Ex-Vaudeville sensation Walter Matthau spends his days ruining auditions, driving his agent/nephew Richard Benjamin to distraction and making life distinctly unpleasant for anyone who entered his orbit. A chance comes to appear on a variety show celebrating comedy throughout the ages, but only if Matthau reunites with his former partner, George Burns, who he has not spoken to for decades.
When they say they don't make 'em like they used to, in this case it is a blessing. I am hard-pressed to think of any other playwrights/screenwriters whose material has aged as badly as Neil Simon. When Simon penned the script for The Marrying Man, Kim Basinger was derided by the press for being astounded at how unfunny the screenplay was... until people actually saw the product and realized she was correct. Even Simon's best material seems positively dated and comes off as either an interesting time capsule, a quaint bit of inoffensive candy or a complete dud. The Sunshine Boys is the latter.
Director Herbert Ross does little to open up the show from its stage origins, so there is little cinematic about it. Much of the action unfolds in Matthau's cluttered claustrophobic apartment. Everyone keep mentioning what comedic legends Matthau and Burns were as a duo, but we never get to see it or experience it. Their one rehearsal never gets off the ground to give us a taste of anything. When they finally get before the cameras, what little we see is a stale unfunny doctor's sketch complete with a busty nurse that is constantly interrupted by Matthau's tantrums. We never get to see any kind of indication of why these former partners were purportedly so funny and that is a real problem.
Worse, Matthau's performance is excruciating. He does nothing to make his character likable or even caustically amusing. He is just a deplorable, unappealing wretch who thrives on making everyone around him miserable. He deliberately botches his auditions by refusing to learn the lines, not taking direction, driving the producers and his nephew crazy, being mean and hateful, and then acting stunned when no one wants to work with him. He relentlessly browbeats his nephew and derides his efforts to get him much needed work, he deliberately gets the names wrong of his family members, he blames everyone else for his own stupidity and errors, acts like a bigot with the Latino doorman, insults the black nurse that has done nothing to deserve it, and threatens Burns with a butcher knife. It is a hammy, uncontrolled dreadful performance pitched to the high heavens without an ounce of subtlety and no indication of genuine humor, much less warmth. Matthau genuinely seems to detest Burns here and there is no character arc where that changes at any point. Then again, Matthau's character seems to actively detest the human race.
Benjamin apparently is inspired by Matthau because he elevates his own manic overacting to the stratosphere as well. Benjamin was rarely if ever restrained in much of anything and sympathy is certainly on his side here as the beleaguered nephew/agent, but he ends up being as aggravating in his own right as Matthau.
Conversely, the film's one bright spot is Burns. Burns was never previously given much credit as a performer - looked upon primarily as being a straight man for the comedic talents of his wife Gracie Allen. Here Burns is a like an island of calm in a see of raging crap. Where Matthau is nasty and excruciating, Burns is laid back and droll. We could easily see Burns as a Vaudeville legend, but it is impossible to see him as a partner for Matthau. Burns comes off as a real professional and we can understand why he would retire early to escape from Matthau's one man wrecking ball. The film would have functioned better with Burns as the main character, but he arrives over 30 minutes in, allowing Matthau enough time to poison the well of the film.
When they say they don't make 'em like they used to, in this case it is a blessing. I am hard-pressed to think of any other playwrights/screenwriters whose material has aged as badly as Neil Simon. When Simon penned the script for The Marrying Man, Kim Basinger was derided by the press for being astounded at how unfunny the screenplay was... until people actually saw the product and realized she was correct. Even Simon's best material seems positively dated and comes off as either an interesting time capsule, a quaint bit of inoffensive candy or a complete dud. The Sunshine Boys is the latter.
Director Herbert Ross does little to open up the show from its stage origins, so there is little cinematic about it. Much of the action unfolds in Matthau's cluttered claustrophobic apartment. Everyone keep mentioning what comedic legends Matthau and Burns were as a duo, but we never get to see it or experience it. Their one rehearsal never gets off the ground to give us a taste of anything. When they finally get before the cameras, what little we see is a stale unfunny doctor's sketch complete with a busty nurse that is constantly interrupted by Matthau's tantrums. We never get to see any kind of indication of why these former partners were purportedly so funny and that is a real problem.
Worse, Matthau's performance is excruciating. He does nothing to make his character likable or even caustically amusing. He is just a deplorable, unappealing wretch who thrives on making everyone around him miserable. He deliberately botches his auditions by refusing to learn the lines, not taking direction, driving the producers and his nephew crazy, being mean and hateful, and then acting stunned when no one wants to work with him. He relentlessly browbeats his nephew and derides his efforts to get him much needed work, he deliberately gets the names wrong of his family members, he blames everyone else for his own stupidity and errors, acts like a bigot with the Latino doorman, insults the black nurse that has done nothing to deserve it, and threatens Burns with a butcher knife. It is a hammy, uncontrolled dreadful performance pitched to the high heavens without an ounce of subtlety and no indication of genuine humor, much less warmth. Matthau genuinely seems to detest Burns here and there is no character arc where that changes at any point. Then again, Matthau's character seems to actively detest the human race.
Benjamin apparently is inspired by Matthau because he elevates his own manic overacting to the stratosphere as well. Benjamin was rarely if ever restrained in much of anything and sympathy is certainly on his side here as the beleaguered nephew/agent, but he ends up being as aggravating in his own right as Matthau.
Conversely, the film's one bright spot is Burns. Burns was never previously given much credit as a performer - looked upon primarily as being a straight man for the comedic talents of his wife Gracie Allen. Here Burns is a like an island of calm in a see of raging crap. Where Matthau is nasty and excruciating, Burns is laid back and droll. We could easily see Burns as a Vaudeville legend, but it is impossible to see him as a partner for Matthau. Burns comes off as a real professional and we can understand why he would retire early to escape from Matthau's one man wrecking ball. The film would have functioned better with Burns as the main character, but he arrives over 30 minutes in, allowing Matthau enough time to poison the well of the film.