Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau are the Odd Couple...say no more.
Directed by: Gene Saks
Written by: Neil Simon
Produced by: Howard W. Koch
Starring: Jack Lemmon as Felix Ungar, Walter Matthau as Oscar Madison
Music by: Neal Hefti
When the neat freak Felix Ungar finds out his wife wants a divorce, he has nowhere to go. His friend, Oscar Madison, invites him to move into Oscar's 8 bedroom apartment. This seems like a great idea at first, until Oscar the slob gets fed up with Felix's cleaning obsession.
This is another example of a movie that is great, but probably not quite as great as the play it's based on. Lemmon and Matthau are one of the all-time wonderful comedy pairings, and this film shows them at their best. They work together brilliantly to bring the most humor into the situation - whether it's a poker game or a double date gone horribly awry. And the couple bring it together at the end to show us that we can learn things from someone who is our complete opposite.
Another star on this movie's lapel is the supporting cast. The Pidgeon sisters are classically adorable and annoying simultaneously. And the Poker crew were made up of the play's original cast and so obviously were fantastic - the typical guys' night bumblers.
The plot of the story moves a little slowly for my tastes. Or possibly there just wasn't quite enough movement at all. It seemed that as well as the end was brought together, it just kind of happened. But I did enjoy all the throwing of food, breaking of plates, and physical comedy.
The Odd Couple gets four burned mealoafs out of a possible five (4/5).
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