Escapade à New York

I've been reading some of the comments for this film, and I can't understand those who don't find it funny. Apparently they've never traveled or have never experienced a modicom of mess while traveling (and I LOVE to travel), or, have simply never had a really bad 48 hours, doing whatever! Lemmon's shear repetition of wanting to get everyone's phone number and address is hysterical, because through his fatigue in trying to cope with one problem after another in The Big Apple, he still finds the strength to take down everyone's name and number, and promises to retaliate at a later point in time. Sandy Dennis is a perfect, calm, albeit understandably very fatigued, foil for Lemmon's frustrated and hyper New Yorker-wannabe. For me, she's always a gem to watch.

The scene in which Lemmon loses a tooth, followed by losing his hearing, followed by the ability to hear only every other word spoken, is quietly hysterical. Also very funny is his scene in the park "talking" to a little boy....that's all I'll say about that one. Overall, if you're in the mood for observing high-speed neurosis, played to comedic perfection by the inimitable Jack Lemmon, watch this film, and enjoy.

I didn't appreciate this film until I saw the updated version. This film starring Jack Lemmon and Sandy Dennis as Ohio visitors to New York City. The trip is nearly disastrous from the moment that they get off the airplane. Of course, this film is one of Neil Simon's better works. The couple lose their luggage, get robbed, and don't have a clue about the way that the city works. George is here for a job interview and has high hopes of moving to the city with his wife, kids, and dogs. He has a romanticized notion of New York City that he sees in the films and television shows. Being there is different from just the movies, I think the ending speaks for itself. New York City is not for everyone but it's how they came to the realization of how tough it is to be New Yorker and even the ending is something that could have generated a sequel.

I sat down at my computer, intent on writing a brief review of 'The Out of Towners (1970).' I figured it would take about thirty minutes to complete the review, and so planned my night accordingly. At first everything went to plan, and I remained on schedule; then – with a dull droning sound, like that of a whimpering animal – my computer suddenly took it upon itself to shut down for no apparent reason. With a light curse, I leaned across and rebooted it, and this time we got as far as the Windows welcome screen. Then the lights flickered brightly, and I was suddenly plunged into darkness; the power was out. Reflecting that perhaps it was only a problem with my own fusebox, I stepped out and circled around to the back of the house, where I fumbled somewhat pathetically with a few of the electrical dials. Just as I was heading inside, the power clicked back on, something in the fusebox sparked, and, before long, my entire home was ablaze… and nary a firetruck in sight.

'The Out of Towners (1970)' might just be the most frustrating film I've ever seen. Whatever can go wrong will go wrong, and at the worst possible time, in the worst possible way. For a cocky businessman (Jack Lemmon) and his neglected wife (Sandy Dennis), a meticulously-planned trip to New York City is first disrupted by a seemingly-minor delay, which gradually blossoms into a fully-fledged urban disaster. With an important business interview scheduled for 9:00AM the following morning, George Kellerman must endure every difficulty known to Mankind, including the input of mousy wife, Gwen, with whom he is forced to form a shaky alliance. Flight delays, lost baggage, monsoon weather, muggings, kidnappings, city-wide transit strikes, vicious dogs, gas explosions – nothing is neglected, and George shouts himself hoarse throughout the proceedings, declaring his intentions to sue everybody whom he perceives as having contributed to his awful string of bad luck. Even God has seemingly neglected the pair, who are unceremoniously dismissed from a church by an unapologetic news camera crew.

Lemmon and Dennis are very entertaining in the main roles, and the various supporting performances complement the story perfectly. It's interesting to note how the husband-and-wife relationship shifts constantly as they are confronted by each new setback: at first, George is rather dismissive of his wife, using her primarily to "verify" facts to be later used in the courtroom. Though she subsequently commits some rather foolish acts, such as handing over George's $200 watch to a strange caped man, the couple do eventually acquire a mutual respect towards each other. Neil Simon's story might also be interpreted as a critique of modern society, in which citizens in the bustling metropolises are unwilling to offer help to those in need of their assistance. Burdened by his own hefty share of difficulties, George is quickly consumed by the selfishness of the city and comes to care only for his own wellbeing. Gwen, however, retains her sense of moral rectitude and pauses to care for a lost boy in Central Park. Remind me never to go to New York.

I have a special name this genre--I call these "going to hell in a handbasket" (or just "hell handbasket") films. They are defined by taking "average Joes", often a bit timid at first, and setting them at odds against the world--initially through no, or at least relatively little, fault of their own--in an increasing spiral of dilemmas from which extrication seems impossible. The more they try to dig themselves out of a hole, the further they fall in. "Hell handbasket" films are often comedies, but need not be. Famous examples of the genre include After Hours (1985), Very Bad Things (1998), and My Boss' Daughter (2003). An even greater number of films have elements of the "hell handbasket" genre, combined with other genres, such as Suicide Kings (1997), Killing Zoe (1994) and Neighbors (1981). Because I really like what I consider nihilism in films, the "hell handbasket" genre is one of my favorites.

