Review of The Odd Couple (1968) by Tiago S — 20 Jul 2013

Gene Saks directs this classic adaptation of Neil Simon's play that explores the notion of friendship and what comes after divorce. Jack Lemmon and Walther Matthau play Felix Unger and Oscar Madison, two guys who are close friends and both going through different stages of divorce.

Felix has just been thrown out of the house by his wife and she is preparing for divorce after 12 years of marriage and 2 kids. Oscar and his wife have been separated for at least 6 months and she lives across the country with their child.

When Felix debates committing suicide due to the end of his marriage, Oscar offers to take him in as a roommate. The problem is that they are complete opposites of each other. Oscar is a slob and doesn't clean at all while Felix is a neat freak who is neurotic about everything.

While on the outside this seems like a comedy of mismatched roommates, underneath it is about the deep loss and hole a person feels when their marriage comes to an end. The question becomes how does one continue to go on and grow.

Lemmon and Matthau are absolutely amazing together on screen and the film is able to brilliantly capture two master actors brilliantly playing off of each other. A classic film that still resonates today.