The Odd Couple
Directed By: Gene Saks
Grade: A
This was my Blind Spot Series pick for April in which I had one requirement: no romance. Also I wanted to watch it early because my movie going mind is swiftly shifting to exactly one track for the next couple of days!
When Felix (Jack Lemmon) splits from his wife his good buddy Oscar (Walter Matthau) offers to let him stay in his apartment. Oscar is also divorced and living it up as a big time slob. Everyone is afraid Felix is going to have a breakdown but he takes Oscar up on his offer and soon the apartment is cleaner than ever, everyone is eating healthy, money is being saved and Oscar is on the verge of a breakdown himself.
It’s pretty much a clash of personalities. Me? I’m Felix. Complete with allergies and super cleaning. Although not dusting. Which would probably help my allergies.
I enjoyed this film. It’s written by Neil Simon so the dialogue is smart and fast and always feels natural. Funniest moment for me probably was when Oscar attempts to throw Felix out and it just doesn’t seem to stick. The first time I ever saw Lemmon and Matthau together was Grumpy Old Men and here they’re just perfect in the roles.
Kind of obvious at this point right?
I also liked the poker playing buddies and how worried they were about Felix in the beginning.
Another benefit? It’s a pretty fast film at around an hour and forty-five minutes.
If it has a downside you don’t get to see much between Felix being offered a room and Oscar being about to lose it- yet the actors work so well you can still see the friendship and how much they care about each other. There’s only two speaking parts with women (minus like a waitress and some background girls I think) and while the actresses are good the parts aren’t exactly great caliber.
But the film is really about Oscar and Felix and it works well on that level. Honestly, it was worth it just to watch Lemmon and Matthau’s chemistry and work here alone. Also highly relatable for anyone that’s ever had a friend, roommate, sibling or just anyone you loved and cared about but simply couldn’t live with 🙂
Recommend: Yes.