The Odd Couple
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Movie Reviews of The Odd Couple
Movie Review: For any fan of the TV show...
Summary: 4 Stars
Growing up I loved watching the `The Odd Couple' on Nick at Nite and I did so all the time. I had actually never watched the film though until last night. My wife and I have been watching all of the Matthau/Lemmon films and my father suggested `The Odd Couple'. Now, understandably so beings that this is a much older film, the humor is much different than I'm used to with today's films. That's not to say that it doesn't have its share of laughs but it is to say that the younger crowd may have a hard time really getting into it. For instance, my wife left the room to wash her face and call her mother and then returned to watch the last few minutes. It just really didn't interest her. I on the other hand was interested if not mainly for the fact that I had loved the TV show as a kid and wanted to watch the film that inspired it.
Felix (Lemmon) has just been dumped by his wife and is threatening to commit suicide. His best friend Oscar (Matthau) isn't too keen on letting that happen so in order to spare his friends life he decides to have him move in with him (beings that they both hate living alone). The only problem is that Felix and Oscar couldn't be anymore different. Felix is a neurotic clean freak who still feels that his ex-wife was a goddess despite the fact that she left him with nothing. Oscar is a slob who is ready and willing to find another woman. Their differences and the way they react to one another is what makes for the film highpoints. In actuality the funniest scene was also the most annoying (where they double date with the `Cuckoo' Pigeon sisters).
I'm a fan of the chemistry between these two actors, and the chemistry is apparent in this early film as well. It's not a bad film, in actuality for the time it's really good, but I will just put out a word of caution for anyone expecting the humor from the `Grumpy Old Men' movies. It's not the same here, for as the times have changed so has America's perception of comedy. The younger viewers may not find this too funny and or engrossing, but it's surely a classic film that will be enjoyed by real fans of the TV show.
Movie Review: They don't make 'em like this any more.
Summary: 4 Stars
The Odd Couple (Gene Saks, 1968)
When I was a kid, I was a huge fan of the TV spinoff series of this movie. And yet, somehow, I never saw the original flick. It popped up a couple of nights ago on Turner Classic Movies, so I flopped down on the couch and gave it a go. My daughter wasn't so sure about it, and I'm not convinced my wife was, either, but I got a kick out of it.
Lemmon and Matthau, one of the great post-WW2 comedy teams, play neatnik hypochondriac Felix Ungar and sportswriting slob Oscar Madison, respectively. Ungar's wife has thrown him out; Madison has been divorced for years, and his wife lives on the west coast. Ungar, after his attempt at suicide goes wrong, comes to Madison for a place to stay for a few days. Madison sees all the reasons Ungar's wife threw him out (the obsessive cooking and cleaning) as perfect ways to complement Madison's, shall we say, less than pristine lifestyle, and invites him to stay there permanently. Fast-forward to three weeks later, and both of them are well aware why the other is divorced...
This is funny stuff. Yes, a lot of it plays these days as cliched, but remember that this is where the cliches got their start. This was 1968. Women's Lib was still coals simmering that hadn't erupted yet. Divorces were still few and far between. The idea of the sensitive man was still decades away from being popular. Felix and Oscar (and, for that matter, Cecily and Gwendolyn) aren't cliches as much as they are archetypes, folks. Look at it that way-- which is becoming increasingly easier to do as the country swings farther and farther back to the religious right-- and you see why this was one of the biggest hits of 1968. ****
Movie Review: The Odd Couple
Summary: 4 Stars
This is one funny movie! Neil Simon did the screenplay based on his script of the same name for Broadway. Neil Simon had the Midas touch, everything he did turned to gold. Neil Simon was one of the most successful of Broadway playwrights & he managed to do the same for Hollywood.
The Odd Couple are Jack Lemmon & Walter Matthau. This was their first teaming, later teamings included The Grumpy Old Men movies. Lemmon portrays Felix Ungar & Matthau portrays Oscar Madison. They're the whole show though the supporting cast is fine. Of course, most people know that Ungar is the fussy neat freak & Madison is the slob. They're being thrown together in one apartment leads to some hilarious situations & confrontations. Ungar has just been thrown out of his apartment by his wife Frances (never seen nor heard). He's on the verge of suicide but isn't able to go through with it, not his fault because he couldn't get his motel room window opened. He ends up at his good friend's apartment, Oscar, who has already been divorced. Felix agrees to move in with Oscar. Never has two people been more opposite than these two. Both have a lot of baggage but Felix is the king of personal health problems. His honking (clearing his sinuses & ears), his back & all around neat-freak character is enough to drive anyone crazy. Who would YOU rather live with: Oscar the slob who hasn't cleaned anything for a long time or Felix the neat-freak who is constantly cleaning, complaining & nagging? After watching this movie it might not be so clear or maybe it will be.
Movie Review: On the Odd Couple
Summary: 4 Stars
I remember renting this movie with my Dad when I was about 10. We laughed so hard I thought we'd die. So when I saw it on amazon I knew I had to get it. My husband and I watched it, but he's not as in to older movies as I am, so I think he thought it was a little weird.
It does have a very late 60's early 70's feel and the humor was a little more suggestive than I remember from when I was ten. But, overall, it's really pretty clean by today's standards, and it's still a very funny, well made movie!
Plus, anyone who knows Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau, should see this at least once! It's a classic! I believe this was their first film together . . . Making way for the Grumpy Old Men movies and Out to Sea. Probably the older generation will "get it" more than the younger one though . . . Unless you're like me and were raised on old movies.
Movie Review: The Odd Couple: The Good and Bad
Summary: 4 Stars
I first saw this movie back in the early 1970's (1973 or 1974)on television. I had not seen it since until now (2004). I thought I would give it a try to see if it still holds up. I found the movie to still be funny in spots. The movie was shorter than I remembered, but it still is a funny movie. It's a good movie for someone who has never seen the "The Odd Couple". Walter and Jack are good in their performances. It is still an enjoyable film. The only problem with the film is that the music is a little dated, but the film otherwise is good. The humor was over the top back in '68, which still makes it good today some 36 years later. Its a good movie to watch once every 5 to 10 years. It still holds up. Fine acting and comedy. Much better than the televison series of the same name with Klugman and Randall.