ReelRecsWhat to watch
The Main Event poster

MOVIE · 1979

The Main Event

ComedyRomance112 min

A bankrupt perfume entrepreneur tries to recoup her losses by turning an old tax write-off into a contender again. Barbra Streisand is the cash-strapped businesswoman who takes over the career of a washed-up boxer, with Ryan O'Neal as the reluctant fighter she pulls back toward the ring while her protégé objects to the whole plan. Their arrangement keeps shifting from business deal to romantic sparring match as training, money problems, and mismatched egos push them together. Howard Zieff’s 1979 film builds its comedy around boxing-world hustle and the friction between two people who are just as stubborn outside the ring.

Find out what fits your taste.

Rate movies and shows in ReelRecs, save your next watch, and get personal recommendations from the Reel Recs online service. Free on iPhone and Android.

Open this title in ReelRecs

Where to watch in US

These offers have not all been recently verified. Check the provider for current availability.

Included with a subscription

Free with ads

Rent

Buy

Availability checked October 24, 2026. Offers can change. Rentals and purchases are separate from subscriptions.

More to consider

Alex in Wonderland (1970)

Fresh off a first feature that everyone in Hollywood expects to be a hit, Donald Sutherland is Alex Morrison, a bohemian director with producers, projects, and expectations suddenly closing in from every side. As Alex m…

The One and Only (1978)

In 1950s America, Henry Winkler is Andy Schmidt, a college grad who wins Mary’s heart but can’t find a foothold after school. With ordinary work proving hard to come by and his sights fixed on stardom, Andy takes a shar…

Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number! (1966)

A wrong number pulls Oregon family man Tom Meade into a mess of movie-star secrecy when he accidentally calls Didi, a European actress hiding out in a hotel to escape Hollywood’s bombshell image. Bob Hope is Tom, whose …

Catalogue checked October 30, 2026. Use ReelRecs with an assistant