Review – The Out Of Towners (1970)

George Kellerman (Jack Lemmon) and his mousy wife Gwen (Sandy Dennis) are on a meticulously planned trip to New York City, where George has an interview scheduled for 9am the following day. Everything has been planned down to the last detail. What could possibly go wrong ??? Answer…..BLOODY EVERYTHING !!!

It all begins with a minor flight delay, which gradually escalates into a fully fledged urban nightmare. We run the full gauntlet of disasters here, including lost luggage, monsoon weather, being mugged, kidnapped, then falling victim to city wide strikes, vicious dogs, a gas explosion, and that’s just the bits I can remember. Throughout this whole unfortunate series of events, George shouts himself hoarse, threatening to sue everyone he meets, as he sees them all partly responsible for this awful series of mishaps, misadventures and the worst run of luck since Richard Nixon. Even God seems to have deserted the hapless pair, as they’re turfed out of a church by a news camera crew who need to film inside.

The Out Of Towners definitely falls into the Murphy’s Law category, whatever can go wrong, will go wrong. It’s possibly one of the most frustrating films ive ever watched. It’s also one of the funniest. There’s something deliciously comical about watching someone as cocky as George Kellerman, having one of the worst days you could possible imagine, while in the background , his squeaky little wife chips in, every chance she gets, with common sense, and the occasional piece of pointless advise, which of course makes him even worse. The whole thing is hysterical from start to finish, thanks to superb performances from Lemmon and Dennis, and a razor sharp script penned by the brilliantly funny Neil Simon.

Final Verdict ??? Funny As Hell. A Must Watch. 10/10