The Out of Towners

MOVIE REVIEW OF The Out-of-Towners (1970) G

Cast
Director	arthur hiller	Runtime: 1 hrs 41 min (101 min)
george kellerman	.....	jack lemmon
gwen kellerman	.....	sandy dennis
TV man	.....	sandy baron
woman in police station	.....	anne meara
man on airplane	.....	robert nichols
airline stewardess	.....	ann prentiss
boston cab driver	.....	ron carey
officer meyers	.....	phil bruns
murray	.....	graham jarvis
cuban diplomat	.....	carlos montalban
agent in boston	.....	robert king
waiter on train	.....	johnny brown
police sergeant	.....	dolph sweet
police officer	.....	jack crowder
looter #1	.....	jon korkes
looter #2	.....	robert walden
baggage man in boston	.....	richard libertini
daytime hotel clerk	.....	paul dooley
night desk clerk	.....	anthony holland
lost & found clerk in boston	.....	billy dee williams
man in phone booth in boston	.....	bob bennett
bellhop	.....	alfred mazza
sweeper	.....	b. paipert
liquor store looter	.....	philip suriano
porter	.....	a. p. westcott

PLOT SUMMARY

Murphy has nothing on the trip George and Gwendolyn Kellerman (Jack Lemmon and Sandy Dennis) take to New York City. If something can go wrong, it will...and everything else will, too!

George Kellerman is a businessman at a major plastics company in Twin Oaks, Ohio. When he is offered a big promotion, he must travel to New York City for an interview. The interview is not a problem. As he states himself, he is "a shoe-in, the interview is just a formality." And he's right. What he needs to worry about is getting there! And the trouble starts after only 5 seconds into the movie when George's wife Gwen runs back into the house because she has forgotten her purse. From there it only gets worse.

This movie will have you constantly trying to catch your breath for a little over an hour and a half. You will be exhausted when it is almost over and there is a slight reprieve while the couple exchange a touching conversation in their New York hotel suite. But just when you think their lives will return some sanity...well, see for yourself...

Jack Lemmon gives his typical hyper-minded comedic performance while Sandy Dennis tags along as his wife who mildly tries to point out what George might reconsider in order to avoid the next disaster. George uses his twisted, yet inarguable logic to explain why his way will be better, but in effect, making it worse.

This movie is just one big mishap piled onto the one thirty seconds before.

NOTE: DO NOT watch the 1999 remake with Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn. It is horrible not only in comparison, but in itself. I hesitated to even mention it in this review except as in the form of a warning against it.

TECH INSPECTION

I do not like all the countdowns that list the best [whatever] of all-time. Usually, these are based on such superficial points as a certain actor who appears in the movie, popularity of the genre at the time, or how much money was spent on special effects and promotion.

I also think that to each his own. If you don't care for science fiction, for example, then you are not going to think that Star Wars is the best movie of all time. Also, I don't like to pinpoint a movie as my personal favorite of my own, as I have a separate favorite for each differing type of movie category (e.g. drama, action, comedy, thriller, etc.). But if I took my favorite movie from each category and compared them, I do believe this one would win out over all the others.

I do not have a single bad thing to say about any aspect of this movie. From the writer (Neil Simon), to the actors, to the constantly on-the-move photography, to the aptly scored music, to the clever situation and brilliantly delivered lines; and all without sacrificing a simple but good plot, which actually turns out to be more of a MacGuffin.

If I had known I was going to love this movie this much when I first saw it, I would have counted the number of times I have seen it since then. I would guess it's been at least 20. (Oh come on. Those of you who claim to have seen the same film over a hundred times, even though you're only 15 years old...that's just ridiculous.)

QUOTES
For the favorite quotes section of this review, I have had to expand it beyond my usual five to ten entries. To list them all, I might as well just transcribe the entire script. As it is, here are what I consider to be the best of the best:

• Stewardess: I imagine we've run into some bad weather.
  
  
  George: You don't have to imagine, just look out the window.
• Baggage Man: It's not gonna help to get excited.
  
  
  George:Yeah, it's not gonna hurt, either.
• Did I get my eyes on backwards? ~ Gwen
• I think I glued my eye together ~ Gwen
• Quotes from Gwen:
  
  
  I wasn't worried about the schools.
  
  

  I wasn't worried about the dog.
  
  

  I wasn't worried about the car.
  
  

  I wasn't worried about the weather.
  
  

  I wasn't worried about the luggage.
  
  

  I 'm not worried.
• Of course it's big, that's why they call it New York ~ George
• George:We're not landing, we're circling
  
  
  Stewardess:We are circling prior to landing
  
  

  George:Yes, but if we keep circling and circling, that's not circling, that's flying. Is it possible to make coffee during flying?
• Stewardess:We are not permitted to serve beverages during takeoff or landing...Oh, would you like a glass of water?
George:Isn't water a beverage?
• George:They lost our luggage?!
  
  
  Gwen:They did't lose it, they just can't find it. They'll find it.
  
  

  George:Well supposing they don't find it.
  
  

  Gwen:Well then it's lost.
  
  

  George:I just said that!
• George! George Kellerman! You see? First you waste my time trying to get my name right, then you get my name wrong. George! George! First they lose my baggage, then they're going to send it to some nut named Frank. You're going to hear from me if I don't hear from you. GEORGE! GEORGE! NOT FRANK! ~ George
• Is it necessary to spend two minutes telling me you can't make it in ten minutes? ~ George
• George:Two chicken sandwiches, please
  
  
  Waiter:Sorry, no chicken
  
  

  George:Isn't that chicken?
  
  

  Waiter:Yeah, that's chicken. And when he eats, that's the end of the chicken.
  
  

  Gwen:They're out of chicken, George
• Oh my God, I lost my left eyelash ~ Gwen
• Look, I want my bags put on a plane now, and I want them right here where I am, not where I was before you didn't get me there...here ~ George
• Oh my God! ~ Gwen
• Gwen:He had a knife under the cape
  
  
  George:Did you see the knife?
  
  

  Gwen:A man doesn't stand over you at 4:00 in the morning in a cape if he doesn't have a knife, does he?
  
  

  George:I don't know. It never came up before
• The church is closed? ~ George
• Now everybody, sit down and be quiet. This plane is going to Havana, Cuba! ~ Hijacker

Here is my personal rating of this movie. This rating is out of ten meows.
+ ¹² /₁₀

---

Thanks for Visiting!!!