IslandGuru Who payed the critics

PlatinumRead Just so...so bad

Teddie Blake The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Phillipa Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

ianlouisiana "The drizzling boys" would have been more like it.Obnoxious Willy Clark (Jackie Mason he ain't) played by Mr P.Falk,and neurotic Jack Lewis(Woody Allen he ain't - oh my God he IS Woody Allen)are a former comic partnership who couldn't stand each other but are considering re - uniting for a movie. Take my advice - don't go to see it. Two more miserable less likable characters it would be hard to find. Clark lives in a filthy hotel suite,Lewis with his daughter in some comfort. Their reunion does not go well. Mr Falk offers a caricature of every third - rate Jewish comedian who ever spent a season in the Adirondacks.Mr Allen offers a caricature of himself caricaturing every third - rate Jewish comedian who ever spent a season in the Adirondacks. The movie is dull,dull,dull.The performances are appalling. I have yet to figure out why messrs Falk and Allen got involved in it. Not for the money,surely?

moonspinner55 Neil Simon's cantankerous comedy about old show-biz team of Lewis and Clark reuniting in the modern day for one more performance--and picking up right where they left off, by arguing--didn't quite work in 1975, despite lots of acclaim. Walter Matthau was ill-suited for the larger role of Willie Clark, though it did give us the return of George Burns as Al Lewis, for which he nabbed a Supporting Oscar. Simon has tweaked the material for this TV-made remake, peppering the dialogue exchanges with some modern references (which don't really work) and changing Clark's nephew to a niece (which does). Peter Falk plays Willie Clark this time, and though Falk isn't naturally a comedian (and his Jewish lapses into Yiddish), he holds his own with Simon's hit-or-miss rhythm and wrings some laughs out of the outrageous arguments. Woody Allen's performance as Al Lewis is even better; Allen doesn't bicker so much as search for logic in the illogical, and this coupled with some very funny lines results in a surprisingly successful bit of casting (who would've thought we'd ever see Woody Allen performing Neil Simon!). Sarah Jessica Parker is terrific as well playing Clark's level-headed relative and agent, hoping for a miracle in bringing these two together again--though sweetly resigned to the fact it may never happen. Good production values (except for some bad lighting), a smooth pace and a satisfying finish; this one is more enjoyable than the theatrical feature simply due to the casting. Falk and Allen would appear not to be convincing as a former comedy duo from the 1960s, and yet they nearly pull it off.

jonnyplex The only reason I was unfortunate enough to see this version of "The Sunshine Boys" is because Netflix sent it to me by mistake, as I thought I was getting the 1975 film version. Boy, was I dismayed, but I gamely watched it anyway because the play is hilarious.You wouldn't know it based on this updated version. The update is one of the big reasons this version stinketh too much. In the original, Lewis and Clark were old vaudeville comics reunited to recreate their old act on a television variety show. Here, we must supposed they were sort of like Martin and Lewis on television or played Vegas...it's hard to figure out. What's worse is that in this version, we never get to see their "old act," as they've been hired to play supporting characters in a family film. Thus, we have no idea why these old guys are legends.I suppose it would be extremely difficult to stage any version of "The Sunshine Boys" without keeping it in its original time period, i.e. 1972. Let's face it: vaudeville caved in on itself in the 1930's. Anyone who was a star in vaudeville would not be alive today, or if they were they'd be in their early 100's (possibly late 80's or 90's if they were a child star).My point is that the original needs to be perpetuated, because if nothing else (aside from a look at the relationship of two performers who worked brilliantly together on stage but horribly offstage) it allows us to see a slice of Americana that is now gone - the crummy, cheap, gag-filled vaudeville act. This 1995 version shows us nothing.Al Lewis was beefed up for this version, possibly because Woody Allen was making a rare acting appearance in something not of his own doing. And Allen is an old associate of writer Neil Simon from the Golden Age of Television days. Regardless, Allen doesn't get to do much except exercise his particular brand of comic delivery (point with forefinger then jerk back thumb - repeat ad nauseam) in his added scenes showing his New Jersey retirement. Al Lewis is much more effective if we don't see him until well after Willie has kvetched about him, building up the suspense - - "will Al Lewis really be a monster?" and then a sweet old man walks in.Another wrong choice is to pad out the script with unnecessary characters (Allen's daughter, for instance) and to make Willie's nephew of the play his niece in this version. I suppose some wise guy said "Hey, when you update this show, we need more female roles. It's 1995!" Bottom line: please skip this version of the play. Please see the 1975 film. Not only will you get Walter Matthau as a hilarious old Jewish man but you'll see what is possibly George Burns's best screen performance next to "Going In Style" (at 80 - and having to hold his own against Matthau - Burns deserved his Oscar for the role).

helpless_dancer Fairly funny film dealing with a pair of out of style showmen who simply can't get along. This picture shows how a young man with a rotten attitude grows old to become even more detestable...a contemptible, useless bore. Not a bad comedy, but I have seen much better. The performances seemed a tad forced to me, however, I may have merely objected to the dialogue: Neil Simon not being one of my favorite writers.