The Odd Couple

Composite Score: 86.27

Starring: Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, John Fiedler, Herb Edelman, David Sheiner, Larry Haines, Monica Evans, Carole Shelley, and Iris Adrian

Director: Gene Saks

Writer: Neil Simon

Genre: Comedy

MPAA Rating: G

Box Office: $44.53 million worldwide

Why should you Watch This Film?

                The Odd Couple is the film adaptation of Neil Simon’s play of the same name about two polar opposite men who decide to live together when the wife of one kicks him out. The comedy focuses on the differences between Felix (Jack Lemmon) and Oscar (Walter Matthau) – one a neurotic neat-freak, the other an unrepentant slob. Their three-week adventure as roommates makes for a unique take on divorce, male friendship, and being single as a middle-aged adult. The pair of leads are supported by their poker-playing friends, played by John Fiedler, Herb Edelman, David Sheiner, and Larry Haines, and a pair of British sisters who live in the same apartment building, played by Monica Evans and Carole Shelley. The film received Oscar nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Editing, while both leads received Golden Globe nominations for their performances. The film’s success launched a television sitcom adaptation, a much later sequel, and a remake of the sitcom, and it continues to receive acclaim for its witty humor and strong leading performances.

Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?

                If you can’t handle secondhand embarrassment, then I don’t know that you’ll find this film funny so much as you’ll find it stressful. The juxtaposition between Felix and Oscar often plays out in social situations with Felix rarely having any kind of self-awareness, drawing attention to himself in the most ridiculous ways possible and generally being socially awkward. Some of these scenes end up working out in his favor but not before the audience is invited to have a decent laugh at his expense (or, more likely, a cringe and watch through covered eyes). It’s not the type of humor that I’d generally refer to as “universal” even if there are some more relatable moments outside of these and some jokes that should land with most audiences. For two of the film’s funniest moments to rely so heavily on someone making a fool of themselves in otherwise normal situations, I can see how some people might not want to make this their go-to comedy all the time.

So wait, why should you Watch This Film?

                What The Odd Couple does so well, though, is play on the audience’s expectations with its humor, pushing its straight man into the more physically comedic role while its slob gets to partake in the verbal repartee, and the two leads, Lemmon and Matthau, seem perfectly suited for those flip-flopped roles. Felix, who is the anal clean freak, also is the one who’s constantly running into things and experiencing physical ailments and getting doused under water by his friends, while Oscar, who’s the slob with a devil-may-care attitude since his divorce, seems to also be the wittier of the two, always ready with a quick barb and a fun comeback, offering a dryer form of humor than his character archetype usually gets to play with. It’s a refreshing twist on the roles that also furthers the film’s narrative about the nature of relationships (especially those of the cohabitating kind) that you never fully know what someone else might be hiding underneath unless you actually pay attention. It’s an encouragement to get to know your fellow man, be it friend, lover, or neighbor, so that you don’t just know them by looks or predisposition but by what all they bring to life that makes them worth being around.

                The script and actors in The Odd Couple have done a phenomenal job of playing with audience expectations about comedy and comic archetypes, giving us a refreshingly original take on the buddy comedy in the process that deserves a place among the Greatest Films of All Time. Some of the bits where Felix is particularly oblivious might not be as funny to every audience, but the overall tone of the film, and its message of getting to know the people in your life to fully appreciate them, makes it one that you should probably see at some point. You can currently stream this film with a library card on Hoopla or with ads on Pluto TV if you want to see what it’s all about.