They don’t come
any faster or crazier than The Out-of-Towners. This 1970 film follows a
couple having an unbelievably bad day, which turns into a bad night and
continues into the next day. Even when you think it’s over, their bad luck runs
all the way to the very end of the movie.
This comedy was written by Neil Simon, the man behind The Odd Couple franchise,
whose comic work isn’t just about making you laugh at the ridiculousness of
what’s happening, but also at the characters themselves.
The movie starts
with a bang. It seems plain and simple at first, but the moment things start
going wrong, you’re left asking yourself, “Can things get any worse than this?”
And they usually do. With George Kellerman (Jack Lemmon) wanting to sue
everyone, and his wife Gwen (Sandy Dennis), who remains a bit of a mystery even
by the end of the movie, the chaos is nonstop.
The plot begins
with George and Gwen heading to the airport for their flight from Ohio to New
York. George is being offered a job promotion there and is heading for the
interview. His goal is to get the job and move his family to New York for a
better life.
He’s always in a rush, pushing Gwen along and making it hard for her to eat or
do anything she wants. He’s planned every detail and expects her to be ready
for the lunch and dinner plans he’s made.
Things start to
go wrong when the plane has trouble landing in New York. George begins losing
his cool because his interview is at 9:00 a.m. the next day. Finally, they
land—but not in New York. They’re in Boston. Now, George must find a way to get
from Boston to New York by train, a feat that feels like a mountain for him and
his wife to climb.
They arrive in
New York only to discover their luggage has been lost by the airline, and their
hotel room has been given away because they didn’t call to hold their
reservation. But it doesn’t stop there for these two. With no accommodation,
they wrestle a dog for food, are chased by an officer who suspects them of
being pedophiles, and get mugged more than once.
The movie is
fun, and I can safely say it’s aged well. Some of the occurrences in the film
were in tune with the happenings in New York at the time. Take a dose of this
movie—you’ll be glad you did.
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