Buddy Buddy (1981)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Billy Wilder

Writers:

Francis Veber (play)
Francis Veber (story)

Release Date:

11 December 1981 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

The greatest movie buddies of all time are back!

Plot:

Walter Matthau plays a professional killer going by the name of Trabucco, who is on his way to rub out gangster Rudy "Disco" Gambola...

Plot Keywords:

Remake | Remake Of French Film | Female Nudity | Foreign Language Adaptation | Suicide

Cast

Jack Lemmon	...	Victor Clooney
Walter Matthau	...	Trabucco
Paula Prentiss	...	Celia Clooney
Klaus Kinski	...	Dr. Hugo Zuckerbrot
Dana Elcar	...	Capt. Hubris
Miles Chapin	...	Eddie, the Bellhop
Michael Ensign	...	Assistant Manager
Joan Shawlee	...	Receptionist
Fil Formicola	...	Rudy 'Disco' Gambola
C.J. Hunt	...	Kowalski
Bette Raya	...	Mexican Maid
Ronnie Sperling	...	Hippy Husband
Suzie Galler	...	Pregnant Wife
John Schubeck	...	Newscaster
Ed Begley Jr.	...	Lieutenant #1

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:L | USA:R | Australia:M | Canada:A (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Riverside, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Last film directed by Billy Wilder.

Goofs:

Continuity: Trabucco does not use the same code to open his suitcase throughout the movie (sometimes the code has more numbers than others)

Quotes:

Trabucco: Hello Mr. Green? Oh, Mr. White... let me speak to Mr. Brown...

Movie Connections:

References Love Story (1970)

Soundtrack:

Cecilia

Buddy Buddy is kinda cruddy

"Buddy Buddy" is one of the biggest disappointments in film. How could they go wrong? Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau, two of our best actors re-teaming with Billy Wilder, one of greatest directors. The result is a sloppy mess.

Jack plays a man who loses his wife and decides to kill himself so he checks into a hotel. So far this is a complete copy from the classic "Odd Couple." Sadly that is where the comparison ends. Walter plays a hit man who happens to be in the same hotel preparing his next hit. Naturally he runs into the hapless Lemmon and can't shake him.

Even with the familiar story you'd think there would be plenty of laughs. Sadly this is not the case. Major opportunities are blown as the film descends into a series of tired clichés and predictable bits. There are a few laughs (there would have to be with these two great leads) but they come too little and spread out.

By far this is the worst film these two appeared in (though "Odd Couple 2" comes a close second). Happily we have many other of their works to view and enjoy.