The Sunshine Boys (1975)

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

Blistering performances.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

I love Neil Simon's work; George Burns- one of the funniest straight-man of all time; Walter Matthau among my favorites- How could this all-star lineup finish in last place?The opening scene of the pigeon standing on George M. Cohan's statue is the best part of the movie.The rest is worse than crash and burn, it's burn the whole way down before crashing into nothingness.

"The Sunshine Boys" has a hint of "The Odd Couple", with a pair of men who get at each other's heels (and both written by Neil Simon). But this one goes beyond the former. The former is about a pair of unknown men forced to live together. This one focuses on a comedy team. Admired by millions, most people never knew that the two men hated each other. I guess that it just goes to show that roles that people play on screen have nothing to do with what they're like in real life. After all, it's called acting.Walter Matthau and George Burns (who won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor) play the roles to a tee. Matthau is the irascible, forgetful one, and Burns is the kind, affable one. The climax comes when they appear in a TV special. What I noticed about that scene in particular was Lee Meredith's role as the cleavage-flaunting nurse. You may remember her as the busty secretary in "The Producers". She plays pretty much the same role here. What a babe! I wouldn't call the movie a masterpiece, but I recommend it as a look at what goes on behind the scenes of entertainment. The rest of the cast includes Richard Benjamin (known for playing pseudo-intellectual types in the '70s), Carol Arthur (Dom DeLuise's wife) and an early appearance of F. Murray Abraham. Director Herbert Ross also did "Play It Again, Sam", "California Suite", "Pennies from Heaven", "Footloose", "The Secret of My Success" and "My Blue Heaven".

Walter Matthau and George Burns were a famous vaudeville comedy act, Lewis and Clark, who haven't spoken in over 10 years. Burns retired and Matthau took it personally and has held a grudge ever since. Such is the premise of this hilarious Neil Simon play made into a movie. Of course, what makes it so good is Matthau and Burns in their prime, and the material is funnier than anything you can find today. Richard Benjamin shines as Matthau's nephew and agent. There's even old clips of actual stars of the golden era to get you into the groove of the film, and character actor Fritz Feld starts it all off with a "pop." Rosetta LaNoire, who started out in the 30s in theater with Orson Welles and later was Grandma on "Family Matters," is great in a small role.The only problem I had with it (and maybe I'm being too picky and/or serious) is the way Matthau treats Burns when they first meet. Granted, he's had a lot of resentment festering in all these years, but some of the things he does would be considered rude or just plain bad manners taken out of context. Also, I'm used to seeing Matthau act that way in other movies, but not to George Burns. And, Matthau's bellowing tends to get a little old. All in all, if you need a consistently funny film to help and forget your troubles, put in "The Sunshine Boys." They'll lift your spirits and make you think of a simpler time and way of life.Benjamin: "You have to slide it." Matthau: "Wait, wait. I think you have to slide it."

Taking over roles that Jack Albertson and Sam Levene played on Broadway, Walter Matthau and George Burns play a couple of old time vaudeville comics, a team in the tradition of Joe Smith and Charles Dale who seem to have a differing outlook on life.Walter Matthau can't stop working, the man has never learned to relax, take some time and smell the roses. He's a crotchety old cuss whose best days are behind him and his nephew and agent Richard Benjamin is finding less and less work for him. What hurt him badly was that some 15 years earlier his partner George Burns decided to retire and spend some time with his family. A workaholic like Matthau can't comprehend it and take Burns's decision personally.Benjamin hits on a brain storm, reunite the guys and do it on a national television special. What happens here is pretty hilarious.The Sunshine Boys is also a sad, bittersweet story as well about old age. Matthau is on screen for most of the film, but it's Burns who got the kudos in the form of an Oscar at the ripe old age of 79.Burns brought a bit of the personal into this film as well. As we all know he was the straight man of the wonderful comedy team of Burns&Allen who the Monty Python troop borrowed a lot from. In 1958 due to health reasons, Gracie Allen retired and George kept going right up to the age of 100. Or at least pretty close to as an active performer.The Sunshine Boys is based on the team of Smith&Dale however and if you like The Sunshine Boys I strongly recommend you see Two Tickets to Broadway for a look at a pair of guys who were entertaining the American public at the turn of the last century. The doctor sketch that Matthau and Burns do is directly from their material.And I do think you will like The Sunshine Boys.