THE ODD COUPLE 2
A Film Review by James Berardinelli
RATING: ** OUT OF ****
United States, 1998 U.S. Release Date: 4/10/98 (wide) Running Length: 1:35 MPAA Classification: PG-13 (Profanity, mature themes) Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Cast: Walter Matthau, Jack Lemmon, Barnard Hughes, Christine Baranski, Jonathan Silverman, Lisa Waltz Director: Howard Deutch Screenplay: Neil Simon Cinematography: Jamie Anderson Music: Alan Silvestri U.S. Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Oscar Madison and Felix Ungar are back on the big screen. It has been thirty years since Neil Simon's play, "The Odd Couple," was transformed from a stage production to a movie, with Walter Matthau as the disorderly, ill-mannered Oscar and Jack Lemmon as the "human vacuum cleaner" Felix. And, as the play led to a film, so the film inspired a popular TV series in the '70s, with Jack Klugman and Tony Randall in the lead roles. Now, in 1998, Simon is attempting to revive his flagging career as a comic writer by resurrecting his two most popular creations. It doesn't work.
Six or seven years ago, this film might have been worthwhile for nostalgic reasons – Matthau and Lemmon together again, their bickering as enjoyable as ever. The problem is, in the last five years, the two veteran actors have appeared opposite each other three times (four, if you count THE GRASS HARP). And, whether they're called Herbie and Charlie (OUT TO SEA) or Max and John (GRUMPY OLD MEN, GRUMPIER OLD MEN), Matthau and Lemmon rarely let their characters stray too far from Oscar and Felix. As a result, THE ODD COUPLE 2 comes across as redundant. That wouldn't have been the case if it had offered more than a few token laughs and a series of unconvincing "buddy moments," but this movie is far removed from Simon's best work.
It has been 17 years since Oscar, who moved to Sarasota, Florida, and Felix, who still lives in New York City, have seen each other. In the interim, neither has changed. The occasion of their reunion is the most improbable of circumstances – Oscar's son, Bruce (Jonathan Silverman), is marrying Felix's daughter, Hannah (Lisa Waltz). The two ex-roommates greet each other in Los Angeles International airport, then jump in a rental car for the trip to San Melina. It's not long before they're lost, and that's when the series of misadventures begins.
Aside from the always-enjoyable chemistry between the stars, THE ODD COUPLE 2 doesn't have much to offer. The script has the same kind of stale, made-for-TV feel that is evident in many of today's big screen comedies – all that's missing is a laugh track to tell us when something is supposed to be funny. To be fair to Simon and director Howard Deutch (who previously directed Matthau and Lemmon in GRUMPIER OLD MEN), the film has several amusing sequences, but nothing is gut-bustingly hilarious. Felix and Oscar also have their share of clever one-liners interspersed between more banal insults. As always, despite getting along "like oil and frozen yogurt," their affection for each other is evident.
THE ODD COUPLE 2 sports a low-key supporting cast, which is understandable, since the last thing the film makers wanted was anyone upstaging Matthau and Lemmon. Jonathan Silverman and Lisa Waltz play the soon-to-be-married couple. Christine Baranski has a nice, over-the- top appearance as a biker chick who's trying to do a THELMA AND LOUISE thing with her best friend. And Barnard Hughes is a small-town sheriff who sees entirely too much of Oscar and Felix.
THE ODD COUPLE 2 is for everyone whose nostalgia for the misadventures of the duo hasn't been satisfied by the TV series or the recent Matthau/Lemmon pairings. As far as big-screen comedies go, this one is strictly generic, with the only distinguishing mark being that the protagonists are over 60. Still, the real problem isn't the actors or their work; it's the screenplay. And, while Neil Simon may have once been numbered among America's premiere comedy writers, he, like Oscar and Felix, is lost this time around.
Copyright 1998 James Berardinelli
- James Berardinelli e-mail: berardin@mail.cybernex.net
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