The Odd Couple poster & wallpaper
Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, John Fiedler, Herb Edelman, David Sheiner ... see more see more... , Larry Haines , Monica Evans , Carole Shelley , Iris Adrian , John C. Becher , Heywood Hale Broun , Roberto Clemente , Bud Harrelson , Maury Wills , Maury Allen

Compulsive neatnik Felix Unger (Jack Lemmon) is thrown out of his house by his divorce-bound wife. He wanders aimlessly through the streets of New York, toying with the idea of suicide, before gravita... read more read more...ting to the apartment of his best friend, incorrigibly sloppy sportswriter Oscar Madison (Walter Matthau). Worried that Felix will try something desperate, Oscar, himself in the process of being divorced by his wife, invites Felix to move in with him. Within a few days, this mismatched pair is on the verge of mutual murder: Felix cannot abide Oscar's slovenliness, while Oscar is driven insane by Felix's obsession with cleanliness. A potentially passionate evening with Oscar's neighbors, the "coo-coo" Pigeon sisters (Monica Evans and Carole Shelley) is ruined when Felix, ruminating over his wife and children, reduces the two ladies to remorseful tears. Pushed to the brink, Oscar stalks around the apartment making as big a mess as possible. Comes the next week's poker game, and the previously vengeful Oscar is worried that Felix might have attempted to do away with himself again. Instead, a surprisingly self-confident Felix shows up to collect his belongings, then announces that he's temporarily moving upstairs with the toothsome Pigeon sisters! There's a laugh a second in this faithful movie adaptation of Neil Simon's hit Broadway play. A foolproof comic situation (allegedly based on a chapter in the life of Simon's brother Danny) is kept alive and healthy by some of the funniest dialogue ever written. The Odd Couple was later adapted into a long-running TV sitcom starring Tony Randall and Jack Klugman. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Flixster Users

85% liked it

29,540 ratings

Critics

100% liked it

31 critics

G, 1 hr. 46 min.

Directed by: Gene Saks

Release Date: January 1, 1968

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: December 12, 2000

Get It:

Stats: 1,104 reviews

report incorrect info

Photos

The Odd Couple
Upload a Photo | View All The Odd Couple Photos

Your Rating


clear rating

Flixster Reviews (1,104)

  • 76Majikat
    July 10, 2011
    76Majikat
    Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau make a great comedy pairing who in this film drive each other crazy. The comedy capers between the pair make this a timeless classic and a great oldie.
  • mumby1988
    March 23, 2011
    mumby1988
    The Odd Couple is a comedy which has stood the test of time and survived all attempts made on its longevity, from its endless inferior imitators to its own god-awful sequel. Neil Simon's script, brought to the screen by Gene Saks, is still as razor-sharp as went it debuted on Bro... read moreadway, and while not quite everything has translated smoothly to the big screen, it remains a yardstick against which modern comedies should be measured.

    When adapting a play for the big screen, one needs to create the impression of a world which is expansive. The spacial limitations that come from staging a play are not an immediate problem when making a film: you can't knock through walls in a theatre, but you can always build a bigger set.

    If The Odd Couple has a flaw, it is that portions of it still feel stagey, and the ways in which it attempts to get around this are not entirely satisfactory. Rather than show every last angle of Oscar's flat, as would have been impossible on Broadway, Saks resorts to adding in a lot of extra scenes which may play well as set-pieces but feel disconnected and unnecessary. The screenplay, adapted by Simon himself, has been plumped full of travelogue scenes, ranging from Felix's botched suicide attempts to the guys driving around in Murray's car looking for him. As with Shadowlands, these scenes which are designed to broaden out the play and make the world expansive only serve to highlight how theatrical the finished product still feels.

    But like Shadowlands, it isn't hard to get beyond or forgive the stagey qualities of The Odd Couple once we have gotten on board with the characters and begun to laugh (or cry). And in one aspect, the limited space and use of long takes works to the advantage of the performers. Much of the original script requires characters to talk over each other or react quickly to changes in the others' postures. Although the actors have the scripts learnt in their heads, they approach every scene knowing that the word "cut!" could be at least two minutes away. This keeps the energy up and convinces us that these characters could exist beyond the occasional edit.

    This is particularly recognisable in the central performances, which blend together in perfect (dis)harmony from the outset. Walter Matthau, who had played the character on Broadway, is the perfect middle-aged slouch. He has charm, intellect and is loyal to his friends, but is incapable of running his own life, shambling around his spacious apartment like he has worn the same clothes all his life. Jack Lemmon, who steps into the shoes of Art Carney, really taps into the character's well-meaning up-tightness and self-hating neurosis. The scene of him clearing his ears in the diner is a perfect match of dry anxiety and belly laughs that would have made Woody Allen proud.

