The Odd Couple

Reviewer: Alyice Edrich

Movie

Starring

Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, John Fiedler, Herb Edelman, David Sheiner, and more.

The Plot

A drama about two divorced men who decide to bunk together until the more recently divorced man could find a place of his own.

The Review

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live with your complete opposite? In “The Odd Couple” you get a ringside seat into that very scenario. The film, written by Neil Simon, has been used over the years to produce Broadway plays, hometown theatre, a television series, and two major motion pictures. But of all these versions, it’s the 1968 film that really captures the essence of the characters and does the script true justice. Probably because in this version, the focus is on the characters themselves, and not comedic antics designed to get a few laughs.

It all begins when Felix Ungar is given his walking papers from his wife of twelve years. Devastated, he rents a room in a shabby hotel and decides to commit suicide. There’s just one problem, the window in his hotel room won’t open and he pulls his back muscles. Frustrated, he leaves the hotel room to aimlessly wander the streets of New York City while he thinks about his failed marriage. He ponders drowning himself, even took a bottle of pills only to vomit them up later.

Meanwhile, Felix’s pal, Oscar, is in his thrashed apartment with his poker buddies trying to find something to eat. The apartment is hot, the guys are sweaty, the refrigerator is on the blink, and the apartment looks like somebody used it for a city dump. Oscar even offers his guests moldy cheese and expired meat sandwiches.

Then Oscar gets a call from Felix’s soon-to-be ex-wife and the guys begin to panic and worry about Felix. Then in walks Felix. Through a chain of events, Oscar invites Felix to live with him—there’s only one problem, and it’s a doozy, they are complete opposites.

In no time Felix has Oscar’s apartment shining and looking like you’ve just walked into an art museum or showroom. At first, Oscar loves it—the home cooked meals, the clean apartment, the camaraderie. But soon, Felix’s fetishes, his anal-repulsive behavior, and his need to always control situations and feelings puts Oscar on edge and he throws Felix out. Worried sick about what Felix might do about being rejected twice within three weeks, the guys go on a frantic search for Felix only to discover that he’s moved in with two female neighbors—in the same building!

In the end, the guys discover that while they cannot live together, they are both better for the time the spent together. Oscar gets a handle on his finances, decides he likes a clean place to live, and gets on better terms with his ex. Felix, on the other hand, discovers that he can make it on his own and his identity isn’t tied up in how clean he keeps a house, or how well-mannered or “controlled” he is.

The two-disc collection also comes with some great bonus features including commentaries on Jack and Walter as individuals and performers, memories from the set, and gallery stills. It was interesting to learn that Walter had a gambling problem in real life but was the complete opposite of his character, Oscar, as he preferred a clean and tidy place to live, was a gentleman, and always dressed nice and remarkable that he performed with a broken arm (out of cast). Oscar was also a very loose, laid back actor who often acted as though he had come to the set unprepared whereas Jack was a serious method actor who essentially rehearsed things to death and believed that a good film was about bringing drama and comedy together. The only thing the bonus feature is missing, are exclusive interviews with the actors themselves.

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