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Undescribable Perfection

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Blistering performances.

Buddy Buddy (1981) ** 1/2 (out of 4)Trabucco (Walter Matthau) is a hit-man for the mob who shows up at a motel across from a court house where a man is set to testify. The job is quite simple as he just has to kill the man as he enters the court house. The only problem is that Victor Clooney (Jack Lemmon) is in the next hotel room and his constant suicide attempts are getting int he way of Trabucco doing his job.It's kind of weird that BUDDY BUDDY would somewhat become a forgotten film. I mean, it wasn't a hit at the box office when it was first released even though it did get Matthau and Lemmon into the same film again. It also had Billy Wilder back in the director's chair for what would turn out to be the last time. You'd think with those three legends the film would be better known but in America it never even got an official DVD or Blu-ray release as of me writing this. It's hard to believe with the talent involved that this movie has pretty much disappeared.The reviews back in 1981 were pretty bad and many people have called this the worst film that Wilder ever made but I think that's being a bit too harsh. If you're looking for a comedy classic then you're certainly not going to find that here and I'd argue that it's perhaps the weakest of all the Matthau-Lemmon teamings and yes that includes the films they'd do later in life. I think the biggest problem with BUDDY BUDDY is the fact that the story itself really isn't all that fresh or original and the film certainly doesn't have enough laughs considering the talent on board.With that said, there's still a lot to enjoy here including the two comedy giants. I thought the duo was basically a re-working of their roles in THE ODD COUPLE. If you've seen that film then you'll remember that the Lemmon character was suicidal and they've pretty much taken that and turned it into a full movie. I must admit that I thought both actors were good in their roles and there's no question that they work well off of one another. The two of them certainly manage to get a good number of laughs and they make the film worth watching. I will say that Klaus Kinski is pretty much wasted in his role.The screenplay, co-written by Wilder, isn't the greatest as there just aren't enough laughs to make the film work as a whole. I'd also say that the final thirty-minutes if when the film really runs out of gas as the laughs really dry up. With all of that being said, it's still a bit confusing as to why BUDDY BUDDY has pretty much disappeared. It's not a classic or even a good movie but it's certainly worth watching.

This is a classic example of a film being produced simply because of the names involved. The plot is a weak attempt to make a Billy Wilder comedy in the eighties. I can almost hear how this was pitched to studio executives; "It's the Odd Couple meets Porky's"! Look, anytime the script invokes the clichéd name of Kowalski (always a cop, soldier, or construction worker)for a subplot character, you know the film is in trouble. This thing proves that without an original and inspired story, it's just a waste of truly great talent. This is the only film by Lemmon, Matthau, and/or Wilder that I cannot recommend. The only reason is gets more than a vote of "1" is that I reserve that number for the truly complete pieces of garbage, such as "Battlefield: Earth", "Ishtar", and "Can't Stop The Music".

This film features another brilliant performance from the veteran comedy duo, Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau (sadly, both recently deceased). I shouldn't have to say anymore to sell this film to you. If you're a fan of Lemmon and Matthau then you'll love this film, if you're not, then you're philistines and who cares what you think anyway?This lovely example of early 1980s comedy features Matthau as an assassin who's been hired by the Mob to "off this stoolie". During the execution (no pun intended) of this task he bumps into Victor Clooney (Lemmon), a weird little man, whose wife has left him and joined a sex-colony. I can honestly say that I feel no need whatsoever to elaborate any further. As I said, Lemmon and Matthau's names in the credits was enough to make me watch this film and I'm so glad I did. It's hilarious! If you don't find this film funny then check your pulse because you're probably dead.8.5/10

Although "Buddy Buddy" is yet to be regarded as a modern movie classic, no other films have made me realize the art of comedy such as this one. Walther Matthau is hillarious in his portrayal of Trabucco the assassin who is constantly being interrupted from doing his dirty deeds, by an even more astonishing and suicidal! Jack Lemmon. Director Billy Wilder has captured moments on tape that we all seem to relate to one way or another. Together with german actor Klaus Kinski, who more often played deeper roles than this, Lemmon and Matthau gives a performance one would normally find on a broadway theatre.