    When The Social Network was deservedly garlanding awards attention, one aspect which was widely praised was Aaron Sorkin's script; it moved through the creation of Facebook at a blistering pace, conveying both the natural impatience of the characters and the ruthlessness of the world in which they exist. But the origins of Sorkin's rapid-fire screenplay can be found in Simon, whose characters have an equally large amount to say and are using language as a means of achieving political dominance, using every sentence to compete for space. And like The Social Network, it takes a few minutes for us to tune in and get used to the pace of the dialogue.

    But while The Social Network's script is designed to embody and convey impatience and impulsiveness, The Odd Couple is all about awkwardness and neurosis. On its simplest level it is the epitomic buddy movie, the film to which we owe everything from Lethal Weapon to Mississippi Burning. Popular culture has so readily embraced the archetypes of Felix and Oscar, the two opposites who don't attract but have to get along, that there almost isn't any point repeating the reasons for their appeal. Suffice to say, the combination works, as insight and as entertainment.

    Dig a little deeper, and the film becomes a comedy about catharsis and the difficulties of accepting the end of a relationship. Felix and Oscar have completely different approaches to the women in their lives, whether their ex-wives or their potential future brides in the shape of the Pigeon sisters. Felix finds it hard to let go of Frances even when she wants to repaint his room just after he's left: because so much of his life is based around things being beautiful on the surface, it is completely anathema that anyone should desert him, especially when, in his mind, he has done nothing wrong.

    Oscar, on the other hand, hates even talking to Blanche, letting along paying her alimony. He wisecracks about her during the opening game, remarking that "Poland could live for a year on what my kids leave over for lunch!". His attitude towards woman is strictly one of personal interest; he invites the Pigeons over with the sole intention of bedding them. But as the film rolls on both characters pick up on each other's traits, learning to atone for their past mistakes on the one hand and to seize upon the various new chances of romance on the other.

    Within this exploration of two men's romantic relationships with women, there is also a more nuanced examination of platonic love. The Odd Couple is as much about men's desperate desire for love as it is about their seemingly inability to be emotional or discuss their problems with other men. Felix finds it easy to open up to the sisters about how much he misses his wife, but when he tries to talk to Oscar about it, he feigns disinterest. Likewise Oscar desperately tries to convey his happiness to Felix when the girls invite them back, but Felix interprets it as selfish sarcasm. These scenes are expertly staged so that they simultaneously make you laugh and break your heart.

    The Odd Couple also has elements of class struggle about it. In amongst the various complaints about Felix disinfecting the playing cards and insisting upon coasters, there is an undercurrent of snobbery on the part of Felix and a bitter reaction on the past of Oscar. Felix is richer than Oscar and has an emphasis on standards which he likes to make clear whenever possible. After the meatloaf has burned, he spits out the line that "people like you don't appreciate good cooking and that's why they eat TV dinners!". Oscar meanwhile is an ordinary white-collar guy who loves his job but has little in the way of ambition. He approaches Felix's standards in the same way as he approaches his cleaning: constant irritation, boiling over into anger and ending up as outright resentment.

    But even if you don't want to read into all these undercurrents, The Odd Couple still works as a simple comedy. The laughs are frequent and consistent, drawing subtly on the traditions of farce and comedies of manners to produce two hours' worth of severe chuckling. The smooth jazz score which punctuates the film gives certain sections the feeling of a silent movie, while the long awkward silences in the second act are like a lighter, less absurdist variant on the work of Samuel Beckett or Harold Pinter. There's something for absolutely everyone, whether you pick up all the period details or not.

