Kotch

In Kotch (1971), Walter Matthau plays the title character, Joseph P. Kotcher, a retired senior citizen, who finds out, that his family wants him to move to an old-folks home, so he sets out onto a road-trip to get away. He befriends a young, pregnant woman, who he helps navigate, the tough road to birth. Larry Linville, a year before MASH (1972-1983), in a brief performance, plays one of the pivotal characters in Kotch (1971). He is the brother (Peter) and guardian, of Deborah Winters', pregnant-teen character, Erica Herzenstiel. In order for Erica, while pregnant, to achieve certain financial benchmarks, that she needs in her life, she has to get Peter's approval. You know, important stuff, like medical bills and the rent, money, which Kotch lends to her, while he helps her learn how to breathe. Kotch (1971), was nominated for four Oscars, including the Best Actor Oscar for Matthau.

This film is obviously a star-vehicle for Matthau. It is definitely his show. All popular actors in Hollywood, get film projects, that are movies about one central character. Films, that are cast with those popular actors, along with a bunch of other secondary, less-popular, character actors. Probably the next popular actor in Kotch (1971), is Charles Aidman, who plays Kotch's son, Gerald. Some viewers may know Aidman, but no one under the age of 35 would know him. Aidman didn't do many movies, but you may recognize him from his extensive television career. Kotch (1971), was an interesting departure for Walter Matthau, compared to the more, normal type-of roles he does. It is a very subtle story with very subtle performances. The film needed more energy. There are moments in the film, that could accidentally, put some viewers to sleep.

Kotch (1971), is a light-hearted comedy-drama, in the fact, that it isn't a brutal, knock-down, type-of story. It doesn't try to hit you with huge comedy moments and it doesn't try to give you a downer of a drama. It's just a film about, mostly normal people, doing mostly normal things in life. It is a fitting story for director Jack Lemmon, who has acted in dozens of films like this. The music by Marvin Hamlisch, was also nominated for an Oscar. You can clearly tell its his soundtrack too. The 1970s feel of Kotch (1971), is great, especially with that classic, gritty 1970s film-stock. It has that classic subtle feeling of old Hollywood, combined with the strength of modern cinema, which was what 1970s cinema was all about. The dawn of modern cinema. I only wish the film had a faster pace and more energy.

PMTM Grade: 6.5 (C-) = 7 IMDB.

I had not seen Kotch for a long time before viewing my VHS copy today and I was really moved with how good it was. Too bad Jack Lemmon never wanted to try directing again. Maybe had the film won an Oscar or two, he could have been persuaded to try.

I think I finally figured out who Walter Matthau modeled his Oscar nominated performance on, it's Casey Stengel. Casey without the double-talk, but the same non-stop garrulousness that I remember from my youth.

But Casey had his captive audience of baseball writers and fans. Poor Joseph Kotcher is a retired salesman who lives with his son and his family. Though he's an excellent babysitter for his young grandson, he's generally underfoot according to his daughter-in-law Felicia Farr. Son Charles Aidman gently persuades him he ought to move into a retirement home.

But Matthau is just a lonely old man, looking for someone to bond with. He finds someone quite unlikely in the person of Deborah Winters, the new babysitter who finds herself pregnant by her boyfriend Darrell Larson. She moves in with him and not in a retirement home and they have some interesting experiences.

Matthau lost the Best Actor Award to Gene Hackman and Kotch similarly lost as Best Picture to The French Connection. Still I think this one has stood the test of time a lot better.

Marvin Hamlisch and Johnny Mercer wrote the song Life Is What You Make It for Kotch and it lost for Best Song to the Theme from Shaft. That one was truly unfortunate.

Kotch is a picture about the person who's your grandfather, old and a bit crotchety and some times a pain in the posterior as Deborah Winters says. But he's also the one with enough life experience to come through in the clutch.

Come to think of it, one of the things that drove Deborah crazy was his insistence on a car with an old fashioned clutch as opposed to automatic transmission.

Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau were one of cinema's most notable teams. They co-starred in a number of comedies over the years, always entertaining audiences. But there was also a time that Lemmon stepped behind the camera. The result was "Kotch", based on a book by Katharine Topkins. Matthau plays an elderly man in the LA area who feels useless in the changing world. His son and daughter-in-law consider him a nuisance, but he would rather not spend the rest of his life in a retirement home. But his life takes a new turn when he hooks up with a young pregnant woman.

We're used to seeing Matthau play curmudgeons, but here his character gets a new outlook on life. There's a scene towards the end that's a shocker (let's just say that Walter Matthau is the last person whom you'd picture doing that). All in all, a good movie. Not a masterpiece, but I still recommend it.

Jack Lemmon did an excellent job with this script and produced a very entertaining movie with an unforeseeable ending. Matthau is outstanding as usual and his fate keeps viewers in suspense until the end. I recommend it to young and old.

What a wonderful movie. For a change,Walter Matthau plays a sympathetic rather than a cantankerous character. He is just wonderful here in his Oscar nominated performance.

What makes the movie so good is that it doesn't really stress the attempt of his son and daughter-in-law to put him in a home and then show the misery of homes. Rather,it deals with the coming of life anew for Matthau when he takes a profound interest in the very pregnant babysitter for his grandson. What an interesting idea and it is so well developed.

Deborah Winters gives a fantastic supporting performance as the pregnant girl,orphaned, raised by an uncaring brother who finds meaning in her life when she aided by Kotch.

There is a totally winning song dealing with what you do with your life.

This film was definitely an under-rated gem. Too bad.