The Odd Couple: Together Again

Randall and Klugman retain their chemistry. A lot of plot holes and inconsistencies, but that was always the case. Nice surprise to see Myrna and Speed again. My biggest complaint is the background music. I think this would play better with no music. As well, the added drama is unnecessary. It remains one of the best comedies of all time.

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!

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.

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.

"The Odd Couple: Together Again" is a reunion movie for a 1970s TV series. This came out during a period in which quite a few TV shows of the 1960s-70s were having reunion movies....mostly very bad ones. The worst were "The Beverly Hillbillies" and "Green Acres" because so many of the original actors were dead...or just looked dead on the screen. But the rest were, in general, a bad lot...such as "Return to Mayberry" and "Leave it to Beaver"...in which June talks to Ward by talking to his gravestone! A most cringe-worthy scene indeed!

So, is "The Odd Couple: Together Again" any different or is it just another painful and forced reunion? Well, at the outset it was hindered a bit as a few of the series regulars were not in the film...and although John Fiedler (Vinnie), Al Molinaro (Murray) and Janis Hansen (Gloria) were alive, they didn't participate in the project and I have no idea why.

The story is has two main plots. First, Felix is still with Gloria following the final episode of the series. But, his daughter is getting married and he's driving his 'Gloria' crazy....so she sends him to temporarily live with Oscar. As for Oscar, he's just had throat cancer surgery and he just wants to have EVERYONE leave him alone. Felix, on the other hand, won't let Oscar shut out the world and spends much of the film working hard to get Oscar involved with life.

So is it any good? Well, as far as the set goes, yes. Although the original sets no longer existed, they did a good job of recreating the first set from the old series. As far as actors go, I mentioned above that they lacked all the old actors...but I admire them for including Klugman and not shying away from his real life throat surgeries. He sounded like a gravely frog but was understandable and I'm glad he was in the movie...although it was a bit sad to watch as well. As for Tony Randall, he WAS Felix in every possible way and did a great job.

This brings us to the most important aspect of this made for TV movie....the plot. It's not as funny as the shows, which is understandable considering the throat cancer theme! Making it as funny would have been difficult...and a bit tacky. But it was poignant and sweet...which works for me.

Apparently, this project as well as a traveling show, were pet projects for Randall...as the way he acts in the film is similar to their real life relationship. In real life, he tried his best to help Klugman get out of the house and face the world...which was very sweet. Overall, a surprisingly good reunion movie even if it's not the comedy most would expect.