The Odd Couple (1968)

Pretty Good

Best movie ever!

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

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

The majority of this film was able to capture its comedy very well. The pacing was a bit slow at times, but the comedic banter between the two leads was enough to make this movie a very positive and fulfilling experience. HOWEVER (and this is a very big "however") this ending was very unsatisfying. I knew that it would be, mostly because there could never be an ending that would please everyone with a concept such as this. However, I felt that the overall experience was dampened simply because of its lackluster finale. The movie itself isn't flawed. It instead was the idea that simply wrote itself into a corner. The acting in this film is very good. I enjoyed many of the comedic bits not only between the two leads, but also when their friends were involved in the conversation. I know a movie is very good at getting its point across when it is able to make the audience uncomfortable WILLINGLY. It does this a few times. The overall feeling that one will receive after viewing it, however, is not the awkward unfamiliarity that is portrayed by the characters, but instead a very sour taste from how fast and unsatisfying the ending comes. Instead of a usual resolution, it seems to plummet back to where it started. This could be seen by some as a refreshing change from usual movies that follow similar story arcs. This is not the case for this movie, however, since it leaves you thinking that it could have ended better. Everything leading to the climax is stellar, but the overall ending is an experience that doesn't seem to fit the rest of its charm.

The opening credits tell it all, this movie is adapted from a play and unfortunately it's already noticeable from the introduction scene : the action is dreadfully stuck and the scenes are often uninspired and drag on unnecessarily in a characteristic verbosity. Moreover the rhythm is very slow, the lines and situations are for the most part so mediocre that it's cringe-worthy, and you barely crack a smile at the few, contrived gags. The Matthau-Lemmon duo, who usually augurs good things, doesn't seem convinced at all, there is no chemistry between the two and Lemmon's acting is so apathetic that it's almost bad. It's tough to find something to draw from this annoying comedy, incomprehensibly well regarded by critics and rankings.

A Transcending Comedy Written by Neil Simon from His Long Running Play. The Movie Spun-Off the Popular TV Show. So from Hit Play to Hit Movie to Hit TV Show. It is Testament to the Enduring Nature of this Popular Culture Icon that Entertained so Many for so Long.Nothing Hardly Changed in this Trifecta. Sure the Casting Changed but not the Characters, it is Felix and Oscar that Find the Funny Bone and Tickle it Aplenty. In the Movie it is Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon who Become the Title Characters and even though the Camera Hardly Moves and the Setting of Oscar's Apartment Hardly Changes, the Film Exudes Charm from the Likable Mismatch.They get Steaming Mad at One Another but it Never Really Seems Serious (although it gets mighty close sometimes), Their Humanity is Hardly Absent in the Verbal Sparring and is Rarely Far from View as Things Change on a Dime and these Best Friends Stay Best Friends through Burnt Meatloaf and Little Rings on the Table. The Film is Densely Dialoged with Rapid Fire Exchanges and One Liners Galore with Never a Dull Moment. Matthau and Lemmon Made Ten Films Together. This is One of the Best. Barely Dated and Void of Vulgarity (unless you count linguini's splattered on the wall vulgar), this is One for the Ages and One for All Ages.