| The Odd Couple | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Gene Saks |
| Written by | Neil Simon |
| Based on | The Odd Couple by Neil Simon |
| Produced by | Howard W. Koch |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Robert B. Hauser |
| Edited by | Frank Bracht |
| Music by | Neal Hefti |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 105 minutes[2] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1.2 million |
| Box office | $44.5 million[3] |
The Odd Couple is a 1968 Americancomedy film directed byGene Saks, produced byHoward W. Koch and written byNeil Simon, based onhis 1965 play. It starsJack Lemmon andWalter Matthau as two divorced men—neurotic neat-freak Felix Ungar and fun-loving slob Oscar Madison—who decide to live together.
The film was successful with critics and grossed more than $44.5 million,[3] making it thethird highest-grossing film of 1968 in the United States. The success of the film was the basis forABC to produce apopular sitcom series starringTony Randall andJack Klugman as Felix and Oscar, respectively.
Almost three decades later, a sequel—The Odd Couple II, in which Lemmon and Matthau reprised their roles—was released, but it was a critical and commercial failure.[4]
Newly separated Felix Ungar wandersManhattan in a daze, with thoughts of dying bysuicide.
Divorced sportswriter Oscar Madison and hispoker playing cronies Murray, Speed, Roy and Vinnie have assembled in Madison'sUpper West Side apartment for their usual Friday night game. Murray is concerned because their mutual friend Felix is unusually late for the game. Murray's wife phones and informs them that Felix's whereabouts are unknown. Oscar calls Felix's wife Frances, who tells him that she and Felix have separated.
Felix arrives, unaware that everyone has already heard that he and his wife have separated. The nervous group attempts to pretend that nothing is wrong, but Felix eventually breaks down and his friends attempt to console him. After everyone else leaves, Oscar suggests that Felix move in with him, for Oscar has lived alone since breaking up with his own ex-wife, Blanche, sometime earlier. Felix agrees and urges Oscar not to be shy about letting him know if he gets on Oscar's nerves.
Within a week, the two men discover that they are incompatible. Felix is constantly cleaning the apartment and berating Oscar for being so sloppy. Felix is in no mood to have any fun, spending most of his time thinking about Frances. While at a tavern, Oscar tells Felix about recently meeting two English sisters who live upstairs in their building: Cecily and Gwendolyn Pigeon. Oscar telephones the girls and arranges a double date for the following evening.
After the sisters arrive, Oscar leaves the room to mix some drinks, hoping that uptight Felix will loosen up while alone with the two flirtatious girls. Instead, Felix talks incessantly about his wife and children, begins weeping and burns the meatloaf. The sisters are attracted to Felix's sensitivity and invite the two men to their apartment, but Felix refuses to go.
The following day, Oscar is still angry with Felix for ruining the date. He resorts to giving his friend the silent treatment and tormenting him by deliberately making the apartment as much of a mess as possible. Eventually, the tension escalates to an argument that results in Oscar demanding that Felix move out. Felix complies but leaves Oscar feeling guilty for having abandoned his friend who is still in need.
Oscar assembles the poker group to help find Felix, but they are unsuccessful. After returning to Oscar's apartment to play poker, Gwendolyn appears and informs Oscar that Felix has moved in with her and Cecily. Felix shows up and tells Oscar that he intends to get a place of his own. Felix and Oscar apologize to each other, realizing that a bit of each has rubbed off on the other, each better for the experience. Felix promises that next week, he will attend their usual Friday night poker game. The normally slovenly Oscar reminds his friends to keep their cigarette butts off the floor as the poker game continues.
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The Odd Couple was originally produced forBroadway, and the original cast starredArt Carney as Felix and Walter Matthau as Oscar. At one point,Frank Sinatra (as Felix) andJackie Gleason (as Oscar) were reportedly considered for the film version.[according to whom?]Dick Van Dyke andTony Randall were also among those considered for the role of Felix, andMickey Rooney andJack Klugman (who later replaced Matthau as Oscar on Broadway) were among those considered to portray Oscar in the film. Oscar's poker playing friends in the film are Roy (David Sheiner), Vinnie (John Fiedler), Homer "Speed" Deegan (Larry Haines) and Murray the policeman (Herbert Edelman). Klugman and Randall would later go on to star in the TV series as their respectively considered roles, and becomeEmmy Award winners in the process.
