some of the best movie that be categorize a comedy actually blur between comedy and drama . the graduate and butch cassidy and the sundance kid and which be make also in the late 1960 be perfect example . be they comedy with dramatic undertone and or dramas with a lot of humor . in many respect and the odd couple fall into this same category of be both comedy yet highly dramatic with deep underpinnings about human nature . much of what happen may be funny to the audience but the character be not laugh . despite the rather light hearted tv show of the 1970 and the original odd couple be not merely about a neat guy and messy guy who be force to live together because of their marital situation . it really about two opposite who must face why their marriage fell apart and how their detrimental idiosyncrasy reveal themselves outside of their marriage . neatness and the characteristic of felix ungar ( jack lemon perfectly cast ) and messiness and the characteristic of oscar madison ( walter matthau ) and be only the beginning and somewhat superficial . a the story unfolds and we find there be a lot more to these men than simply neatness versus messiness . briefly and the story be really about felix ungar and who have to face an impending divorce from his wife francis and who we never meet but be an important character throughout the story . on the verge of suicide and ungar go to the only place he know represent the apartment of oscar madison where a group of poker buddy hang out every so often . we learn that ungar be not only a member of this poker club but the group know what happen to him and try and in their inept way and to help out . madison figure the best way to help ungar be to let him move in with him until his suicidal tendency wear off . unfortunately for madison and he doesn not know what he get himself into . madison be a carefree happy go lucky if rather irresponsible slob who refrigerator be last cleaned probably when herbert hoover be still in the white house . madison idea of serve snack be grab moldy cheese and stick them in between two piece of bread and and then throw the content of a bag of chip on the table . on the other hand and he enjoy booze and woman and in short have a good time . ungar be not only altogether different and he be diametrically opposite . he be not only an obsessive neatness nut that find more joy in disinfect the apartment than meet woman but he know more than most woman do about cooking and fine eating . at one point and he call his ex wife and not to talk about reconciling and but to get her recipe for meatloaf . at another moment and ungar be go to spend the rest of the evening cutting cabbage for coleslaw . when madison seem unimpressed and ungar finally confess he be only do it for his roommate because he can not stand coleslaw . who be this guy . but he have another endear trait represent felix be also a hypochondriac . he obsess about his health to the point where he make strange noise in public place claim he help his sinus . he seem to have every health condition in the book . and if they make up more and felix would probably have them . ultimately and he be overly self absorb . run throughout the movie be reference to marriage . at one point when madison be try to convince ungar to move in and he say and what do you want and a wedding ring . but little do he know that it be not the neat guy who can not deal with the messy guy and but the other way around . their friendship become an inadvertent hellish relationship . and the climax occur when oscar invite two lonely british sister for a get together with both comedic and tragic result . this be one of the best comedy of it type ever write and not to be miss and with superlative performance by walter matthau and jack lemon in role that be hard to imagine good play by anyone else . it be unfortunate that write of this caliber be sadly lack from most comedy be produce today .