Sadly Over-hyped

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

The Odd Couple sees the perfect cinematic juxtaposition between Felix(Jack Lemmon) an introverted neat freak, and Oscar(Walter Matthau) a slovenly, free living extrovert. The film opens with Felix on the brink of suicide. His 12 year marriage has broken down and has become inconsolable. After concern amongst his friends, they agree for Felix's well-being that he should stay with his best friend Oscar. That is until he's back on his feet, or until they both drive each other stir crazy.The film is directed by Gene Saks, and written by Neil Simon, adapting his own stage play. The direction in this film is fine, there's no need for any fancy tricks. The staging and geography of the apartment is on point. Where the film will either succeed or fail is in the strength of the films two central characters. Thankfully this is where the film excels in. Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau have fantastic chemistry together, you believe that they're genuine best friends, despite them both wanting to strangle each other.The only real issue I had with the film, was I felt that the script didn't live up to its full potential. There are a couple of scenes that are belly achingly hilarious, but not nearly enough for the fantastic set up this film had. Instead there are a few chuckles peppered out sporadically in the film.Other then that issue, the film succeeds in what it set out to accomplish. The characters are fully fleshed out, and they both have their own uniquely distinct personalities. They also both grow as characters and learn lessons by the films end, which was refreshing to see. All in all The Odd Couple is a fun, playful film, that is propped up by its two wonderful central performances. You will be hard pressed to leave this film without a smile on your face.

Everyone knows the story. The neurotic Felix Unger, Jack Lemmon, gets tossed out of his home by his long suffering spouse. His wife can't stand his neatness and his other quirks. She can't hold up to him as a homemaker. Walter Matthau, Oscar Madison, is a sportswriter and a slob. Neil Simon created the perfect situation to let these two stars do their thing. And do they ever. While at the weekly card game, Felix was tolerated because afterward he would go home. Now he is there all the time and Oscar's life is totally sent out of wack. He can put up with the cleaning and cooking, but when it comes to his sex life, that's a different ballgame. This is a treasure chest of wonderful moments with some of the most clever dialogue ever. Two great scenes are the linguine scene and the visit of the Coo Coo Pigeon sisters to a dinner party. Don't miss this.

And now I see what the big deal is about. Finally got a chance to watch this movie, thanks to AMC (which is becoming my new favorite channel) and I love it! The movie is about a recently divorced neat freak moving in with his best friend, who happens to be a complete slob. This is one of those movie which has become so engrained within our popular culture that most people know what it is about without even seeing. This movie went on to spawn a television show (twice) and even a sequel something like 20 or 30 years later. It is just that good, mostly thanks to Walter Matthau. Matthau's larger than life performance is great to watch but equally counterbalanced by Jack Lemmon's neurotic character. The first 5 minutes of the film is a little slow but it picks up once Matthau comes into the picture. This is a gem and had me laughing out loud more than once. Sharp dialog and witty comebacks makes this picture so much fun to watch. I highly recommend it.

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