The Out-of-Towners (1970)

That was an excellent one.

Admirable film.

A different way of telling a story

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

Hilarious Neil Simon comedy, that is, if you can tune into 80-minutes of what-else-can-go-wrong laughs. Seems upscale Lemmon and wife Dennis have to get from Ohio to NYC to accept his big time new job. Okay, no problem; except, the flight is detoured to Boston; there's a wrong train to NY; they're mugged in the city; then there's no room at their hotel, and a rain half-drowns them, etc., etc., etc. Like a string of slippery pearls, it's one adversity after another, and a real tribute to both performers that the frustrations are made amusing rather than off-putting. One thing for sure-- the flick's no valentine to NYC. Happily, no one could do jangled nerves better than the comedic Lemmon, while Dennis offers perfectly measured support. Together, they bring off the challenge with artful flair. The rest of the cast appear only momentarily as our benighted twosome move from one frustration to the next. In many years of movie viewing, I've seen nothing like this daring storyline. All in all, it's tricky material done slickly and to the proverbial T. Meanwhile, I won't be going to NY any time soon, and if I do, I'll take a fat paper pad for all the names I'll have to sue to get there. Many thanks, Jack and Sandy.

I'd forgotten how funny this is. Jack Lemon and his wife, Sandy Dennis, are flying from Ohio to New York for Lemon's job interview at a major advertising firm. They'll dine at the Four Seasons, spend the night at the Waldorf, and the next morning Lemon will breeze through the interview and get the job.Well, as they say, it's a long road that has no turning. Murphy's law applies. If it can go wrong, it will.The airplane is rerouted to Boston, their luggage is lost, their room wasn't held for them, they're mugged, swept up in a political demonstration, they get lost, and Lemon loses a front tooth after grappling with a stray dog over a half-eaten box of Crackerjacks.One of the most amusing moments comes when they must walk from Grand Central Station to the Waldorf in a downpour. Dennis calculates from the street signs that they have been walking in the wrong direction. Instead of plunging headlong into frenzy, a drenched Lemon simply stands there, staring at her silently, a stupid grin plastered on his face. The moment endures.Lemon is fine in the role of the nervous out-of-towner. He runs the gamut from desperation to full-blown mania. Sandy Dennis is a little annoying though. Sensible at the first obstacles, she becomes increasingly shrill and nasal, and those teeth! It doesn't help Lemon a bit.The film reminds me of a movie like "Memphis Belle", about a bomber that runs into every conceivable problem during its run over Europe. Everything that happens is, in itself, probable, but the combination of problems, the way they are piled atop one another, is astronomically remote. But that's part of what makes "The Out Of Towners" funny. It's as if the whole city were against them, and not just the city but the abiotic factors -- fog that blocks their landing at New York, the rain that leverages their misery, the tunnels in the park that provides a haven for thugs, nasty dogs, and lost little boys.Quincy Jones musical score will transport you back to 1970, with its Burt Bacharach harmonies and chorus. The film cheats a bit. New York City was a dangerous place in 1970, but the miscreants we see -- the looters and muggers -- are all white, and that's not what New York was afraid of in 1970. But you can't have such historical reality in a comedy.This was remade recently. Everything is being remade recently. Sometimes re-remade. Not just feature films but television shows like "The Honeymooners" and even television cartoons like "The Flintstones." Lately, there have been Hollywood movies based on video games like "Battleship." Sooner or later, I guess someone will have to admit that the well is dry.

It looks like there are mainly a couple of reasons why people Hate this movie.1.) They love their New York and feel protective of it. (N.Y. is one of the main characters, and I don't think the film would be used for the visitors bureau) 2.) If you are an easygoing type, who enjoy chilling with others who can go-with-the-flow.... You won't like the these people ~ The "Kellerman's" Their attitudes and the very sound of their voices will grate on your nerves.However, If you can empathize with frustration, and even see this as a cautionary tale of "There but for the grace of God go I" It may be something of great value! So hate or love it ~ It's obvious after watching this film, when things go wrong, we could all learn how to better RELAX......

I guess I'll never get Neil Simon. I know he's received a lot of awards and accolades, but almost none of his works do anything for me, with the notable exception of "The Lonely Guy," but that screenplay was based on Bruce Jay Friedman's material, not Simon's own. Some become great, but only after they've been reshaped by others, like the classic "Odd Couple" series starring Tony Randall and Jack Klugman.This movie is average Simon. Yes, I know it's supposed to be a comedy about how a night in New York becomes hell for a married couple. But the problem is there is absolutely nothing likable about this couple. George is a blowhard who's always taking down names and threatening to sue when he doesn't get his way. The hotel gave away his room because he didn't show up or call before 10 p.m. as the terms of his reservation stated? He'll sue! An airline rep tells him that they can't send his luggage because JFK Airport is still fogged in? He'll sue! What do you want, George, that they charter a plane and parachute your bags to you? But if George is obnoxious, his wife Gwen is like fingernails on chalkboard. I could die happy if I never hear "Oh, my Goooood" in her nasal whine again. She is so dumb that you wonder why George or any man would stay with her. She gives away his wallet and watch for absolutely no reason. If I was from Ohio, I'd be offended at how stupid these characters make Ohioans look. I think this would be a fine, funny comedy if it was about bad things happening to good people, but it's actually a film about bad things happening to stupid people mostly through their own fault. The vast majority of their problems are caused by George's pigheadedness, from refusing to eat on the plane to refusing to get out of the police car.But this seems to be Simon's habit. His characters usually have no redeeming value. Lemmon & Matthau's "odd couple" in his movie wasn't likable. It took the aforementioned Randall and Klugman (plus good writers) to massage Felix and Oscar into people we could like and cheer on despite their foibles. (Which Simon managed to undo with his eminently forgettable Odd Couple II.) They could still be annoying at times, but you wouldn't find it inconceivable that they would have friends. On the other hand, I'd pay good money to get away from Gwen and George and was happy at the end when they decided to stay in Ohio. The only good thing about this movie is being able to see NYC as it was in 1969.