Watch The Odd Couple For Free
The Odd Couple
In New York, Felix, a neurotic news writer who just broke up with his wife, is urged by his chaotic friend Oscar, a sports journalist, to move in with him, but their lifestyles are as different as night and day are, so Felix's ideas about housekeeping soon begin to irritate Oscar.
Release : | 1968 |
Rating : | 7.6 |
Studio : | Paramount, |
Crew : | Art Direction, Art Direction, |
Cast : | Jack Lemmon Walter Matthau John Fiedler Herb Edelman David Sheiner |
Genre : | Comedy |
Watch Trailer
Cast List
Related Movies
Reviews
I love this movie so much
I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.
Excellent but underrated film
Admirable film.
And how many times has it been made and remade? I'm probably more familiar overall with the TV series version, with Jack Krugman and Tony Randall, which by necessity had to broaden the story and pump up the minor supporting characters. There's even 1-2 FEMALE versions.But the original has more lives than a cat -- several FILM versions, plus countless stage productions since the 1960s.I've never completely got what is supposedly so funny about it, except some universal battle between sloppy folks and neat freaks.Just caught some of it on late-night TV, and one thing -- nit picky, but it drove me nuts (my inner Felix Ungar?) -- is when Felix is cooking dinner for Oscar and two ditsy Pidgeon sisters.The whole thing is predicated on Oscar coming home "late" -- by about 30 minutes -- and Felix's meatloaf is "ruined". In fact, we see it later as a flaming charcoal briquette....why not turn the heat OFF?This is the kind of departure from reality that makes me crazy in films. Meatloaf is about the easiest, most relaxed food on earth. It keeps for HOURS -- even DAYS -- once cooked, you can eat it COLD (it's delicious -- try it some time!). You can cook it and reheat it, and if anything, the flavor is even better having mellowed.There is no way, not even for a nut like Felix, that a meatloaf would have to be served instantly or "go bad". For starters: after cooking, the meat must "rest" for 20 minutes or so.On top of that: when he goes shopping....and the whole premise is they are eating at home to "save money"...Felix goes to the butcher and orders FOUR POUNDS of freshly ground beef. Good lordy! Neil Simon clearly never cooked a meatloaf in his life, nor even bothered to look up a recipe! FOUR POUNDS! that would make enough meatloaf for a dozen people, with leftovers.Meatloaf is a classic Depression-era recipe intended to STRETCH a very small amount of ground meat - with fillers, bread crumbs, chopped veggies, beaten eggs, etc. -- so that a pound of meat or LESS could feed a family. A meatloaf that was "all beef" would be greasy, heavy and terrible.It makes no sense for two "broke bachelor's" trying to save money on a dinner date, to buy FOUR POUNDS of ground beef (even at 1967 prices). Even considering how eccentric Felix is - - how OCD -- the way he's cooking this, and acting like a meatloaf is a fragile soufflé, just makes zero sense.NOTE: as a broke young woman years ago, I used to be able to concoct a full sized -- and delicious! -- meatloaf from one scant HALF POUND of ground beef, bolstered with a lot of add-ins like bread crumbs and beaten egg, and a few secret ingredients. I will happily supply that recipe -- Lily"s Famous Meatloaf" on request to anyone interested!
The Odd Couple (1968) was a 1965 Broadway Play written by Neil Simon and adapted for the big screen in 1968. The film went on to serve as inspiration for an entire genre of polar opposite roommates struggling to live with one another. Lemmon and Matthau's chemistry in it is spectacular and it's really what carries the film. Lemmon playing Felix Unger, the neurotic neat freak to Matthau's Oscar Madison, the sportswriter slob whose lifestyle at home is one to which The Dude would abide.This film is simply hilarious - perhaps because there is such a real life irony to the actions of Felix and Oscar. When we laugh, we do so because we can imagine these things really happening, and reacting, as shown on screen. The directing is nothing to write home about but the two charismatic leads, and the wonderful array of supporting characters (including their poker buddies and two particularly amusing sisters) keep our attention with ease. There are many scenes whose humour have an inherent timelessness to them. 50 years later and you'll still be killing yourself with laughter. The scene with Felix preparing the meatloaf and berating Oscar before their dates come over is a particularly memorable one. Then there's the date scene itself, with its jarring but hilarious shift in tone. There's also a great scene where Oscar, caught on the phone by Felix and his dinner requests, misses reporting on a Triple Play that ensues. There's many and this is one truly great film.
Through the history of Hollywood, there are always movies being made about best friends whether they are earnest dramas or cop comedies. But the main granddaddy of buddy films is the 1968 film, The Odd Couple. This is an enduring classic that certainly stands the test of time. Film technical quality has gotten better and the actors come and go, but no generation can deny the pleasure of the film. The film plays like a drawn-out soap opera at times, but than can be forgiven given the hijinks our main characters get themselves into, mainly over the issue of fussiness. But thanks to the immense charms of great real-life friends, Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon, this is a really fun comedy to add to the collection.This film is about a man named Felix who falls into a state of depression due to his break-up with his wife and he contemplates suicide. But his best friend, Oscar comes to the rescue by having him stay at his place. But Oscar begins to get fed up with his friend's tidy nature compared to his messy nature, and hilarious hijinks ensue.This film mainly works due to its lead actors. Matthau and Lemmon are comedy legends and if anything, this movie shows why. They don't rely on potty humor for their comedy and instead, they use their natural ability to get the laughs. Just watching them throw insult after insult at each other is a doozy, even if the act starts to wear thin as the movie draws to a close. But nonetheless, I don't think this movie could work without that great chemistry between Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon.Overall, The Odd Couple is a solid, charming comedy that has Matthau and Lemmon on top of their game. Even if you despise these kind of films, I think not even the hard-hearted you could deny the charm of these two gentlemen. I also loved the interaction they had with the supporting cast, mainly with John Fiedler known as the nerdy guy in the 1956 classic, "12 Angry Men." I loved the score of the film and that main theme is stuck in my head. This film is rightfully hailed a comedy classic.My Grade: A
Gene Saks' The Odd Couple (1968)is based on the 1965 Neil Simon play on Broadway but one difference between the play and the movie is that in the play Art Carney played as Felix Ungar ad then he was portrayed excellently by Jack Lemmon in the movie. The movie tells the story about a man named Felix Ungar (played by Jack Lemmon, as mentioned earlier in the review) who had just been divorced by his wife Frances and then gets emotional about and almost goes on a nervous breakdown and kills himself, meanwhile Oscar Madison (played by Walter Matthau)is playing poker in his 8 room apartment with friends Murray (Herb Edelman), Vinnie (John Fielder), Roy (David Steiner), and Speed (Larry Haines). One of the things that is funny in one of the beginning scenes is that When Felix shows up at Oscar's apartment Oscar and the others act as if nothing even happened before Felix walks in the door, any way after the poker game is over Oscar wants Felix to move in with him but after a few days (especially after the double date with Gwendolyn and Cecily.) Oscar for some reason gets ticked off at Felix when Felix didn't do anything wrong for Oscar to be mad. Then Felix gets kicked out of Oscar's apartment ans Oscar doesn't really care what happens to Felix because he thinks that Felix doesn't even worry about him." But in the end the movie had a good story as well as good performances, and especially a good amount of laughs.