Rating: 
Summary: WONDERFUL!
Review: A masterpiece like none other. A film worth buying and treasuring forever. The new one will not stand up to the original...ever.
Rating: 
Summary: Unforgettable Performances By Lemmon and Dennis!
Review: A wild fast paced comedy by Neil Simon, shows him to be in top form! One of the few movies one can watch and just never get sick of. I've seen this movie dozens of times, and still think it's Simon's second best( I love "Lost In Yonkers")! Unforgettable acting by Lemmon and Dennis as George and Gwen Kellerman, who plan on suing the entire city of New York. At one point in the film Lemmon scream in the streets..."I have all our names and adresses! " One mishap after another, first their plane can't land, then their luggage is missing, next, their hotel doen't hold their room! And believe it or not, but this all actually happened to Simon in real life on a trip to Boston. If you like Neil Simon, or like fast paced comedy this Simon movie is perfect for you. Oscar caliber acting by Lemmon and Dennis, who only managed to get "Golden Globe" nominations. And unrightly over look Simon for an Oscar nomination. One of Simon's funniest!
Rating:
Summary: A Hillarous Film!
Review: Absolutely one of the best Jack Lemmon movies of all time.
Rating:
Summary: Never buy good luggage.
Review: All-time best comedy. I can verify that
Rating:
Summary: Great BUT where is the DVD???
Review: Another ignored classic that remains in VHS only format.... get with the times guys.
Rating:
Summary: Underrated
Review: Every time I travel to New York, I ask my traveling companions if they've seen this movie, and almost always they haven't. Their loss. I cannot walk through the lobby of the Waldorf Astoria without looking for that kind stranger with an umbrella. This is one of the funniest movies that I've ever seen. It is vastly underrated as a comedy and a movie, but, you know, maybe it is best kept a secret for those of us who appreciate it.
Rating: 
Summary: Beware ..New York City
Review: For New Yorker,s ,like myself, this film is terrific. Its almost a black comedy as every thing goes wrong on Lemmon,s job interview in New York City. Its unrelenting and the absurdly funny scenes are almost meloncholy. Ron Cary as a Boston Cabbie is hilarious...John Brown as the waiter on the train is great. as he informs Lemmon and Dennis...that ALL they have is Clam Juice and its not cold...Finally when the manhole on Central Park West explodes...you know its almost over.. CP
Rating:
Summary: Meet George and Gwen Kellerman
Review: Getting ahead in your career or moving on with your life doesn't necessarily mean moving "up." That promotion or "golden opportunity" that comes along may not in reality turn out to be all that it would seem, initially, especially if it involves an unprecedented upheaval in your life, like a transfer to another city. It's a situation that becomes grist for Neil Simon's humor mill in the comedy-of-errors "The Out-of-Towners," directed by Arthur Hiller. Jack Lemmon stars as George Kellerman, a Midwesterner who finally gets that "big chance" when his company offers him a job in New York City. It sounds good, and just like that, George and his wife, Gwen (Sandy Dennis), are on a plane headed for the Big Apple to look into this opportunity of a lifetime.When their plane lands in New York, however, it's as if the wheels touching the runway triggers something in the cosmos alerting Murphy (whoever he is), who instantly puts his "Law" into effect. And, as Dinah Washington once said in a song, "Now it begins--" In this case, one cliche after another, all falling into place like dominoes during a tournament in the park. Missing luggage; a problem with their hotel accommodations-- as in, they have no reservation; being taken advantage of by a stranger, a native New Yorker looking for an easy mark; getting mugged; a broken tooth. Think of anything that could possibly go wrong, and it's in here. And you know what? it's funny stuff. Under Hiller's steady, if not too imaginative direction, cliche-ridden as it may be, this comedy works, and the reason can be summed up in two words: Jack Lemmon. The whole concept of the story is tried and true, but tired; and this is definitely not one of Simon's best efforts (good as it is). But Lemmon immerses himself in his character, takes the laughing ball and runs with it, and makes even the most weathered and worn situations seem fresh and new. And, most importantly, he's going to make you laugh, which in the end is what this movie is all about in the first place. What makes Lemmon so successful is that chameleon-like quality of his that enables him to become whatever character it is that he's creating. His creations may share that frustrated stammer and that tendency toward animated behavior that is so "Lemmon," but beyond and beneath that, he has the ability to bring a definite sensibility to his characters that makes each of them unique. Here, you believe that George is a lifelong Midwesterner, and it shows in his entire countenance: His manner, attitude, body language and approach to everything he encounters in the Big City. George, however, is not your typical wide-eyed, naive and overwhelmed country-bumpkin-come-to-the-city. Instead, Lemmon creates a very real sense of an average guy facing a new experience in his life-- one that just happens to go completely awry. And by developing a character grounded in reality, he makes the humor work; it gives the audience someone to whom they can relate. It's something that Lemmon does so well, and he makes it look so easy while he's doing it. As Gwen, Sandy Dennis is pointedly droll, so low-keyed in the face of their predicaments, in