Mark B
Jack Lemmon, I thought. Yeah, he's good, I'le give this one a go.
So, for the first hour or so (make that the first hour) this movie did what it said on the tin. And Edward G Robinson nicely cast too, as the eccentric, bible bashing, chairman of a successful milk production company who wanted a nice 'normal agency employee' to come up with some 'nice, successful adverts.' It all began so well.
But then it all started to unravel.
The silly Romy Schneider (born in Austria who didn't go and live in France until aged 24- so what's with the fake French accent, Romy?) bursts onto the scene, like a spoilt child at someone else's birthday party and the unlikeliest of friends of Lemmon's stay-at-home-but-oh-so-attractive-wife, Dorothy Provine. Schneider demands to be the centre of attention now, turning everything upside down and creating mayhem as a distracting sidebar who ends up 'stealing' Dorothy's husband so that she will inherit 15 million dollars. But none of the film makes sense anymore as it lurches from one sub plot to the other, in comic-book fashion. Schneider's real husband then turns up- even though they are divorced but by local law, they are still technically married. So why keep up the charade that Lemmon is Schneider's husband? Do you follow? Exactly! All that happens is a multitude of characters, all then running around screaming, plotting, telling lies and telling more lies.....all in aid of trying to get the jackpot payout for Schneider. It would have been much better if the film had simply developed Lemmon working for the ad agency and getting his big break with the Nurdling contract and seeing a lot more of the brilliant Edward G Robinson.
Instead, we get a silly, childish farce of a movie with Lemmon metamorphosizing into a treble cross between Phil Silvers, Jerry Lewis and Norman Widsom, It was no wonder Lemmon said that this was one of his least favourite of movies.
Rated 2/5 Stars •
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
05/04/25
Full Review
Audience Member
Great hilarious fun movie.
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
02/17/24
Full Review
Audience Member
Hilarious all the way through. Yes, I recommend it James Welch, Henderson, Arkansas June 11, 2023.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
06/13/23
Full Review
Audience Member
James Fritzell and Everett Greenbaum made a career out of comedy, starting TV and debuting their first movie script here. They also wrote The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, The Shakiest Gun in the West, Angel in My Pocket and The Reluctant Astronaut. Greenbaum's talent also was used to create the sculptures in this movie.
Sam Bissell (Jack Lemmon) is an ad exec who wants off the hamster wheel so that he can concentrate on his true love — the aforementioned sculpture work that he makes out of found materials. He has a great marriage with Minerva (Dorothy Provine, That Darn Cat!) and two kids, but when his wife's best friend Janet (French actress Romy Schneider, who was briefly in Hollywood to make this movie and What's New Pussycat?) arrives, his life goes to pieces.
The good? He's a family man, unlike the rest of the agency, so he's the perfect man to keep their toughest client, dairy owner Simon Nurdlinger (Edward G. Robinson) on retainer. But Simon thinks that Janet is Sam's wife. And because Janet can only get her inheritance if she's married, she has to convince her relatives that Sam is her ex-husband. But how will his wife handle all of this?
As someone who has spent his life in advertising, I loved seeing the glory days of 50s advertising, even if it's portrayed as a soulless place. The agency in the film, Burke & Hare, is named after the notorious body snatchers William Burke and William Hare*, while everyone there seems on the verge of a nervous breakdown. So, you know, it's very realistic.
You just know that the agency that partnered with this movie missed all of the work/life balance lessons in the movie and instead celebrated that they were able to get product placements all over Good Neighbor Sam for their clients Hertz, Delta Air Lines, Northwest Air Lines and Allied Van Lines.
*It's also a reference to Jack Finney, who wrote the book that this was based on. And oh yeah — he also was the writer of Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
02/06/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Unexpectedly fun caper meant to be a vehicle for the subtle and slapstick talents of Jack Lemmon and unexpectedly capable Romy Schneider and Mike Connors
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
01/30/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Just amusing, it will catch you a couple of smiles. Jack Lemmon is great, and Romy Schneider makes a delicious role.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
01/25/23
Full Review
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