The Odd Couple

1968 • 105 minutes

About this movie

Neil Simon has a special genius for finding the great hilarity in ordinary people doing everyday things. Like two divorced men who decide to share a New York apartment. That's the premise of The Odd Couple, though there's nothing odd in the casting of two Oscar®-winning talents like Jack Lemmon and Walter Mathau. The two veteran funnymen work together with the precision timing of a vaudeville team, but always with bright spontaneity. Lemmon plays fussy Felix, fastidious to a fault. He proves that cleanliness is next to insanity. Matthau is Oscar, who wreaks havoc on a tidy room with the speed and thoroughness of a tornado. An enduring and endearing picture, with the intelligence on usually misses in comedies.

Ratings and reviews

While I usually like Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau's buddy comedy performances; 'The Odd Couple' didn't quite land for me. Maybe a film about 2 depressed guys dealing with divorce or the first 45 minutes of the film showing Jack trying to kill himself while his concerned friends try to keep him alive just put me off. The last hour is much funnier, but it also makes the title feel like a slur when you know what's causing the friction between these roommates. Just ok, but not their best stuff.

Before the series, before the modern remake. This is how it began.

I just realized the current show with matthew perry is a loyal adaptation. Even the music is the same.