FilmEdge.net reviews THE ODD COUPLE Centennial Collection DVD

The Odd Couple Centennial Collection (2pc) Running Time: 105 minutes Review by Scott Weitz May 1, 2009 (5 stars)

Audiences and critics have agreed for over forty years: Neil Simon's hilarious play and film adaptation of THE ODD COUPLE may well be the perfect American comedy.  It has spawned numerous television and stage incarnations, but this landmark screen paring of Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau remains a standard in character-based comedy which is as funny today as it as ever been. Paramount Home Entertainment now releases this classic laugh riot in a new 2-disc DVD edition as part of the studio's Centennial Collection celebrating the very best titles in their history.  There is no doubt THE ODD COUPLE stands at the top of that distinguished list of respected and beloved films. Directed by stage veteran Gene Saks three years after Simon's hit play opened on Broadway in 1965 with Matthau and Art Carney in the leads, this film is a masterpiece of comic timing and deft acting skills across the board.  Lemmon makes the hapless divorcé Felix Ungar one of his signature roles in a long and distinguished career, and the perfect fastidious foil for Matthau's slovenly Oscar Madison — a match made in personal purgatory but comedic heaven! If you only know the popular TV series adaptation, cheat yourself no longer and move in with THE ODD COUPLE today!

NOT IN OTHER WORDS, THOSE ARE THE PERFECT ONES!

Fast paced, witty dialogue and character-driven stories are the trademark of Neil Simon's work, and THE ODD COUPLE is widely considered his highest achievement in the artform. The story goes that Simon suggested writing this belligerent buddy tale to his brother Danny, who experienced his own marriage breakup and took in a fellow divorcé roommate. After several failed attempts to pen the story, Danny turned the project over to his playwright brother Neil and the result earned Simon a Tony-award winning hit on Broadway and enshrinement in the comedy pantheon.

Two unhappy ex-husbands — Oscar the slovenly sports writer and Felix the neurotic neatnik — attempt to join forces as roommates but clash in hilarity as their polar-opposite personalities grate on each other's last nerve. Felix's arrival seems to herald good news for Oscar's weekly poker night with the fellas, but his 24/7 proximity quickly threatens Oscar's sanity. Of course the friction rubs both ways, and their annoying drawbacks as husbands are replayed in Oscar and Felix's friendship. The two men end up bickering just as badly as they did with their ex-wives, and their conflict plays out just like their respective divorces.

Proving art does not imitate life, Lemmon and Matthau mesh perfectly as actors, each one enhancing the talents of the other as human frailty escalates to hilarity in their capable hands. With all due respect to the late Art Carney, Jack and Walter made Felix and Oscar indelible signature roles in both their careers and film history. The magical foundation arises from the page courtesy of Simon, of course, but these two comedic masters invest such specific attitudes into Felix and Oscar that their voices and likeness border on trademarked work. As Oscar's bombast withers under Felix's whining insecurity, this battle of comedic titans packs more firepower in laughs than any ten heavyweight bouts, and audiences continue being knocked out by this delightful duel of wits and will power.

The casting is equally sublime across the board, reportedly with Neil Simon actively signing off on each supporting cast member. The four poker regulars, Vinnie (John Fiedler), Murray the cop (Herb Edelman), Speed (Larry Haines) and Roy (David Sheiner), extend the superb timing and characterizations, placing Felix and Oscar in a context of married observers to this comedic train wreck. The quartet delivers some classic retorts on their own while grounding the excesses of Felix and Oscar in real world humanity. Edelman's gambling cop elicits nearly as many laughs as Fiedler's mousy poker ace, neither offering any practical help to their divorced friends but definitely increasing the laugh quotient of the film.

As the cuckoo Pigeon sisters, Cecily (Monica Evans) and Gwendolyn (Carole Shelley) add comedic effervescence as the dinner date neighbors of Madison and Ungar. Their gigglefest scene of flirtatious repartee with Oscar help the laughs reach a crescendo as moping Felix derails this promising night of feminine company. The dinner scene contains not one but two of the best written twists in modern comedy, and the teamwork of Matthau and Lemmon riding the ups and down is a wonder to behold.  Evans and Shelley also have the distinction of reprising their roles in all three ODD COUPLE incarnations, play, feature film and TV series.

Praise for just a few of the production team is merited in this limited space, but this new DVD edition merits their mention: Neal Hefti's indelible theme sounds great in the 5.1 Dolby audio mix, and finally a clear, vivid film transfer of the nighttime New York opening credits provides a worthy counterpoint to his delightful work. Kudos to Hal Pereira's art direction and Robert Benton's set decoration for making Oscar's apartment an eyeful on the screen, and so subtly transforming it from a slob's hovel to a clean oh-so-period 1960s NY apartment.

Deserved recognition to Robert Hauser's overlooked cinematography for making the visual best of this comedic battle of wills in widescreen 2.35 Panavision. This new DVD transfer deftly shows off his shifting light palettes in the apartment as days becomes night.   Similarly THE ODD COUPLE contains one of my favorite film shots ever: an unexpectedly artistic portrait of a hotel cleaning woman Felix meets in the opening sequence.   It would be a throwaway shot to many directors and DPs, but Saks and Hauser give this bedraggled woman a glorious moment under a dim lamp, silhouetted by a bluish halo of light as she wishes Felix good night.   THE ODD COUPLE is peppered with such distinctive camerawork and this new DVD makes it easier to appreciate these rare moments.

