Yentl

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Yentl

PG

1983

2h 13m

Musical

Drama

Romance

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

69%

Tomatometer

77 Reviews

75%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Rebbe Mendel is a single father who teaches the Talmud, a sacred text of Judaism, to the boys of his small Polish town. Behind closed doors, he also instructs his daughter, Yentl, despite the fact that girls are forbidden to study religious scripture. When Yentl's father dies, she still has a strong desire to learn about her faith -- so she disguises herself as a male, enrolls in a religious school, and unexpectedly finds love along the way.

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Critics Consensus

Barbra Streisand takes on every conceivable role and acquits herself well in Yentl, a musical epic with a humdrum score that's given considerable lift from its writer-director-star's sheer force of will.

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Pauline Kael

The New Yorker

09/11/2023

Barbra Streisand’s Yentl is rhapsodic yet informal; it’s like a gently surprising turn of phrase.

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Sheila Benson

Los Angeles Times

05/12/2023

Yentl is a debut that its exacting star can be justly pleased with.

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Richard Corliss

TIME Magazine

05/12/2023

[The musical score's] treacherous glissandi and searching wit find their ideal interpreter in Streisand's incredible Flexible Flyer of a voice. After two decades of hard work, that voice is still as smooth as mercury poured over dry ice.

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Marya E. Gates

Cool People Have Feelings, Too. (Substack)

02/13/2024

A stunning film that explores gender roles and queer themes far ahead of its time, with Barbra giving what may well be the best performance in her unparalleled filmography.

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Dennis Harvey

48 Hills

06/13/2023

Streisand's still-best directorial outing.

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JoAnn Rhetts

Charlotte Observer

05/12/2023

If Yentl were the work of an unknown first-time director, critics and moviegoers would be knocking each other out of the way to "discover" this voluptuous talent.

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Suzy S

@RT71652532 Aug 15

The premise was interesting, reflecting on women's place and situation in traditional societies (and it's been the case for most women in most societies until the developments of the past 100+ years or so). But then the story turned silly. It was just unbelievable how no one noticed or even suspected that Yentl/Anshel was actually a woman while she totally looked like a woman and on top of that acted suspiciously in certain situations. Maybe if they had used makeup on Barbra Streisand to make her more believable as a young guy, for example putting on a fake beard or something, it would have made the story a bit more believable. Then I also found it stupid how far things have gone, and still no one suspected anything, not even "his" wife. Another thing is that it's a musical, but a very weird one, with only Streisand singing in it. While she's a great singer, I'm not a huge fan of this type of music, so I rather tolerated than enjoyed it.

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Tim M

@tgmacman Jul 15

Barbra Streisand's debut behind the camera results in some heavy-handed direction, but Yentl remains a mostly compelling story at heart.

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Eye C

@ECinc May 18

A movie aheaded of it's time, a truethfull female empowering, and a beautiful musical... Barbra is the Queen, the GOAT and one of the most greatest stars in our time.

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Ed .

@RT01276001 08/29/2025

I liked the way it made me feel. Some <people> don't care for this film. It's not my favorite, nor was Isaac Bashevis Singer thrilled with Barbra's elongating his short story, but <where is it written> that this couldn't be made into a feature film? Fun fictoid: Dolly Parton passed on the role of Yentl because she couldn't nail down the accent.

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Ciaran S

@TrainMultifan26 10/24/2024

Yentl is a good musical with the heart and charm that makes you feel like home.

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Michael H

@hamichael 06/30/2024

When I saw this film in theaters, I thought there was too much music and it was a bit long. With that said, this is one of my favorite movies. I have since seen it many times and I love every song. I know Barbra wasn't fond of Mandy Patinkin, but I think he is a revelation and many are big fans of his work in this film, including me. I am grateful for this directorial debut. It helps that I am a BIG Streisand fan.

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Barbra Streisand

Director

Barbra Streisand

Yentl

Mandy Patinkin

Avigdor

Amy Irving

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Nehemiah Persoff

Reb Mendel 'Papa'

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Synopsis

Rebbe Mendel is a single father who teaches the Talmud, a sacred text of Judaism, to the boys of his small Polish town. Behind closed doors, he also instructs his daughter, Yentl, despite the fact that girls are forbidden to study religious scripture. When Yentl's father dies, she still has a strong desire to learn about her faith -- so she disguises herself as a male, enrolls in a religious school, and unexpectedly finds love along the way.

Director: Barbra Streisand
Producer: Barbra Streisand, Rusty Lemorande
Screenwriter: Jack Rosenthal, Barbra Streisand
Distributor: MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc.
Production Co: United Artists, Barwood Films, Ladbroke
Rating: PG
Genre: Musical, Drama, Romance
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 9, 1983, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 16, 2008
Runtime: 2h 13m
Sound Mix: Surround

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