OVP: The Fortune Cookie (1966)

Film: The Fortune Cookie (1966)
Stars: Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, Ron Rich, Judi West, Cliff Osmond
Director: Billy Wilder
Oscar History: 4 nominations/1 win (Best Supporting Actor-Walter Matthau*, Art Direction, Cinematography, Original Screenplay)
Snap Judgment Ranking: 4/5 stars

Few comic pairs have lit up the screen quite like Lemmon and Matthau.  I mean, how can they be both the Odd Couple AND Grumpy Old Men, and still have room for a half dozen other films.  Truly legends, and legends have to begin somewhere, so here we have it-the first of their eleven pairings together onscreen, The Fortune Cookie.

It seems appropriate that they start in the world of Billy Wilder, and of course, in the world of comedy, and in this case, in a world where they don't particularly get along well.  Lemmon plays a down-on-his-luck schmo named Harry Hinkle (then again, when did Lemmon play anything other than an affable loser?) who gets pummeled at a Cleveland Browns football game and is rushed to the hospital.  Matthau, as a shady trial attorney named Willie (who also happens to be Harry's brother-in-law), smells money in the water and tries to extort a settlement from the NFL, despite Hinkle's lack of injuries.  At first Harry doesn't want to go along with it, but when he thinks that it'll bring back his ex-wife (West), he decides to play along with Willie's plan.

The film, though a comedy, has a moral message behind it (as most Wilder films do), but it's one you see a mile away and it deters a bit from an otherwise sharp script.  We know that eventually they will be found out and that Harry will do the right thing and confess, and dump his gold-digger ex-wife and befriend the football player who pummeled him (Rich), who is so racked with guilt that he develops a drinking problem (an oddly dark side story for a comedy, but what can you expect from Wilder-I mean, The Apartment's second half is about a suicide attempt).  But the delivery's the thing with Wilder's rather predictable scripts (the twists and turns of Sunset Blvd. being the obvious exception, and that's even with him telling us the main character is dead in the opening scenes), and we get a delicious delivery.  The chemistry between Lemmon and Matthau is magic-there's no cliched idea that they can't sell as if you're seeing it for the first time (think of all of the pratfalls and constant interactions with Hinkle's constantly ballistic mother in the hands of less skilled comedians).  It should be said that the balance between the two isn't quite right-even though he typically played the straight man and is therefore already at a disadvantage, it's hard to spend much time on Lemmon when Matthau is at his absolute best onscreen.

Though the designation of Matthau as supporting is quite questionable (he's not onscreen nearly as much as Lemmon, but this is very much a two-man show), that doesn't stop him from getting a very deserved Academy Award for his performance.  Matthau, in my opinion so far in their filmographies, has always been the more limited of the two actors (though this film is starting to improve my estimation of him).  Whereas Lemmon could be equally adept at comedy and drama, Matthau always seemed to be playing that same character-a curmudgeon of the highest order.  So it was lovely seeing him here-always on, a first-rate charmer and a believable con man.  Every single one of Wilder and Diamond's lines he crackles for all its worth.  He's helped by a first-rate pair of writers, sure, but this is more than just a fine script-this is someone who understands the timing of a joke, particularly when he always needs to be "on."  Lemmon received barely a mention in awards, whether Oscar or otherwise and while he would be the more beloved (and awards-friendly) of the two in the years to come, Matthau shines like few other comedic performers of the 1960's.  In a film about football, he scored the touchdown.

The other nominations weren't quite as sensational-though good, Wilder and Diamond had done better, and can't compete with the near perfection of the Blow-Up script.  The Cinematography and Art Direction are fine, but nothing to write home regarding.  They likely were nominated not so much due to their excellence, but because this was the last year that they split the categories between B&W and Color, and as this was 1966, B&W films were hardly in vogue.  Even so, the Academy got the one trophy they handed over to the film right.

And now, after our six-film weekend together-what are your thoughts on this final film before the work week begins?  Do you have a favorite Lemmon/Matthau outing?  And do you agree with me that Walter Matthau is the clear choice to win the trophy, or are you more of the camp of George Segal or James Mason?  Click the comments button and share!