Both IMDb and Wikipedia calls this a straight-up comedy. I call it a comedy-drama, because it works better that way. While more plainly joking than The King of Comedy, it feels pretty dour much of the time, as I suspected from the title.
Aged vaudevillian Willy Clark (Walter Matthau) wants to remain in show business despite having become nearly impossible to direct. His nephew, Ben (Richard Benjamin), also serves as his thankless agent. Ben finally gets him a role on a retrospective TV special, but Willy is extremely reluctant to reunite with estranged partner Al Lewis (George Burns) for even one reprisal of their classic "doctor sketch."
Showing posts with label walter matthau. Show all posts
Showing posts with label walter matthau. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 13, 2026
Friday, June 5, 2020
Lonely Are the Brave (1962)
In the 1980 Sam Shepherd play True West, aspiring screenwriter Lee calls this the last great western, but his description makes it sound awkward if not ridiculous. When I noticed that the movie was popular anyway, I decided to find out whether he was accurate or just foolish as usual.
In modern New Mexico, cowhand Jack (Kirk Douglas) deliberately goes to jail in order to bust out a friend, Paul (Michael Kane), only to find that Paul would rather stay. Jack breaks loose within the day and flees to the mountains on horseback while authorities, most notably Sheriff Johnson (Walter Matthau), hunt him.
In modern New Mexico, cowhand Jack (Kirk Douglas) deliberately goes to jail in order to bust out a friend, Paul (Michael Kane), only to find that Paul would rather stay. Jack breaks loose within the day and flees to the mountains on horseback while authorities, most notably Sheriff Johnson (Walter Matthau), hunt him.
Saturday, January 6, 2018
Mirage (1965)
Judging from Hollywood, people in past decades (hopefully not today) had an overly broad idea of what constitutes a mirage. To them, it wasn't just a natural optical illusion, as when a desert horizon appears to ripple like water; it could be a detailed hallucination brought on by stressful conditions, as when one sees a nonexistent lemonade stand in the desert. That must be the kind intended for the title of this movie, which takes place in New York City with no evidence of high heat and no dialog about mirages.
It is fitting that the picture begins with an evening blackout in a tall office building, wherein David Stillwell (Gregory Peck) notes that people often act more depraved in the dark. Little does he realize yet how much in the dark he is. First a friendly woman named Shela (Diane Baker) has trouble believing that he doesn't recognize her; later, he can't find the path where he thought he followed her. He also has unfamiliar criminal enemies who expect him to have something of value to them. Is he losing his mind? Does he have amnesia, exacerbated by false memories for some reason? Or is there a conspiracy to make him think so?
It is fitting that the picture begins with an evening blackout in a tall office building, wherein David Stillwell (Gregory Peck) notes that people often act more depraved in the dark. Little does he realize yet how much in the dark he is. First a friendly woman named Shela (Diane Baker) has trouble believing that he doesn't recognize her; later, he can't find the path where he thought he followed her. He also has unfamiliar criminal enemies who expect him to have something of value to them. Is he losing his mind? Does he have amnesia, exacerbated by false memories for some reason? Or is there a conspiracy to make him think so?
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