The Odd Couple (1968)

" WE'RE OUT OF CORNFLAKES! .....F. U. ! "

The original film that inspired the hit TV show is still a very funny and smart comedy! I had not seen this movie in many years and I found myself laughing out loud through out this exceptional film. A rare mix of comedy and an insightful look at the many layers that makes us all human! Lemmon and Matthau are perfectly cast in this classic as the two polar opposite buddies who end up sharing an apartment.

The TV show of the same name was one of the few truly successful movie to TV show tranformations. M*A*S*H* was another one that worked well. Tony Randall and Jack Klugman had great chemistry if not as layered, but this original film holds up well! The DVD transfer is very good, but only a trailer is included for an extra. July 14, 2008

The Odd Couple

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. May 4, 2008

THE SCRPT IS THE STAR - FUNNIEST MOVIE EVER

I've watched this movie over a dozen times, and it actually gets funnier the more times I view it - especially with friends and family. Though the classic comedy pairing of Lemmon and Matthau give an exceptional performance, the star of this picture is the script. Originally a stage play, the "odd couple" were in fact based on an "odd trio" of divorcees living with Neil Simon's brother. Amalgamated into two people we have Oscar Madison and Felix Ungar, two completely opposite personalities. Fastidious Felix's desire for order and cleanliness would today be diagnosed as an obsessive compulsive disorder. Meanwhile Oscar is a confirmed slob whose huge apartment would never pass a public health inspection. The story begins with a suicidal Felix attempting to throw himself out of a hotel window after his wife asks for a seperation. After failing to open the window (and injuring his bad back in the process) he makes his way to his best friend's apartment, where he is losing big in a poker game. Oscar invites Felix to stay, setting up a catastrophe of lifestyle clashes. The film contains an enormous 250 plus gags, based entirely on Simon's attention to minute character detail. Subsequently the film fails to date one bit, and remains hilariously funny. Lemmon and Matthau have rarely been better, though the successful transition to TV of the series, proves the importance of a script of this rarest of quality. March 28, 2008

Friendship With A Few Laughs

I just adored the original "Odd Couple". I have seen both tv and movie versions and am most enamored of this movie version. Not that I have anything against Jack Klugman (Oscar - tv version) and Tony Randell (Felix - tv version) who are phenomenal actors.

The movie version is basically the premise to the tv show. Felix Unger (played by Jack Lemmon) has just been thrown out of his house where his wife declares him a neurotic nut. He wanders the streets at night and attempts to commit suicide. What a downer, right? No, wait! It does, in fact, get lighter and funnier.

Anyone who has watched either movie or tv version knows that Felix moves into the house of his good friend, the slob, Oscar Madison (played by Walter Matthau). Oscar likes his friend Felix. He cannot, however, stand living with him. Felix is just too neat and too clean for our Oscar.

Felix is like the happy homemaker, cutting up sandwiches deli-style for the poker pals, cooking a roast and calling Oscar to see when he would be home so that it wouldn't dry up and spraying a room with enough air freshener to choke a horse. This behavior drives Oscar crazy. Not to mention Felix' constant hacking, wheezing and coughing because of his long list of allergies.

In the end, the twosome decide to split up but still remain friends. I like the contrast between the two characters and also the relationship between Oscar, Felix and their poker friends. This show proves that even good friends can have differenecs and still be friends. October 23, 2007

This movie is a classic

Every word in this flick is a punchline.Neil Simon did a great job.I miss Jack and Walter.May they rest in peace. s. suggs September 11, 2007

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