Um Estranho Casal: Juntos Novamente

Jack & Tony did well reprising their roles as expected but agreeably the absence of the true Murray the cop by Al Molinaro & The true other poker buddies was a big disappointment. Also agreeably Jack's throat cancer written into the script was well done too.Oscar not only also knew that Felix would return to Gloria some day as he had before and not just that but upon making it to his daughter's Wedding of which Felix was not aloud by Gloria to attend at first then Oscar made a speech that only he(Felix)was fit to give his own daughter away & so then lo and behold Felix showed up to replace Oscar of whom Gloria invited to replace Felix while they'd temporarily split up again and upon showing up they also got back together again.Oscar also even knew that if Gloria took him back before then she definitely would again.The Movie starts off in a similar way to the series original start of its 5 year run and in conclusion to asking can 2 divorced men share an apartment without driving each other crazy?(and then answered)Well yes and no as Oscar and Felix found out.Well yes something like that anyway. But for somethings like this you'll have to see them for yourself to understand the/my review a.k.a. What I say even better.

Truthfully,Stephen "Steve" G. Baer a.k.a. "Ste" of Framingham,Ma.USA

P.S.

I get Ste as the Result of My Big Brother J.Kevin being a year older than me and unable to Say Stephen at the time so Chances are that if you met anyone addressing himself as Ste before or after you've heard of me then Chances are that he copied me.

Most TV reunion movies do little more than reunite the original cast members and revisit the same story ideas that worked the first time around. After all, that's what the audience expects, right? You don't bring back everyone's beloved characters and have them doing UNfamiliar things on screen. Viewers like those characters for what they WERE, and they expect to see them repeat the same moves.

"Odd Couple: Together Again" exemplifies this in how Felix and Oscar are reunited in the same apartment (or at least, they CLAIM it's the same one), rehashing the "neat vs. sloppy" clash, among other events in their lives. Some of the scripted comedic lines are fairly amusing, while others are lukewarm and less sharp.

This TV movie's chief asset is a certain warmth that comes from seeing these familiar characters (and actors, for that matter) reunite. Watching them renew their ties of friendship and seeing them bond possesses more entertainment value than the jokes in the script, which are a decided mixed bag.

Gone are the brilliant wisecracks from the '70s show; since the original stable of Garry Marshall, Jerry Belson, Mark Rothman and Frank Buxton are nowhere to be found, we settle for the tone and pitch of writer-director Robert Klane. I think Klugman and Randall manage to carry the often tame material expertly.

Felix strolls through Oscar's messy bedroom for the first time in many years, and Felix comments on each item of garbage he finds. Again, it's a pleasant enough sequence, but in the hands of the old writers, it could've been much funnier.

Felix is noisily vacuuming in Oscar's living room at four in the morning, and when an angry, half-awake Oscar comes storming in, Felix pretends to open his eyes and says, "Oh ... OH! I must've been sleep-cleaning!" Oscar responds by doing some "sleep-messing" and then threatening "sleep-murder."

I could totally envision the old TV writers coming up with a hilarious tit-for-tat sequence instead, where Oscar could sneak in and unplug (or sabotage) the vacuum to set up a sight gag where the vacuum blows up in Felix's hand, or some similar sight gag that ends up with Felix fuming like it used to be. You get the idea.

The strength of Klane's effort lies in the more serious moments, not the least of which is dealing with Klugman's post cancer-surgery voice. Obviously, Klugman's scratchy, toneless rasp had to become Oscar's voice, and Klane gives Oscar some genuine emotionally touching moments. The idea of Felix helping him through his disheartening loss leads to some nice bonding moments, and again, they are much more effective than the comedic sequences in the film.

I'm guessing that this telefilm flopped. The reason I'm guessing that? Randall stated in an interview from many years ago that he and Klugman had "just made" a reunion movie (or something like that), and another Felix/Oscar movie was coming. It never came, obviously, so I can perceive that "Odd Couple: Together Again" just didn't have a strong creative or viewer-ratings impact.

Also, there is no DVD release. No VHS tape exists either. All five seasons of the original series are now available on disc, but "Odd Couple: Together Again" is not (as of this writing). I believe the film is flawed, but it's not deserving of the obscurity it seems to have achieved. It's OK! A mixed bag, to be sure, but definitely worthwhile.

Tony Randall and Jack Klugman made tv history with The Odd Couple. The chemistry between these two fine thespians is unbelievable, it is like Laurel and Hardy or Abbott and Costello. They were wonderful together on the tv series. Its a custom for them to do "reunion" movies for old tv shows and most of them usually fall like a pancake. It is true that Tony and Jack were old when this was made, but they were like a fine wine that only gets better with age. Yes! The chemistry was still there the spark was still there and the magic was still there. It was like they just picked up where they left off in 1975 (this film was made in 1993). Jack Klugman had had an operation for throat cancer that cost him one of his vocal cords and left him with an impaired voice. They wrote this into the story in a very tasteful manner. It was wonderful how it showed Felix helping Oscar come to copes with this. It was very touching and at one point Jack makes a very heartfelt speech to his poker buddies about how you can beat cancer and that he is still the same person. He was speaking right from the heart and I will tell you right now that it touched my heart. Jack Klugman gave hope and inspiration to so many other cancer victims by going on and speaking out (he has battled throat cancer for almost 30 years). This was a great reunion movie for these two giants. They probably had a ball making it and you will be glad that they took you along for the ride!

Tony Randall and Jack Klugman return as Oscar and Felix from the TV series. Twenty years have passed, and nothing has changed. Well, Klugman has had laryngeal surgery, so that's written into the story. And Randall's daughter, played by Pamelyn Ferdin in the show, has grown into Toni Kalem, who is about to be married. When Randall's insanity gets the wedding kicked out of the Plaza, Barbara Barrie, now playing his wife, kicks him out. So he goes to stay with Klugman.

By and large, it is an oversized episode of the 1970s show, with the usual neat/sloppy jokes, the poker game, and Penny Marshall reprising her role of Klugman's secretary. Clearly aimed at people who were nostalgic for what the network suits used to hyperventilate about because it was a coded gay comedy, it offers nothing new, and the pace lacks the snap of the TV series.

As a lover of the classic TV series, I had to watch this movie. When I watched it, I was badly disappointed. Randall and Klugman have aged and it really showed in their performances. Many of the original cast members were absent here and this also hurt. The plot was understandable, however the performances were not very good, especially by many of the substitute actors. Al Molanaro as Murry the cop was sorely missed as were many of Oscar and Felix's poker buddies. They managed to write Klugman's throat cancer into the script which helped a bit.

In summary, This TV movie was a far cry from the classic TV series and I would not recommend it.