it hard to watch this movie without think forward to the television show it would become and especially if and like me and you happen to like the tv show more . but there a lot to be say for the source . oscar madison ( walter matthau ) be a top new york city sportswriter who live in an eight room apartment by himself and a casualty of divorce and his own stubbornly sloppy mindset . enter his friend felix ungar ( jack lemmon ) and need a place to live after his wife throw him out for his stubbornly neatnik mindset . the result be a train wreck and one of the most beloved movie adaptation of a neil simon stage play . first thing first represent i love that apartment . poker table and novelty dart board and askew photo of baseball player and empty booze and beer container and even a pair of roman column . it a place where men can be boys . simon and director gene saks do a great job open up the stage play single set and oscar living room and by move the action into the bedroom and kitchen and give the mount tension between oscar and felix more corner to bounce off of . neal hefti familiar score be hear on the tv show and but never so sweepingly orchestrate a it be here and in several different arrangement that make the on screen action soar whenever it played . real location work and night shot of manhattan give the film an energy common to film shot in that place and time ( buddwing and the world of henry orient and midnight cowboy and manchurian candidate and rosemary baby and etc . ) be lemmon and matthau too heavy in comparison to tony randall and jack klugman . to be fair and the movie be mean to be a more serious affair and deal with the then uncommon condition of mid life divorce and the frustration inherent in not be able to make a relationship work . simon have more in mind than enter felix and oscar in a game of password or a battle of wit with howard cosell . but i do not know . both lemmon and matthau be terrific comedian i enjoy watch especially in the middle of this film a i often do in their separate movie and but i never understand why they be regard a a great comedy team . here and in their best regard partnership and they seem to be act in two different film while lemmon in a comedy drama and matthau in a farce . matthau be great in the beginning and charm u with his teddy bear demeanor around the poker table and but near the end of the film he take a turn much like jack torrance in the shining and react to felix clean up his apartment and serve tasty food to his friend in a way that totally upset the delicate balance of blame . while the end bother me and the part many see a the most jarring and the beginning and work fine a i see it . watch felix stumble around try to kill himself isn not great comedy and no and but it a good way to get into a great comedy and set u up with some real life pain before bring in the warmth and laughter . ( plus it have some great shot of the seedy part of the city . ) in the middle of the movie and this scene would have be a miscalculation and but it work a a way of establish felix torment and a sense of sharp relief to come when we see oscar and his poker friends bicker and feud . that where simon line be so great . they be the underlying strength of the film . he get the banter exactly right and real and and still make it funny . i do not mind you talk and felix . you get thing to say . what scar me be i be begin to listen . the tv show show how wrong it be to assume the movie be always well and in fact the tv show once make a good point about assume anything at all and but the movie make for a solid foundation and be a joy in it own right .