I bring all of this up, of course, because The Out of Towners is one of the earliest examples, if not the first full fledged "hell handbasket" film. Even if not the first, it is certainly one of the most influential. It may not be one of the best films of the genre any longer, but only because its successors have taken its pioneering lead and upped the ante. Still, the final verdict for me at this point in time is a B, or an 8. That, plus its historical importance, makes it well worth watching.

George (Jack Lemmon) and Gwen Kellerman (Sandy Dennis) are on their way from Twin Oaks, Ohio to New York City--George is up for a big job promotion. His company wants to make him Vice President of the head office in Manhattan. George is naturally a bit neurotic and obsessive/compulsive, and in order to make sure everything goes like clockwork, he has the trip planned out to the last minute.

Of course, things start going wrong, beginning with the flight to New York, which is first put into a holding pattern because of excessive traffic, then later sent to Boston because of the weather. They arrive in Boston hours late, and there is little chance they can get to New York City on time. Despite his planning ahead, it looks unlikely that George will be at his interview with the company President at 9:00 a.m. sharp the next morning.

If The Out of Towners has a flaw, it's that there are slight logical problems when it comes to the Kellermans getting into their increasingly difficult conundrums. A number of times viewers will find themselves asking questions like, "Wait, aren't their buses to New York City from Boston?" Or, "Why would they trust Murray (Graham Jarvis)?" Director Arthur Hiller, writer Neil Simon, and Lemmon and Dennis try to justify these decisions through characterization. George goes from neurotic and self-righteous to even more neurotic and self-righteous, which most of the time is sufficient support for him not always thinking rationally. Dennis goes from cool and collected (or at least she projects as much initially) to irritable, a bit panicky, and generally paranoid and put-off by the city. Still, there are times when the characterization isn't quite in tune with the characters' decisions. It doesn't happen too often, but often enough. Since this aspect is an extremely important element of "hell handbasket" films, it caused me to bring my rating down a point.

On the other hand, it's clear that Hiller and Simon aren't always shooting for a straightforward, literal film. In many ways, The Out of Towners is something of a New York City parable. Most of the elements that make the city a challenge are present--including dilemmas of transportation, the high cost of living, the difficulty of finding readily available and amenable services, strikes, bureaucracy, crime, trusting fellow citizens, the mostly aloof treatment of crazies, protests, social and ethnic conflicts, and so on. By the end of the film, it's no longer just a race to get to a job interview on time; it's a "universal" conflict of man against New York City.

George ends up yelling at the city in the middle of the street, "You won't beat me!"--even though he looks defeated. We could almost call it a love story for New York, although maybe only people who have lived in New York for an extended length of time would understand that. Since the Kellermans were out-of-towners, that might help justify the ending, which is otherwise inexplicable to New Yorkers. At any rate, if you're curious about what it's like to live in New York, watch The Out of Towners back-to-back with something like Woody Allen's Manhattan (1979). Even though both films are around 30 years old, the combination gives a good idea of the joys and joyous frustrations of living in the city.

Like usual, maybe I'm being overly analytical or abstract for many folks. So back to the basics. More often than not, the Out of Towners is funny--maybe not always tears-rolling-down-your-cheek funny, but at least chuckle-funny. When it's not funny, it's usually a joy to watch Lemmon's performance. Dennis can be more challenging for many viewers (quite a few people, including my wife, found her more annoying during the later portion of the film), but for me, her character worked as a good combination of foil and catalyst for Lemmon, even if she was something like a slightly toned-down Fran Drescher in "The Nanny" (1993).

Overall, the film works well enough to strongly recommend it, especially to Lemon fans, fans of comedies of this era, and fans of "hell handbasket" films, even if you didn't know you were one before you read this review.

Hilarious Neil Simon comedy, that is, if you can tune into 80-minutes of what-else-can-go-wrong laughs. Seems upscale Lemmon and wife Dennis have to get from Ohio to NYC to accept his big time new job. Okay, no problem; except, the flight is detoured to Boston; there's a wrong train to NY; they're mugged in the city; then there's no room at their hotel, and a rain half-drowns them, etc., etc., etc. Like a string of slippery pearls, it's one adversity after another, and a real tribute to both performers that the frustrations are made amusing rather than off-putting. One thing for sure-- the flick's no valentine to NYC.

Happily, no one could do jangled nerves better than the comedic Lemmon, while Dennis offers perfectly measured support. Together, they bring off the challenge with artful flair. The rest of the cast appear only momentarily as our benighted twosome move from one frustration to the next. In many years of movie viewing, I've seen nothing like this daring storyline. All in all, it's tricky material done slickly and to the proverbial T. Meanwhile, I won't be going to NY any time soon, and if I do, I'll take a fat paper pad for all the names I'll have to sue to get there. Many thanks, Jack and Sandy.