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Hopscotch

Play trailer Poster for Hopscotch R Released Sep 26, 1980 1h 44m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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80% Tomatometer 30 Reviews 78% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
When CIA operative Miles Kendig (Walter Matthau) deliberately lets KGB agent Yaskov (Herbert Lom) get away, his boss (Ned Beatty) threatens to retire him. Kendig beats him to it, however, destroying his own records and traveling to Austria where he begins work on a memoir that will expose all his former agency's covert practices. The CIA catches wind of the book and sends other agents after him, initiating a frenetic game of cat and mouse that spans the globe.

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Hopscotch

Hopscotch

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Critics Consensus

Boosted by a deftly underplayed performance from Walter Matthau, Hopscotch is a Cold War spy caper with comic bounce.

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Critics Reviews

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Gene Siskel Chicago Tribune Matthau is laconic yet charming, and he comes dangerously close to letting us know how cute he is. Rated: 2.5/4 Jun 2, 2021 Full Review Harper Barnes St. Louis Post-Dispatch Funny, engaging, sometimes highly improbable, but who cares? Jun 2, 2021 Full Review Michael Blowen Boston Globe Even Matthau's slumping shoulders can't carry the weight of Ronald Neame's heavy-handed direction. Jun 2, 2021 Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy An extremely satisfying confection that derives most of its juice from yet another superlative Walter Matthau performance. Rated: 3/4 Nov 1, 2021 Full Review Malcolm Johnson Hartford Courant At moments... "Hopscotch" stumbles, but Matthau's low-key, but playful characterization always gets it back on track again. Jun 2, 2021 Full Review Bill Cosford Miami Herald He may look good with children as foils, as in The Bad News Bears, but Matthau does not look good in material for children, which is what this is. Jun 2, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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nick s The storyline seemed a bit unlikely, with the protagonist having about as much going his way as Kevin from Home Alone. But Matthau and Co played their roles well and elevated this to a pretty watchable popcorn flick. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 08/29/24 Full Review steve m A thinking man's spy movie, not a physical fighting spy movie. People who have never worked for the Federal government will not believe the upper management character, but it's pretty accurate IMO. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member The sum of implausible scenarios and humor that sometimes misfires makes this a disappointing viewing. Matthau and Jackson, though, are, as always, fun to watch. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/13/23 Full Review Audience Member One of those films that may not be as good as you remembered it, Hopscotch finds Walter Matthau covering a lot of the same ground he did in Charley Varrick, but without the violence or thrills. While his character also spends most of this film outsmarting pursuers and ultimately faking his own death, the grittiness with which Don Siegel infused Varrick has been traded for light comedy and bloodless intrigue by veteran director Ronald Neame. Perhaps too well mannered for its own good, Hopscotch imagines a world populated by gentle, cultured, middle-aged spies that prefer Mozart to gunplay, where CIA agents are stymied by growling dogs, and the KGB willingly hands over sensitive information in the name of good sportsmanship. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review steve d Matthau is good but the script doesn't help him out. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Frances H This flick is worth watching just to hear Matthau singing the opera aria alone, but it is even better than that--the nifty plot and the repartee with Jackson, who starred with in House Calls as well, made this film so much fun to watch! Rated 4 out of 5 stars 06/08/20 Full Review Read all reviews
Hopscotch

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Cast & Crew

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Ronald Neame

Director

Walter Matthau

Miles Kendig

Glenda Jackson

Isobel

Sam Waterston

Cutter

Ned Beatty

Myerson

Herbert Lom

Yaskov

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Hopscotch

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Movie Info

Synopsis When CIA operative Miles Kendig (Walter Matthau) deliberately lets KGB agent Yaskov (Herbert Lom) get away, his boss (Ned Beatty) threatens to retire him. Kendig beats him to it, however, destroying his own records and traveling to Austria where he begins work on a memoir that will expose all his former agency's covert practices. The CIA catches wind of the book and sends other agents after him, initiating a frenetic game of cat and mouse that spans the globe.
Director
Ronald Neame
Producer
Ely Landau, Edie Landau
Screenwriter
Brian Garfield, Bryan Forbes
Distributor
AVCO Embassy Pictures
Production Co
International Film Investors
Rating
R
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 26, 1980, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 30, 2016
Runtime
1h 44m
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