Movie #92- "The Odd Couple" (1968)

I have a strange connection with the play "The Odd Couple".  I remember when Neil Simon plays were all the rage.  Local and high school theater groups would often perform them throughout the 70s and 80s.  Our school was no different.  When I was a senior in high school, I snagged one of the main roles in "God's Favorite", another of Simon's work.  I wasn't much of a thespian (I didn't realize it at the time), but I took many valiant attempts at acting in school productions.  My lack of singing ability would relegate me to bit part status for the musicals.  With my involvement in these productions, I would enroll in any available theater-based class in hopes on enhancing my "craft".
One semester, I made the choice to perform a scene from "The Odd Couple".  In this case, the scene occurs toward the end of the play, in which Oscar and Felix argue and a plate of pasta is launched at a wall.  I took the role of Oscar, while my partner, a foreign exchange student from Sweden, was Felix.  I'm sure my interpretation was acting gold.
So I've read the play and watched the television series, but had never seen the movie.  The chemistry between Matthau and Lemmon is outstanding and I understand why they made several films together.  However, while attempts are made to take the action outside of Oscar's apartment, it still seem stagy.  And what may have landed as humorous barbs in the late 60s appears quaint in current times.  Maybe the number of variations I've seen over the years has dulled the edge.  I wanted to laugh more during "The Odd Couple" than I actually did.  However, bonus points for another appearance by Schlitz.  Apparently that was the beer of the working man.

Rating: 6/10
Movies I've previously seen: 6
First time viewings: 86