Neil Simon adapted his play for the screen and was benefited by wonderful performances from Jack Lemmon as finicky Felix Ungar and Walter Matthau as sloppy Oscar Madison.
The film starts with a depressed Felix wondering the streets of New York. His wife has just filed for divorce. At his weekly poker game, Oscar and his other friends wonder why Felix is late. The humor of the film comes from the situation and how Felix hopeless bungles through it. It perfectly walks the line between the tragic and the humorous.
To help out his pal, Oscar invites Felix to stay at his apartment. What could be more logical than two recent divorcees moving in together? Not when its Felix and Oscar. Felix’s clean freak attitude quickly gets on the nerves of Oscar and begins to cramp his style.
Lemmon and Matthau play off each other perfectly. Their timing is impeccable. Due to the stagy nature of the film, the performances are crucial. I loved the sequence when Felix is left alone with their dates Cecily (Monica Evans, voice in ROBIN HOOD) and Gwendolyn Pigeon (Carole Shelley, QUIZ SHOW). The film rides on good dialogue and writing. It’s about putting two opposite characters in a room together and waiting for the sparks to fly. What a treat it is.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
