The Fortune Cookie
by Billy Wilder
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Cliff Osmond, Jack Lemmon, Judi West, Ron Rich, Walter MatthauDirector: Billy Wilder
Brand: TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENT
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled)
Format: Anamorphic, Black & White, Closed-captioned, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen, 2.35:1
Running Time: 126 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2001-03-06
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Movie Reviews of The Fortune Cookie
Movie Review: What is Truth?
Summary: 4 Stars
Walter Matthau joins Jack Lemon to present a look into, albeit a comedic look, the profession of the shyster lawyer or legal chiseler. Harry Hinkle(Jack Lemon) is accidently knocked over by a 220lb half back and only suffers a slight concussion. Then, Whiplash Willie(Walter Matthau) arrives on the scene and he proposes a scheme to garner millions of dollars in phony insurance claims if Harry claims to have suffered a crippling injury. There you have it; but, you can't fool all of the people all of the time so says Harry's fortune cookie on his plate while in the hospital. You have to laugh at the performance of these two first class comedians as they wrestle with their consciences.
Summary of The Fortune Cookie
Powered by Walter Matthau's Oscar?(r)-winning* performance as the quintessential all-American chiseler, The Fortune Cookie is a hysterically funny comedy that showcases filmmaker BillyWilder at his uproarious best. Harry Hinkle (Jack Lemmon) is one lucky guy! When he's accidentally clobbered by a 220-pound halfback, all Harry suffers is a slight concussion. All, that is, until Whiplash Willie (Matthau)a legal scoundrel of the first orderarrives on the scene! For if Harry follows shyster Willie's advice and feigns a crippling injury, the two charlatans can split a cool million in phony insurance claims. But can Willie's world-class finagling dispel those ominous words that lie within the fortune cookie on Harry's hospital plate: You can't fool all of the people all of the time? *1966: Supporting ActorBilly Wilder's insurance-scam comedy, written with partner I.A.L. Diamond, is one of the legendary filmmaker's surlier efforts. Were it not for the star-making performance of Walter Matthau (which won him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor), it might not have registered so strongly with audiences. Shot in a grimy black and white, the story begins as CBS cameraman Harry Hinkle (Jack Lemmon) is injured on the sidelines of a football game when Cleveland Browns star Boom Boom Jackson (Ron Rich) accidentally barrels into him. Hinkle's all right, but his ambulance-chasing brother-in-law William Gingrich (Matthau), also known as "Whiplash Willie," has a lawsuit filed before Hinkle even wakes up at the hospital. Hinkle is reluctant to join in on the scheme, which involves staying in a wheelchair, until he realizes it may bring his ex-wife (Judi West) back, even though her eyes practically flash dollar signs at the thought of his case's settlement potential. Working on Hinkle's conscience, however, is a burgeoning friendship with Jackson, who feels horrible about the incident. Not as sure-footed or as brazenly funny as many other Wilder efforts, the film nevertheless boasts a comic turn by Matthau that is deliciously conniving and endlessly inventive. Wilder, Hollywood's most caustically funny blend of pessimist and optimist, doesn't even aim for balance here. He clearly loves Matthau's character above all others and lets him run the show. The Lemmon and Matthau franchise began here and would go on to include their reteaming for Wilder's films The Front Page and Buddy Buddy. --Robert Abele
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