Good Neighbor Sam (1964)

Powerful

How sad is this?

Did you people see the same film I saw?

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

The kind of fluff that's hard to dislike. Ad-man Jack Lemmon pretends to be married to neighbor Romy Schneider to help her gain an inheritance. Things get goofy when the situation spirals out of control, with Lemmon having to continue the ruse at work to impress a potential new client (Edward G. Robinson). Lemmon was always great at playing the befuddled everyman and he's perfect here. He's well matched with Dorothy Provine as his infinitely patient wife. Schneider is at her peak, extremely vivacious and quite funny. It's a high energy romantic comedy from David Swift (who'd previously directed Lemmon in the equally frothy UNDER THE YUM YUM TREE) with a lot going for it. The performers are top notch and Lemmon's Rube Goldberg-like contraptions are very clever. The supporting cast is hilarious and includes the likes of Neil Hamilton, Louis Nye, Robert Q. Lewis, Mike Conners (as Schneider's ex-husband)and, briefly, the Hi-Los. The high-gloss cinematography is by Burnett Guffey. It's based on a novel by Jack Finney!

I guess I liked this better than its contemporary Kiss Me Stupid, which featured similar partner swapping. This is not saying that much. I was disgusted with Kiss Me Stupid, but it was better paced than Good Neighbor Sam. 2 hours plus is just too long for a one note plot. Some repetitive scenes and back lot filming can give this one a sitcommy feel. The ad agency part of the movie is more or less dropped near the end (though I suppose Lemmon's character no longer cared about his job at that point.) The "manic" ending is one of the least compelling ending sequences I've seen.Postives would be that Romy Schneider's quite pretty and there is some good San Francisco location work amid the back lot and rear projection scenes. Points also for casting an African American as an authority figure, without commentary, in 1964.Fans of Lemmon's comedy work should check out the earlier Operation Mad Ball, which I do approve of.

Jack Lemmon stars as the all-American clean decent-living man with good family values. Or so his boss thinks so, when they get him to salvage an advertising account that is almost out the door, when Edward G. Robinson (who is always great) is insulted by their first slogan/gimmick for his product: Nerlander dairy products; more specifically, his eggs.But what they don't know is that his wife's best friend has moved next door to Jack and his wife. One thing leads to another and a case of mistaken identity is afoot. The neighbor has inherited some money, but she needs Jack's help in getting it, due to a clause. That's where "Good Neighbor Sam" comes in.It seems light-hearted, fun, and entertaining enough, but once complications set in and things go awry, it goes way off base and the last 30 minutes or so are more exhausting than funny. And, they leave several plots and/or questions left unanswered and unresolved with its abrupt ending.You will recognize one of the "fun girls" from "The Andy Griffith Show" in the last twenty minutes in a memorable bit.("Oh, Bernie!") All in all, if you don't want to think for well over two hours, then sit back and enjoy Jack Lemmon and his neighbors. But, just remember, when you do a favor for someone, anything might happen.

Jack Lemmon stands at the top of his profession when it comes to comedy. No other actor has his sense of timing or expressive manners to offer competition to the master. "Good Neighbor Sam" is Lemmon at his best. Playing the average guy next door who gets into all kinds of problems through mostly no fault of his own. Everyone will enjoy this movie and the other Lemmon films similar to it. I rated this a 7.