Ennemis comme avant

This is a ying versus yang personality clash that worked for many years on the big stage as a successful vaudeville comedy duo who were at the top of their respective games for decades but as with any good wine it will eventually go bad if left in the proverbial sun too long. Willy Clark (Walter Matthau) and Al Lewis (George Burns) begrudgingly agree at the bequest of Willy's stage manager nephew Ben Clark (Richard Benjamin) to get together for a reunion performance of their greatest comedy skits. Both aging comedians blame the other one for their eventual falling out so the feat of getting them back on the same stage is left to Willy's nephew Ben.

Willy is a crusty old "glass half empty" entertainer who likes to feel like he is the main attraction while his old comedy partner Al is a more confident and healthier "glass half full" entertainer.

The film was originally a stage production of Neil Simon and brought back to the big screen and directed with some down to earth pizazz by director Herbert Ross. It's alight hearted message that still resonates almost fifty (50) years later with the message for all old friends which is "let bygones be bygones". Most film goers were rooting for these two old octogenarian vaudeville performers to reconcile and make one big splash on the live stage.

No spoilers here. It's a warm hearted with good intentions film well worth watching at least twice. I give it a 7 out of 10 IMDB rating.

The Sunshine Boys is one of my favorite feel good movies. I first saw it when it as the Christmas attraction at Radio City Music Hall when it first came out and loved it ever since. I ended up seeing it 6 times in the theaters, and if it was playing today I'd go out to see it again.

Now a lot of the reviews here mentioned the wonderful performances of the leads. Matthau was brilliant, but had the misfortune of being nominated against Jack Nicholson's Oscar winning performance of Randall P. MacMurphy in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's nest. Burns did win, though Richard Benjiman deserved at least to be nominated as well. Even the smallest roles were played to perfection, like Fritz Feld auditioning for the potato chips commercial.

Which brings me to my reason for reviewing this film, the direction of the greatly underrated Herbert Ross. Ross who previously brought a two person play, "The Owl And The Pussycat" to the screen and made a full movie out of it, does it again. He opens the plays out without making them look like a photographic stage play. He fleashens out the story and the characters.

Here we're 20 minutes into the film before we get to the scene that opens the play, where Ben Clark comes to see his uncle and tell him about the comedy special. Though there are dialogue from the play during the first twenty minutes, the sequence itself is totally new. A few years ago I did see at the broadway revival of the play with Jack Klugman and Tony Randall, which was wonderful. But I think that Ross and screenwriter, playwright Simon improved on it. It's just a wonderful film.

Superb version of the early 1970's comedy by Neil Simon about two aging comics, who hate each other, who try to patch up their relationship for a comedy tribute. Matthau is right on, but it's Burns who steals scene after scene. Just watching all that talent makes the picture! Richard Benjamin is also very good as Matthau's agent and nephew. Keep an eye out for F. Murray Abraham and Howard Hessemen.

Taking over roles that Jack Albertson and Sam Levene played on Broadway, Walter Matthau and George Burns play a couple of old time vaudeville comics, a team in the tradition of Joe Smith and Charles Dale who seem to have a differing outlook on life.

Walter Matthau can't stop working, the man has never learned to relax, take some time and smell the roses. He's a crotchety old cuss whose best days are behind him and his nephew and agent Richard Benjamin is finding less and less work for him.

What hurt him badly was that some 15 years earlier his partner George Burns decided to retire and spend some time with his family. A workaholic like Matthau can't comprehend it and take Burns's decision personally.

Benjamin hits on a brain storm, reunite the guys and do it on a national television special. What happens here is pretty hilarious.

The Sunshine Boys is also a sad, bittersweet story as well about old age. Matthau is on screen for most of the film, but it's Burns who got the kudos in the form of an Oscar at the ripe old age of 79.

Burns brought a bit of the personal into this film as well. As we all know he was the straight man of the wonderful comedy team of Burns&Allen who the Monty Python troop borrowed a lot from. In 1958 due to health reasons, Gracie Allen retired and George kept going right up to the age of 100. Or at least pretty close to as an active performer.

The Sunshine Boys is based on the team of Smith&Dale however and if you like The Sunshine Boys I strongly recommend you see Two Tickets to Broadway for a look at a pair of guys who were entertaining the American public at the turn of the last century. The doctor sketch that Matthau and Burns do is directly from their material.

And I do think you will like The Sunshine Boys.

This is an amazing accomplishment for George Burns. He had not made a film for almost 40 years and had never really acted before, and yet he gave one of the most moving performances I have ever seen in a motion picture. He was the oldest performer to ever win an Academy Award for best supporting actor and I think it would behoove acting students to study his wonderful performance. Neil Simon is one of my favorite writers and I think this is his best work. Burns and Matthau make movie magic and it is a delight from start to finish to see these two old pros at work.