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| Odd Couple, The |
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  (9/10)
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Runtime: 105 |
| Public Rating: 9.35 (17 votes) |
Director: Gene Saks |
MPAA Rating:  |
| Genre: Comedy |
Year: 1968 |
| Writer(s): Neil Simon |
| Reviewed by: Greg C. |
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There have been some great duos on the silver screen over the years. Laurel and Hardey. Abbot and Costello. Gibson and Glover. Or, the crown jewel of them all, Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau, and the best pairing with these two legends is this 1968 classic, "The Odd Couple".
Matthau plays Oscar Madison, the personification of sloppy. He has food three weeks old sitting in his refrigerator. He hasn't vaccumed his apartment since he moved in. The air conditioner hasn't worked since before then. And he loves it. It's his cozy little apartment, and he doesn't want to change.
Then one night, while playing poker with his extremely odd friends, he learns that his best friend, Felix Unger(Jack Lemmon), has split up with his wife and is now roaming the streets. After tracking Felix down and stopping him from commiting suicide (one of the funniest moments in the film is when they think he's jumped out of Oscar's window,) Oscar tells Felix that he is moving in with him.
The problem is this: Oscar is a slob, and Felix is an obsessive-compulsive cleaner. Felix follows Oscar everywhere with a broom and ashtray, installs a de-humidifier, and is constantly cleaning the carpet.
Two complete opposite forces of nature are living together, and things are about to explode.
Hilarity ensues as Oscar becomes fed up with Felix's constant cleaning, his non-stop reorganizing, his obsession over cooking meatloaf juuuuuust right. He comments on this as his temper reaches the boiling point: "I can't take it anymore, Felix, I'm cracking up. Everywhere I look there are little notes on my pillows. I've told you a hundred and forty-eight times I can't stand little notes on my pillows. 'We're out of toilet paper- F.U. IT TOOK ME THREE AND A HALF HOURS TO FIGURE OUT THAT F.U. MEANT FELIX UNGER!!!"
I'm sure just reading this on a screen it might not sound that funny, but Lemmon and Matthau prove that they are a comedy force to be reckoned with. The dialouge is smart and snappy, the situations side-splitting, and the acting superb. This is one that's a can't-miss, and if you can find it on DVD, I'd strongly suggest getting it.
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