fact, that it would not have been out of character had George checked for her pulse occasionally. Her performance is fairly "theatrical," more conducive to the stage than film, but in contrast to Lemmon's antics, it somehow becomes quite viable, and actually turns out to be one of the memorable aspects of the film. When you think about George later, you're going to have to think about Gwen, too. Gwen serves as something of a sounding board for George, a mirror in which his frustrations are reflected and enhanced. Ultimately, her non-expressiveness itself becomes an expression of her character, and though Gwen comes across as more caricature than character, within the context of the material, it works. And, as Lemmon's counterpoint, she plays it very well, and pulls it off without a hitch. In addition to Lemmon's presence, one of the things that makes this film so funny is the accessibility of the characters; it is so easy to project yourself into their situation, and sharing their misadventures through the magic of film makes it hilarious. And you can empathize with George and Gwen, because down deep you realize that actually having to live through such an ordeal would be anything BUT funny. It IS fun, however, to experience it from the comfort of your own living room. The supporting cast includes Sandy Baron (Lenny Moyers), Anne Meara (Woman In Police Station), Robert Nichols (Passenger), Ann Prentiss (Stewardess), Ron Carey (Cab Driver), Philip Bruns (Officer Meyers), Graham Jarvis (Murray), Carlos Montalban (Manuel), Billy Dee Williams (Clifford), Richard Libertini (Railway Porter) and Paul Dooley (Day Porter). After seeing this movie, who would ever be able to forget George, finally at the end of his rope, standing in the middle of the street, refusing to give up and railing at the city itself, challenging it to take it's best shot at him. And that's just one of the many moments that makes "The Out-of-Towners" such a delight, no matter how many times you watch it. At times, the humor is a bit acerbic; but in the final analysis, this is a film that's going to connect with just about any audience. It's the magic of the movies; but more than that, it's the magic of a terrific actor named Jack Lemmon.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but you just want to shoot the both of them.
Review: Having successfully avoided the apparent train wreck of a remake of this starring Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn, I thought I'd rent the original Neil Simon film starring Jack Lemmon and Sandy Dennis to see what caused such a fuss as to remake it after such a short period of time.
Jack and Sandy are on their way to New York city from the suburbs, to see about Jack taking a big job there. Suffice it to say, everything that can go wrong does go wrong, and the two are trapped in hell, trying to survive the night before his interview in the morning.
This is considered to be classic dark comedy, that will be annoying to some and funny as heck to others. I think I fell in between the two. Jack Lemmon is such an ass, and his wife such a dunderhead, that it's hard to have much sympathy for either one. As their problems pile up, it's all too obvious that the cause is mainly his own agonizing egotism, being thrown as the small fish into the huge pond. New York chews up and spits out idiots like this daily, and rightly so. Beyond this criticism (coming from a city boy, admittedly), there are some genuinely funny moments here and chuckle worthy constant prattle back and forth between the always talented Lemmon and the creepy huge-gummed Dennis. Still, I felt the "lost in NY hell" story was much better and sympathetically told, as well as more funny in Martin Scorscese's superior "After Hours".
Rating:
Summary: Feels Like This To All Sheltered Life First Time Traveler's!
Review: I always loved, The Out Of Towners. I saw it first as a movie of the week when I was in high school or there abouts and I saw it as just plain funny and interesting. Gave me lots of insights into humans and their odd ways but thats all until I had my own first adventure on my own in a big city. I recently had to visit New York City on my own for business after living a very sheltered life. OyVey the things the Out Of Towners prepared me for. That movie just means so much to me now that I have personally experienced the full weight of feelings as the characters in the movie. Of course I did not have the comedic bad luck at every turn they did thank you but, I sure had my moments. I guess I am saying once you have traveled this movie is even funnier as life in a new world not your own is a strange experience. The movie is a light hearted fast paced rollercoaster ride of events that occur to a happless but far from helpless midwest couple visiting New York City. The city never turns a cold shoulder to them but never exactly warms up to them either. With relative good cheer and true midwest grit the intrepid couple deal with thugs, exploding man hole covers, rude hotel staff and one misunderstanding after another in a way both real and funny. The husband is just confused you know the way Lemmon plays it. The wife is just whiney enough to be real but never nerve wracking. There is lots of physical humor and running jokes throuhout the picture. The picture is not high art and does not pretend to be. This is a movie you watch just to laugh at the madcap humor that life sometimes can just spew out to hit the a first time traveler. I loved it so much I brought it and do not regret my selection one bit. Its every bit as funny today as it was when I first set eyes upon it in prehistrotic times of my youth.
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