it is okay to settle for one if you can't have the other.