    With the exception of its occasional theatricality, The Odd Couple is a virtually perfect comedy. It's a real hum-dinger which still hits every note right on over 40 years after its release, and though the times have moved on it hasn't lost any of its subtle edge. Its personalities and conversations remain charming and familiar, and the performances are career high-points for all involved. A real must-see comedy.
  • FrizzDrop
    March 20, 2011
    FrizzDrop
    Pairing the irritable crumudgeon Walter Matthau and the always peppy and spirited Jack Lemmon was a brilliant clash of comedy sensibilities. The warped, and often explosive, exchanges between the two went from one concerned friend helping another to a full-blown marriage. It was ... read moreawkward comedy at its best, and hard to watch. Good for a quick and easy laugh, but not the best comedy film ever made.
  • BEACHBUNNI
    March 20, 2011
    BEACHBUNNI
    two divorced men share an apartment but although they are best friends the extreme differences in their personalities is a constant source of conflict,as there personalites clash. Felix Unger (Jack Lemmon) is a compulsive neat freak and Oscar Madison (Walter Matthau) is as slopp... read morey as they come.
    lots of funny moments in this one...an oldie but a goodie
  • ajv2688
    December 11, 2010
    ajv2688
    This is a great movie from a great play which lead to a great TV show. I watched the show when I was a kid, and now that I've finally seen the movie, I wish Lemmon and Matthau could have been on the show too. This is a must see comedy.
  • ythelastman89
    July 30, 2010
    ythelastman89
    You don't get any better than this when it comes to comedy. Easily one of the greatest premises of all time with the greatest comedy pair of all time. I think all of us have either a little Felix or Oscar in us, whether we'll admit to it or not. It's by far Neil Simon's best scri... read morept and best story, with characters you can fall in love with and feel a real connection to. There's something so touching, sad and emotional about two unfitting divorcees living together to fill in the hole in their lives. Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau work so well together maybe in part because they really are so much like their characters, at least at the core. While this isn't overly ambitious in terms of cinematography, the directing is absolutely flawless and gets the best possible reactions and timing from the characters. There's no other movie quite like this for a reason, they did it perfectly the first time around.
  • ScoopOnline
    December 12, 2009
    ScoopOnline
    This Movie is extremely funny. 2 Middled aged men but 2 different worlds.
  • SirPant
    September 30, 2009
    SirPant
    The classic comedy pairing of Matthau and Lemmon is fantastic, I love this film. Supporting cast are fantastic too!
  • jennifxu
    January 18, 2009
    jennifxu
    There's no denying Mathau and Lemmon are an amazing match but the jokes tend to read a little one-track...
  • kenstachnik
    August 8, 2008
    kenstachnik
    The definition of screen chemistry

View All The Odd Couple Reviews

Critic Reviews

April 27, 2009
TIME Magazine

The Neil Simon comedy that lit up Broadway for more than two years shines again in this flawed but still funny screen adaptation. Full Review

Mark Bourne
March 18, 2009
Mark Bourne, Film.com

...a durable classic, the sort of comedy that doesn't try to yank laughs by cramming its fist down our throats. Full Review

Dave Kehr
April 1, 2008
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

For all its overfamiliarity, this is a good play, easily Simon's best, and Matthau and Lemmon inhabit it with grace and style. Full Review

Roger Ebert
October 23, 2004
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

It does well as an evening's entertainment. Full Review

Kevin Carr
April 18, 2009
Kevin Carr, 7M Pictures

The key to the movie is its stars... it is Matthau's reserved yet committed man's man that gives the film its comedic edge. Full Review

Emanuel Levy
March 15, 2009
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

Acting is all: Lemmon and Matthau are terrific in their first teaming in this highly amusing comedy, which is sharply written by Neil Simon but poorly directed by theater helmer Gene Saks. Full Review

Bill Gibron
March 9, 2009
Bill Gibron, Filmcritic.com

When critics discuss chemistry, that onscreen magic that occurs between perfectly paired actors, the electricity exemplified by Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon is a textbook illustration of same. Full Review

John J. Puccio
March 7, 2009
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis

...it's still the original movie that best captures the essence of the characters and story. Full Review

April 1, 2008
TV Guide's Movie Guide

he plot, nothing more than a premise based on Simon's real-life brother, Danny, goes nowhere, but then it's not really supposed to. Full Review

Kim Newman
April 1, 2008
Kim Newman, Empire Magazine

Lemmon and Mathau's finest hour. Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Cast

More Like This

Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • The Fortune Cookie
    The Fortune Cookie (100%)
  • The Odd Couple II
    The Odd Couple II (100%)
  • The Goodbye Girl
    The Goodbye Girl (100%)
  • Barefoot in the Park
    Barefoot in the Park (100%)

More Movies like The Odd Couple

Facts

Submit a Fact | View All
    • Oscar Madison: I cannot stand little notes on my pillow! ?We are all out of cornflakes, F.U.? It took me three hours to figure out F.U. was Felix Unger.
Submit a Fact | View All

The Odd Couple : Watch Free on TV

The Odd Couple Trivia

  • What was Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau's 10th movie together?  Answer »
  • Name the 1968 movie where the two main chacacters names are, Felix Ungar & Oscar Madison? Played by,Walter Matthau & Jack Lemmon?  Answer »
  • Who worked with Walter Matthau and starred in The Odd Couple, Grumpy old men?  Answer »
  • In the film The Odd Couple, what is the name of Oscar Madison's ex-wife?  Answer »
More The Odd Couple Trivia

Movie Quizzes

Create a Quiz |

All Quizzes

Video Clips

Upload a Video |

All The Odd Couple Videos

Meet Other Fans

Add The Odd Couple to favorites

Recent News

No recent headlines. Got one?

Recent Lists

Make a List |

View All Lists

Most Popular Skin

No skins yet. Interested in creating one?