“It’s either very new cheese or very old meat.”
Neil Simon’s play is transformed into a film that would only cement the fact that its two stars were made for each other. Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau would become a team in this tale of opposites driving each other crazy in a New York apartment.
Oscar Madison (Walter Matthau) is a divorced, sloppy sportswriter who hosts a poker game in his Manhattan digs. His buddies Speed (Larry Haines), Roy (David Sheiner), Vinnie (John Fielder), and Murray (Herb Edelman) are all gathered around the card table in the hot apartment.
Oscar gets a call that his pal Felix Unger (Jack Lemmon), who was supposed to be at the game, has been told by his wife that she wants a divorce and she’s kicked him out of the house. They speculate that he’s probably going to try and commit suicide when Felix finally arrives at the game and tries to look nonchalant.
His friends try and keep poker faces about knowing about Felix’s troubles but all of it comes crying out of Unger. After a chase through the apartment with his pals thinking he’s trying to commit suicide, Oscar tells Felix that he can move in with him until all of it blows over.
Boy, if Oscar only knew how the fastidious Felix was going to get on his nerves he might’ve thrown him out of the window himself.
What might surprise some is that Jack Lemmon did not originate the role of Felix Unger. On Broadway the part was played by Art Carney, who starred alongside Matthau, and Lemmon was brought on as a star name for the motion picture.
Lemmon and Matthau had starred together for Billy Wilder in the Fortune Cookie (1966). Wilder was interested in directing the Odd Couple, but ultimately wasn’t behind the director’s chair with film started rolling. The teaming of Matthau and Lemmon would lead to both men becoming lifelong friends and would produce one of the funniest pairings on the silver screen.
The play may well be one of Simon’s funniest and the film captures the hilarity of the situation as these two opposite men drive each other bonkers.
Matthau is a slob to disheveled perfection and Lemmon is a prissy, clean freak. How could war not erupt between these two? It’s full of hilarious dialogue and has become the classic Simon film.
Paramount has chosen The Odd Couple for one of its Centennial Collection films and I couldn’t agree more that his one was in need of honoring. What’s even better is that the first release was a bare bones affair and this title brings some well deserved special features to the mix.
The Odd Couple is presented in anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1) and is enhanced for 16x9 televisions. Special features on disc one only include a commentary by famous sons Chris Lemmon and Charlie Matthau.
They honor their famous pops with hilarious anecdotes and how they were devoted one to the other. Disc two has the 17 minute “In the Beginning” talking about Simon’s play and eventual trip to the screen. The 19 minute “Inside the Odd Couple” goes into the production of the film.
The 10 minute “Memories from the Set” has remininscenes by director Gene Saks and cast members. The 10 minute “Matthau and Lemmon” talks about the stars of the film. There’s also a 3 minute “The Odd Couple: A Classic” about why the film has classic status. You also get photo galleries, a 2 minute theatrical trailer, and a 7 page booklet about the film.
The Odd Couple is a classic, hands down. It’s about time that this hiliarious film had its due and Paramount does add some great special features to this release. It’s time to clear your sinuses and add this one to your collection.
Odd Couple - The Centennial Collection is now available at Amazon . As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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