Hello, Dolly! (1969) review

Dolly Levi (Barbra Streisand) - a widow "who arranges things" - takes a train from NYC to Yonkers to arrange for semi-rich shop owner Horace Vandergelder (Walter Matthau) to find a "dainty wife" (but really a servant) - meanwhile, Horace's overworked and underpaid employees Barnaby (Danny Lockin) and Cornelius (Michael Crawford) sneak out to the City with one goal: to find girls to kiss.  While it is thoroughly predictable - of course the lady who's known for helping others find love can't find it herself - and kind of bloated (considering there isn't a whole lot going on beyond the surface), it isn't without its charms: it features one of Babs' best performances and her relentless optimism mashes well with Matthau's cantankerousness (as expected, the two of them butted heads in real life), plus the title number - with Louis Armstrong - truly is an all-time classic.  It might have been burden on the studio's books - adjusted for inflation, the $25m budget would be the equivalent of $185m in 2021! - but that money sure did pay for some pretty sets.