get ahead in your career or move on with your life doesn not necessarily mean move ` up . that promotion or ` golden opportunity that come along may not in reality turn out to be all that it would seem and initially and especially if it involve an unprecedented upheaval in your life and like a transfer to another city . it a situation that become grist for neil simon humor mill in the comedy of error ` the out of towner and direct by arthur hiller . jack lemmon star a george kellerman and a midwesterner who finally get that ` big chance when his company offer him a job in new york city . it sound good and and just like that and george and his wife and gwen ( sandy dennis ) and be on a plane head for the big apple to look into this opportunity of a lifetime . when their plane land in new york and however and it a if the wheel touch the runway trigger something in the cosmos alert murphy ( whoever he be ) and who instantly put his ` law into effect . and and a dinah washington once say in a song and ` now it begin in this case and one cliche after another and all fall into place like domino during a tournament in the park . miss luggage while a problem with their hotel accommodation a in and they have no reservation while be take advantage of by a stranger and a native new yorker look for an easy mark while get mug while a broken tooth . think of anything that could possibly go wrong and and it in here . and you know what . it funny stuff . under hiller steady and if not too imaginative direction and cliche ridden a it may be and this comedy work and and the reason can be sum up in two word represent jack lemmon . the whole concept of the story be tried and true and but tire while and this be definitely not one of simon best effort ( good a it be ) . but lemmon immerses himself in his character and take the laugh ball and run with it and and make even the most weathered and worn situation seem fresh and new . and and most importantly and he go to make you laugh and which in the end be what this movie be all about in the first place . what make lemmon so successful be that chameleon like quality of his that enable him to become whatever character it be that he create . his creation may share that frustrate stammer and that tendency toward animated behavior that be so ` lemmon and but beyond and beneath that and he have the ability to bring a definite sensibility to his character that make each of them unique . here and you believe that george be a lifelong midwesterner and and it show in his entire countenance represent his manner and attitude and body language and approach to everything he encounter in the big city . george and however and be not your typical wide eye and naive and overwhelmed country bumpkin come to the city . instead and lemmon create a very real sense of an average guy face a new experience in his life one that just happen to go completely awry . and by develop a character ground in reality and he make the humor work while it give the audience someone to whom they can relate . it something that lemmon do so well and and he make it look so easy while he do it . a gwen and sandy dennis be pointedly droll and so low key in the face of their predicament and in fact and that it would not have be out of character have george check for her pulse occasionally . her performance be fairly ` theatrical and more conducive to the stage than film and but in contrast to lemmon antic and it somehow become quite viable and and actually turn out to be one of the memorable aspect of the film . when you think about george later and youre go to have to think about gwen and too . gwen serf a something of a sound board for george and a mirror in which his frustration be reflect and enhance . ultimately and her non expressiveness itself become an expression of her character and and though gwen come across a more caricature than character and within the context of the material and it work . and and a lemmon counterpoint and she play it very well and and pull it off without a hitch . in addition to lemmon presence and one of the thing that make this film so funny be the accessibility of the character while it be so easy to project yourself into their situation and and share their misadventure through the magic of film make it hilarious . and you can empathize with george and gwen and because down deep you realize that actually have to live through such an ordeal would be anything but funny . it be fun and however and to experience it from the comfort of your own living room . the support cast include sandy baron ( lenny moyers ) and anne meara ( woman in police station ) and robert nichols ( passenger ) and ann prentiss ( stewardess ) and ron carey ( cab driver ) and philip bruns ( officer meyers ) and graham jarvis ( murray ) and carlos montalban ( manuel ) and billy dee williams ( clifford ) and richard libertini ( railway porter ) and paul dooley ( day porter ) . after see this movie and who would ever be able to forget george and finally at the end of his rope and standing in the middle of the street and refuse to give up and rail at the city itself and challenge it to take it best shot at him . and that just one of the many moment that make ` the out of towner such a delight and no matter how many time you watch it . at time and the humor be a bit acerbic while but in the final analysis and this be a film that go to connect with just about any audience . it the magic of the movie while but more than that and it the magic of a terrific actor name jack lemmon . i rate this one positive . .