OUT TO SEA 1997
A film review by Timothy Voon
Copyright 1997 Timothy Voon
2 :-( :-( for an overused 'odd couple' formula
1 :-) for disaster on the dance floor and an eclipse above the Myan
Pyramids
Cast: Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, Dyan Cannon, Gloria DeHaven, Brent Spiner, Hal Linden, Rue McClanahan, Edward Mulhare, Donald O'Connor, Elaine Stritch Director: Martha Coolidge Screenplay: Marshall Brickman, David Jacobs
'Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream. Merrily, merrily ....' No, not so merrily. Twiddle your thumbs, count the number of tiny lights along each seating row. Change cinema seats several times and see if your perspective of the movie will improve. Count to 100, then divide the even numbers with each alternate odd, and eventually you will have survived a very tedious onscreen boat ride. Sure I was distracted with a bloody nose and contraband hot foods, but I found myself wishing the premature end of this movie with let's say, an unsuspecting ice berg or perhaps a lunatic saboteur with no 'Cruise Control'.
The 'Odd Couple' who became 'Grumpy Old Men', have less chemistry and success, 'Out at Sea' than on dry land. Out in the ocean's blue yonder, Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau are struggling to stay afloat on a thin plot and an even weaker script. Their usually witty banter and taunts seem rusty from overexposure to salt air, and the cool ocean breeze has added a touch of rheumatism to their acting. One thing that hasn't been affected is their 'one, two, turn, slide' dance feet, which is the highlight of this movie. Watch Matthau lead Ruth McClanahan around the dance floor - it carries the same free spirit of something futuristic and erotic. Brent Spiner (Data from STNG) is 'surprise, surprise' a bit of an old Crooner on the side.
So if you can sing, and also dance; with much need of a free holiday, look no further than 'Out to Sea'. Here they hire men in their 80's to be the dance hosts for the over supply of lonely single women seeking romance on Ocean Liners. So what does Matthau and Lemmon have that you don't? Absolutlely nothing. So fish away, and rest assured that your catch will be better if not younger, than the these two unhappy fishermen who are out of sorts, out at sea.
Comment: A very mediocre episode of 'Love Boat'
Timothy Voon e-mail: stirling@netlink.com.au
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