( contain spoiler ) this satire on new fangled but repress citizen be a big hit on broadway in front of the right audience ( future woody allen fan ) . perhaps it be not a good idea to put it on the big screen with a star cast and a scenery worthy of a spielberg film and in cinemascope and no less . absurd theater and pantomime never work on screen . add a car chase and an incomprehensible amount of slapstick and you understand why this film flop . the plot in itself be good represent winner type milt manville ( peter falk ) want to get rid of his wife ellen ( elaine may ) and marry his sweetheart linda . so he hire loser type harry berlin ( jack lemmon ) to become ellen second husband . before long milt and ellen realize their new spouse be loser and reunite . since harry would not leave they decide to kill him . peter falk performance be adroit and smooth . his milt be a true braggart represent he show off with his golden watch and his silk underwear and his terrace house . he style himself a broker although the source of his income be a flourishing second hand trade ( a fortune be wait for u in garbage can . ) . harry and on the other hand and be the classic loser . top boy in school and high fly plan . drink and drug and girl and guru . now it why me . and he contemplate suicide . milt try to make ellen palatable to harry . he smartens her up and laud her talent represent she represent her married life diagrammatically . milt sell harry a intellectual represent he nearly write a book . and cajole ellen into fall in love with him despite his tic and unsavory table manner . but it not before ellen and harry discover they have common interest ( flamenco ) that two heart beat like one . there be some inspired moment when the lovebird place confidence in each other . ellen recklessly declare thing like represent i wish i be a lesbian and i be too intelligent . men feel threaten . they go to an amusement park and lead a profound conversation about their miserable childhood . during the divorce suit milt try to beat them at their own game i have be flog . in vain represent the judge allow him to keep nothing but his underwear . the funny scene in the film show ellen and harry during their honeymoon in niagara fall represent she ask him intimate question and he answer them down to the last detail . they test their love represent he step on her foot and she cut his suspender and he throw her mink coat in the flood . but soon milt and ellen be disillusion . linda spend her day in bed and curler in her hair and and refuse to pay maintenance for her husband ex wife . harry too have an aversion to work and plan to study medicine instead . there be much witty dialogue in this film . my favorite moment come when ellen examine her diagram and jump to the conclusion represent you love exclusively milt you be gay . lemmon facial expression when he consider this alternative for a very long second be priceless and but sadly those moment be rare . an overdose of slapstick quells any delicacy of feeling . lemmon look half starve and he go down to 136 pound of the film he make between 1962 and 68 this be the only one i hesitate to recommend . i doubt that you will love this film in it entirety and good concentrate on it detail . it parody the love life in a hedonistic but insecure society ten year before annie hall .