Much of the original script from the play was retained for the film, although the setting was expanded. For example, rather than take place entirely in Oscar's apartment, Neil Simon added some scenes that take place at various New York City locations (such as the scene atShea Stadium inQueens).[citation needed]
The scene at Shea Stadium, which also featuredHeywood Hale Broun, was filmed before the start of a real game between theNew York Mets and thePittsburgh Pirates on June 27, 1967.Roberto Clemente was asked to hit into thetriple play that Oscar does not observe, but he refused to do it andBill Mazeroski took his place.[5]
One of the outdoor scenes in the film involves Felix shopping atBohack, aMaspeth, Queens-based supermarket chain that was ubiquitous in the New York City area during the mid-20th century. The last Bohack supermarket closed in 1977.[6]
The award-winning jazz instrumental theme was composed byNeal Hefti. It is used throughout the movie'ssequel starring Lemmon and Matthau that was released 30 years later. It was also adapted for the 1970 TV series. The song also has seldom-heard lyrics, written bySammy Cahn.[7]
The film's copyright date in the opening credits mistakenly reads MCMXLVII (1947).[citation needed]
The Odd Couple opened at New York'sRadio City Music Hall on May 2, 1968, and ran there for a record-breaking 14 weeks, with a record gross of $3.1 million.[8] It grossed more than $44.5 million in the United States,[3] making it thethird highest-grossing film of 1968.[9]
On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 97% of 39 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8/10. The website's consensus reads: "Enlivening Neil Simon's crackerjack script with their harmonious rapport, Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau are a perfect pairing asThe Odd Couple."[10]Metacritic, which uses aweighted average, assigned the film a score of 86 out of 100, based on 10 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[11]
Roger Ebert of theChicago Sun-Times gave the film 3½ stars out of four, and praising the "universally good" performances, although he noted times when "the movie's Broadway origins are painfully evident, as when the players in the poker game are grouped around three sides of the table, but the 'downstage' side is always left bare."[12]
Renata Adler ofThe New York Times called the film "a very funny, professional adaptation" of the play, although "Mr. Lemmon sometimes overacts".[13]
Arthur D. Murphy ofVariety called it an "excellent film", adding that the "teaming of Lemmon and Matthau has provided each with an outstanding comedy partner".[14]
Charles Champlin of theLos Angeles Times declared, "My not very fearless forecast is that 'The Odd Couple' will cause more people to do more laughing than any film you are likely to see all year."[15]
Stanley Eichelbaum of theSan Francisco Examiner wrote that "Neil Simon, whose hit plays haven't always been served too well by Hollywood (remember the flat-footed film ofBarefoot in the Park), did his own adaptation this time and there's been no appreciable loss of hilarity", also applauding Saks's direction and the performances of the cast.[16]
| Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | Best Screenplay – Based on Material from Another Medium | Neil Simon | Nominated | [17] |
| Best Film Editing | Frank Bracht | Nominated | ||
| American Cinema Editors Awards | Best Edited Feature Film | Nominated | ||
| Directors Guild of America Awards | Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures | Gene Saks | Nominated | [18] |
| Golden Globe Awards | Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy | Nominated | [19] | |
| Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy | Jack Lemmon | Nominated | ||
| Walter Matthau | Nominated | |||
| Grammy Awards | Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special | Neal Hefti | Nominated | [20] |
| Laurel Awards | Top Comedy | Won | ||
| Top Male Comedy Performance | Jack Lemmon | Nominated | ||
| Walter Matthau | Won | |||
| Writers Guild of America Awards | Best Written American Comedy | Neil Simon | Won | [21] |
The film is recognized byAmerican Film Institute in these lists:
The film spawned a television series spin-off in 1970, also titledThe Odd Couple, that ran for five seasons until 1975.
Also in the 1970s, a cartoon version calledThe Oddball Couple ran on ABC on Saturday mornings. Produced byDepatie-Freleng, it features a sloppy dog and a neat cat.[24]
In 1998, almost three decades later, asequel,The Odd Couple II, was released. It reunited Lemmon and Matthau, along with original writerNeil Simon. However, it was a critical and commercial failure, grossing less than half than its predecessor.[4]
In 2025, actorDick Van Dyke revealed that he had previously been developing a remake of the film starring himself andEd Asner. These plans were scrapped after Asner's death in August 2021.[25]
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