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Review
Archives
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Today's
Date is:
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The Odd Couple
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Reviewed
by: |
Rachel
Hughes |
| Genre: |
Comedy |
| Video: |
Widescreen
enhanced for 16:9 TV's |
| Audio: |
Dolby
digital 5.1 Surround, 2.0 |
| Language: |
English,
French |
| Subtitle: |
English |
| Length: |
1hr
45mins |
| Rating: |
G |
| Release
Date: |
12-12-00
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| Studio: |
Paramount |
| Commentary:
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None |
| Documentaries:
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None |
| Featurettes:
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None |
| Filmography/Biography:
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None |
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Interviews: |
None |
| Trailers/TV
Spots: |
Original
Trailer |
| Alternate/Deleted
Scenes: |
None |
| Music
Video: |
None |
| Other:
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None |
| Cast
and Crew: |
Jack Lemmon,
Walter Matthau. John Fiedler, Herbert Edelman, David Sheiner,
Larry Haines, Monica Evans and Carole Shelley |
| Screenplay
by: |
Written By
Neil Simon |
| Produced
by: |
NA |
| Directed
By: |
Gene Saks |
| Music: |
Neal Hefti |
| The
Review: |
The
Odd Couple is about so much more than a neat freak living with
a slob. It is about two friends overcoming the hardship of divorce,
the difficulty of living with someone else, and the endurance
of friendship. Felix's wife has just thrown him out after twelve
years of marriage. His best friend Oscar, who has been divorced
for six months, invites Felix to stay with him. Their radical
differences in personality and habits soon clash in these tight
quarters and they must face all the behaviors that lead to their
divorces in the first place. Even though it deals with a serious
subject this is a hilarious movie. It was voted one of the American
Film Institutes top 100 movies of all times. The interesting
thing is that the movie has no jokes and punch lines. It is
all dialogue. The chemistry and timing between Jack Lemon and
Walter Matthau is some of the best in the business. Their performance
would be worth watching no matter what they did, but here they
are working with a wonderful screenplay by Neil Simon. This
highly dialogue driven movie not only features the great pair
of Matthau and Lemon, but also the wonderful character acting
skills of John Fiedler, Herbert Edelman, David Sheiner, and
Larry Haines as the duo's poker buddies. By today's comedy standards
The Odd Couple isn't what you might expect. There is no slapstick,
or sight gags, or crude body humor. This is an intelligent,
dialogue intense comedy. It is amazingly true to life, and shows
incredible insight. As a result, the movie might not appeal
to everyone. If you are expecting a neat freak movies in with
a slob and hilarity ensues then you might be disappointed. It
is a great movie, as well as great comedy, and if you approach
it with the right mindset you will be delighted and entertained.
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| Image
and Sound |
For a movie
that came out in theaters over thirty years ago, the print is
remarkably clean. There is little evidence of grain present.
The only flaw is that the colors are a bit muted. The wonderful
thing about this is that it is in widescreen. Now you can see
the entire poker table, truly proving the advantage of Widescreen.
The sound is available in both 5.1 and restored mono. Since
the film consists almost wholly of dialogue, there isn't much
difference. The 5.1 sounds a bit richer and fuller. |
| The
Extras |
The only
added item is the original trailer. This runs for about two
and a half minutes. Unfortunately with the untimely passing
of Walter Matthau, we will never get a commentary with the two
actors. This would have been a great treat to fans everywhere.
Hopefully a classic of this caliber and reputation will receive
a more complete package of extras further down the road. |
| Commentary |
None |
| Final
Words: |
If you have
missed out on seeing this movie in the past, than now is the
time to watch. This restored movie looks and sounds great. The
widescreen treatment lets you finally see the movie the way
it was intended. This is a classic movie that belongs in everyone's
DVD collection. |
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