The Odd Couple II




We mix like oil and frozen yogurt.

Together again (thirty years after the original The Odd Couple, though this was sadly Lemmon and Matthau's last appearance onscreen together before passing away.

It's been seventeen years of blessed peace between the two old pals, but it's true that all good things must come to an end. That's not to say that Felix and Oscar (Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau) are unhappy to see each other, but Felix's uptight and ultra neat personality is once again almost immediately at odds with Oscar's more laid back, messy behavior. Their common destination is their son and daughter's wedding, who are ironically marrying each other.

But the movie quickly goes from relying solely on their contrasting personalities and witty one liners to a more traditional (read tired) traveling disaster flick as the aging geezers crisscross California in search of the elusive San Melena. In the process the movie loses something; actually it loses quite a bit. Initially the story moves with a spring in its step, trying to be funny and largely succeeding, and it seems to be genuinely happy about the two teaming up again. The quips, witty and otherwise, continue mostly nonstop even through the physical comedy, or rather the bizarre and unfavorable situations that the two keep finding themselves in. So with its loss of momentum, everything else grinds to a near halt, leaving the rest to remain marginally entertaining at best, but a bit too tired with itself for us to have much fun with it. The uppage in the coarse language department is also largely, if not wholly, unnecessary, especially regarding the F bombs.

Both of the two veteran actors slip back into their parts with little difficulty. Lemmon going berserk over Matthau is always great to watch, and we really do sympathize as Felix continues to search for "the one" woman for him who's out there somewhere. And there's always Matthau, whose crinkly face and tactless behavior is great in any movie, but it is as Oscar especially that he's allowed to play to his comedic strengths.

This is one mildly amusing reunion that doesn't escape the sequel curse, and sadly doesn't distinguish itself much from the crop of other movies Lemmon and Matthau did together late in their careers.



-The Gnome