So Barbara loses 20 pounds...
...in just a couple of days? And look at that figure? From fat to perfectly slim within a week? Wow, just wow!!
I think it was over several weeks at least IIRC. And actually, I didn't think she looked any different at the end except for the better clothing choices and probably Spanx.
They should have put Middler in a fat suit for a more dramatic change - kind of like what they did for Tim Allen in The Santa Clause or Paltrow for Shallow Hal.
Maybe not a fat suit, but some kind of chubby masking and make-up at least.
Or better yet, choose someone actually slim to portray a fatso that then loses the weight so it's also VISUAL (show, don't tell!) thing instead of just something we're fed as information. Kinda hard to make someone like Bette look like she has lost weight..
They may have just wanted Midler - she did play well off DeVito.
If Midler was in a fat suit kind of like Paltrow was in Shallow Hal, it would make more sense when the creepy Sam saw Barbara 50 real pounds lighter.
In any case, whether makeup, several layers of clothes, or a fat suit, I think it would have been better if there was a considerable difference in Barbara's physical condition before her captivity and after.