Rent The Odd Couple (1968)
3.8 of 5 from 161 ratings
1h 41min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
Neil Simon has a special genius for finding great hilarity in ordinary people doing everyday things. Like two divorced men who decide to share a New York apartment. That's the premise of The Odd Couple, although there's nothing odd in the casting of two Oscar-winning talents like Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau. The two veteran funnymen work together with the precision timing of a vaudeville team, but always with bright spontaneity. Lemmon plays fussy Felix, fastidious to a fault. He proves that cleanliness is next to insanity. Matthau is Oscar, who wreaks havoc on a tidy room with the speed and thoroughness of a tornado. An enduring and endearing picture with the intelligence one usually misses in comedies. - Actors:
- Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, John Fiedler, Herb Edelman, David Sheiner, Larry Haines, Monica Evans, Carole Shelley, Iris Adrian, Matty Alou, Bill Baldwin, Al Barlick, John C. Becher, Ted Beniades, Billie Bird, Patricia D. Bohannon, Ken Boyer, Heywood Hale Broun, Jerry Buchek, Roberto Clemente
- Directors:
- Gene Saks
- Writers:
- Neil Simon
- Others:
- Frank Bracht
- Studio:
- Paramount
- Genres:
- Classics, Comedy
- Collections:
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Reviews (3) of The Odd Couple
Lovely - The Odd Couple review by BS
It is hard to approach such a cinematic staple without being disappointed, but this really really doesn't. It is a comedy yes, but it is really touching, deeply moving in parts, and emotionally raw. The characters have depth as well as being extremely funny. The unsung hero of the film is the card game, which is one of the most masterful constructs/foils of any comedy you will see. The only downside (and it is minor) is that the female roles are way too light.
1 out of 2 members found this review helpful.
Timeless comedy - The Odd Couple review by MR
Perfect casting, a comedy that has stood the test of time. Lemmon and Matthau's best ever performances make this movie almost as enjoyable as watching a stage play. The laughs, although sometimes predictable, are delivered with consummate timing. Totally enjoyable.
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.
Comedy Drama. - The Odd Couple review by Steve
Genuinely funny, laugh-out-loud comedy which fruitfully recast Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau (after The Fortune Cookie). Felix (Lemmon) is a fastidious, passive-aggressive neurotic who moves into the New York apartment of his poker-buddy Oscar (Matthau), a legendary womanising slob. It's principally a comedy about divorce.
Both have broken up with their wives and this gives the film some emotional weight, without ever threatening to be sentimental. They are going through a re-evaluation, in their different ways. And of course they drive each other crazy, which is most of the comedy. One is needy and traumatised. The other is belligerent and confrontational.
All this is given a huge boost by extraordinary cameos from Carole Shelley and Monica Evans as dizzy, divorced English sisters. They are hilarious, and surely the most flirtatious women in all fiction. Oscar is so certain that he is onto a sure thing that when he returns with the drinks and the girls are crying over photos of Felix's kids, he throws his lodger into the street.
The film is hardly opened out from the play, so it mostly takes place in one room. There's a lot of dialogue, which is a matter of preference. Gene Saks directs his actors expertly. Neil Simon's script captures the nuances of male relationships pretty well. Great score too. But we remember the film for Lemmon and Matthau who turned their archetypes into the eternal blokes.
0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.