Ameriatch One of the best films i have seen

Tedfoldol everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Married Baby Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

Jemima It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

MartinHafer Neil Simon hit it out of the park with "The Odd Couple". It was a very successful Broadway play, a very popular film as well as a long- running (and often imitated) TV series. But for all you folks that are only familiar with the TV versions, the play and movie were very different. While they're all comedies, the play and film were very dark...little like the TV program. The TV show never would tackle issues like suicide and Oscar would never come to a point where he contemplates murdering Felix!!The film begins with Felix (Jack Lemmon) wandering about New York City is a daze. His wife, sick of his incredibly neurotic and irritating behavior has finally tossed him out...and Felix doesn't know what to do with himself. He eventually wanders over to the pig sty where Oscar lives and his poker buddies all just heard about what's happened with Felix...and they are worried he might harm himself. So Oscar asks Felix to stay with him. After all, Felix is a neat freak and Oscar a total slob...and perhaps they could help each other! Well, easier said than done, as Felix is so annoying that instead of helping Oscar, he might just help push Oscar over the edge! How's it all going to end? See the film.As I sad, this film is dark. In the TV show, no matter how angry Oscar got at Felix, you know that down deep they love each other. Here, however, you think that perhaps THIS Oscar (Walter Matthau) might just kill Felix! Overall, a very good film but one that will appeal to a different sort of audience than the TV show...a more adult one that doesn't mind exploring this dark side.

g-bodyl Through the history of Hollywood, there are always movies being made about best friends whether they are earnest dramas or cop comedies. But the main granddaddy of buddy films is the 1968 film, The Odd Couple. This is an enduring classic that certainly stands the test of time. Film technical quality has gotten better and the actors come and go, but no generation can deny the pleasure of the film. The film plays like a drawn-out soap opera at times, but than can be forgiven given the hijinks our main characters get themselves into, mainly over the issue of fussiness. But thanks to the immense charms of great real-life friends, Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon, this is a really fun comedy to add to the collection.This film is about a man named Felix who falls into a state of depression due to his break-up with his wife and he contemplates suicide. But his best friend, Oscar comes to the rescue by having him stay at his place. But Oscar begins to get fed up with his friend's tidy nature compared to his messy nature, and hilarious hijinks ensue.This film mainly works due to its lead actors. Matthau and Lemmon are comedy legends and if anything, this movie shows why. They don't rely on potty humor for their comedy and instead, they use their natural ability to get the laughs. Just watching them throw insult after insult at each other is a doozy, even if the act starts to wear thin as the movie draws to a close. But nonetheless, I don't think this movie could work without that great chemistry between Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon.Overall, The Odd Couple is a solid, charming comedy that has Matthau and Lemmon on top of their game. Even if you despise these kind of films, I think not even the hard-hearted you could deny the charm of these two gentlemen. I also loved the interaction they had with the supporting cast, mainly with John Fiedler known as the nerdy guy in the 1956 classic, "12 Angry Men." I loved the score of the film and that main theme is stuck in my head. This film is rightfully hailed a comedy classic.My Grade: A

Python Hyena The Odd Couple (1968): Dir: Gene Saks / Cast: Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, Monica Evans, Carole Shelley, Herb Edelman: Easily one of the best comedies of the decade. This is a hilarious film about clashing personalities. Felix is divorced and makes failed suicide attempts. Oscar is divorced but spends evenings playing cards with the boys. Felix is fussy and constantly cleaning up while Oscar is sloppy and leaves things as is. Central plot regards Oscar allowing Felix to move in and driving him up the wall with his constant tidying. Director Gene Saks seems to open up what appears to be the inspiration for sitcoms. It is given two hilarious performances from Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau. Lemmon has sinus issues which also annoys Oscar. Matthau is the straight arrow here who grows irritated when a double date goes sour. Among other roles are two women played by Monica Evans and Carole Shelley who arrive as dates and are swept away with Felix's sob story. They will surface later in the film's final comic payoff. Herb Edelman plays Murray the cop, one of their poker pals who uses his cruiser to search for Felix when the boys worry. Very funny film in that opposites attract or relate manner that most viewers should relate to when being around anyone for lengths of time. The message reflects tolerance of one another and all of our odd traits and habits that conflict with others. Score: 9 / 10

dougdoepke No need to recap the plot. What a triumph of scripting and casting. The premise, viz. the neat freak and the slob, has got to be one of the most durable on record, accounting for both this movie and the long-running TV series. In fact, I count that early 20-minutes around the card table as one of the funniest and best-written episodes I've seen anywhere. If this isn't playwright Simon's best work, I don't know what is. And what a fine example of ensemble acting are the poker-playing buddies, even if they never seem to play. Then too, get a load of the giddy Pigeon sisters. I love it when killjoy Felix gets them out of a romantic mood with a good cry. No wonder I-need-to-touch-something-soft Oscar wants to throttle him. And I'm still wondering whether Simon came up with the name "Felix Unger" because of the loaded initials or just happened to notice them. Anyway, the initials provide a good laugh.Of course, filming a stage play is always tricky since there're minimal scene changes. Here there're basically only two sets. But I hardly notice because director Saks manages to keep somebody moving all the time. That, plus the quality of writing and acting, keeps attention from wandering. One thing I did notice. Catch how the poker players are bunched on one side of the table so that the camera can have an unobstructed angle. It's artificial but understandable.Anyway, this is one of my favorite comedies, and I catch re-runs of the TV series when I can. Thanks Neil Simon for a truly inspired comedic set-up.