I'M EIGHT HUNDRED DOLLARS BEHIND IN ALIMONY, LET'S RAISE THE STAKES — BONUS FEATURES

Paramount Home Entertainment's Centennial Collection DVD of THE ODD COUPLE contains a six new bonus features spanning two discs to extend the tribute to this cinematic gem:

Disc One's Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround audio is supplemented with a commentary track by the two stars' sons, Charlie Matthau and Chris Lemmon, who are also prime contributors to the new featurettes about the film.  While not actually participants in the production, Charlie and Chris offer plenty of memories and stories about their fathers — both during of THE ODD COUPLE and in their real lives — while also enjoying the film as fellow fans.  While not the most disciplined of commentary tracks ever made, the younger Matthau and Lemmon remain entertaining in a casual, conversational way.  Not to mention both sons do solid impressions of his father at several moments which provides a few laughs on their own. 

In the Beginning... starts off Disc Two's brand new making-of documentaries which all feature conversational interviews with the Matthau and Lemmon sons, plus surviving cast members and notable fans of the film who first saw THE ODD COUPLE on stage in the 1960s. Talk show host Larry King, cast members David Sheiner (Roy) and Carole Shelley (Gwendolyn), actor Brad Garrett discuss Neil Simon's approach to comedy writing, how it's sublimely manifested in this masterpiece, and how the combination of Matthau and Lemmon elevated it to an even higher plane.  With no footage of the stage play available, stills from its Broadway run with Matthau and Carney augment the history of THE ODD COUPLE's transition from the boards to the big screen.  After the play's historic run in New York, it wasn't long before talks began about a film adaptation with none other than legend Billy Wilder to direct, re-teaming Matthau and Lemmon after their hit THE FORTUNE COOKIE in 1966.   As then studio head Evans relates, Paramount couldn't afford to pay all three key players, so Wilder bowed out and stage director Gene Saks took the helm, leading THE ODD COUPLE in cinematic history.

In Memories from the Set, director Gene Saks reminisces about how the fictional conflict between Oscar and Felix was creatively fueled by the different personalities of Matthau and Lemmon beyond the scripted material. Saks and actor David Sheiner reveal the little known story that Walter Matthau had actually broken his left arm before production, so the production actually filmed the second half of the film first because Matthau had less physical business in his part.  Note how Oscar often appears in jackets and long-sleeve shirts in the last half of the film.  By the time that act was filmed, Matthau's cast was off and he was relatively free to use his arm and wear t-shirts in his stuffy apartment during the hot summer weather.  Enjoyably, Saks also reveals Lemmon's hilarious version of the "FMEH!" diner scene, which Simon wrote to 'open up' his play for filming and ended up crystallizing the disparity between Felix and Oscar.

Matthau and Lemmon explore the nature and nurture of this multi-decade teaming of THE ODD COUPLE's leading men.  From their first on-screen partnership in THE FORTUNE COOKIE and on through the GRUMPY OLD MEN films, the actors became devoted best friends.  Chris Lemmon relates the story of how just after Matthau's mild heart attack, he recruited Lemmon to deliver a payment to his bookie outside 20th Century Fox.  The bond between them was forged early and deeply, as their sons and fellow cast members relate touching and funny stories of Jack and Walter's once in a lifetime confluence of talents and kinship of like souls.

The Odd Couple: A Classic allows all the contributors to chime in on how and why the film became a cinematic classic and a fan favorite for decades.  Carole Shelley enjoys the unique perspective of extending her role from the Broadway play into the film, and expressed no doubt even in 1968 that the film adaptation would succeed given the top notch cast and crew involved.

Galleries offers viewers two photo albums from Production and The Movie, totaling 56 rare black-and-white photos shot behind the scenes on studio sets and New York locations plus publicity photos and scene shots.  Many of these photos also appear in larger, cropped versions during the bonus featurettes, but are presented here in their full image along with pictures unique to the galleries.

Lastly the original 1968 Theatrical Trailer is a welcome period extra, showing off both its vintage approach to trailer advertising of the time and what a fantastic job PHE did in restoring this beloved film to pristine condition.  Careful viewers will spot many alternate takes in the trailer which were not used in the final film, which is also a nice bonus for fans who know THE ODD COUPLE inside and out.

GOOD NIGHT, FRANCIS — SUMMARY

Paramount Home Entertainment has restored and released a timeless gem of American comedy with their Centennial Collection 2-disc edition of Neil Simon's THE ODD COUPLE.  This enduring classic has never looked nor sounded better and remains as hilariously funny as it was in theaters four decades ago.  A handsome second disc of Bonus Features rounds out the fan experience with notable admirers of the film, but Gene Saks' direction of Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau will always be the star attraction now and for generations to come.  Simon built his stellar career on the harsh and delightful truth that the core of the human comedy will never grow tiresome or outdated, and that in all our lives we all live out our own fleeting odd couple moments in daily life.  This self-perpetuating satire of human foibles celebrates our faults by heightening them into virtues, and THE ODD COUPLE never ceases to tickle the funny bones of the Felix and Oscar in us all.