It has been said, Billy Wilder was Hollywood's most mischievous director. The truth is... all Wilder was doing was holding up a mirror so we could see our real selves. The truth may have been stretched a bit, but when you come down to it, he was on to something.
THE FORTUNE COOKIE kind of sums it all up with a neat take on whiplash attorneys (and you darn well know they are readily available at your fingertips!). Here, no-account Matthau has the perfect sap (Lemon) for a client, a Svengali-Trilby legal relationship if there ever was one. And it's hilarious, quite possibly because in our lives, at one time or another, we have heard of or have witnessed such shameless tactics put into action. Call in Billy Wilder to fill in the blanks, and that he did.
It's a very ingenious script, actually a black comedy on steroids that keeps on giving with hilarious one-liners and situations that are tried and true, which may be the real kicker. An interesting note, particularly for us devout filmgoers, is that THE FORTUNE COOKIE may have been a bridge to THE ODD COUPLE. The title characters were extremely similar. And who best to play the bickering twosome than Matthau and Lemon. And did we mention, divorced? Sure makes a lot of sense.
Just fun to watch, with a supporting cast that makes the most of their roles, especially Cliff Osmond as a Columbo-type insurance investigator who is "hot" on the trail and versatile Sig Ruman as the unconvinced "company doctor". What a trip this guy is!
Best line department: "Pray for him, sister!" as Matthau confronts a nun in Lemon's hospital room. PS: Don't forget the new Mustang! WOW.
Always on dvd and remastered blu ray for us armchair insurance investigators.
THE FORTUNE COOKIE kind of sums it all up with a neat take on whiplash attorneys (and you darn well know they are readily available at your fingertips!). Here, no-account Matthau has the perfect sap (Lemon) for a client, a Svengali-Trilby legal relationship if there ever was one. And it's hilarious, quite possibly because in our lives, at one time or another, we have heard of or have witnessed such shameless tactics put into action. Call in Billy Wilder to fill in the blanks, and that he did.
It's a very ingenious script, actually a black comedy on steroids that keeps on giving with hilarious one-liners and situations that are tried and true, which may be the real kicker. An interesting note, particularly for us devout filmgoers, is that THE FORTUNE COOKIE may have been a bridge to THE ODD COUPLE. The title characters were extremely similar. And who best to play the bickering twosome than Matthau and Lemon. And did we mention, divorced? Sure makes a lot of sense.
Just fun to watch, with a supporting cast that makes the most of their roles, especially Cliff Osmond as a Columbo-type insurance investigator who is "hot" on the trail and versatile Sig Ruman as the unconvinced "company doctor". What a trip this guy is!
Best line department: "Pray for him, sister!" as Matthau confronts a nun in Lemon's hospital room. PS: Don't forget the new Mustang! WOW.
Always on dvd and remastered blu ray for us armchair insurance investigators.