‘Out To Sea’ Sails With Lemmon-Matthau Duo
In “Out to Sea,” Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau slip comfortably back into the roles they established with “The Fortune Cookie” and “The Odd Couple” and revived in their senior years as “Grumpy Old Men.”
The combination remains sure-fire: Matthau, the cynical hustler and slob; Lemmon, the meticulous Everyman who falls victim to his partner’s schemes. They are the Abbott and Costello of the AARP set.
Their latest adventure fits them like a silk glove. Bachelor Matthau plays the horses and owes his bookie $3,000. Lemmon has retired as a department store salesman (“I survived 43 white sales at Gimbel’s”) and is mourning the loss of his wife, Matthau’s sister.
Matthau devises a masterful plan to relieve his own debts and his brother-in-law’s sorrow: they will ship aboard a luxury liner as dancers for single women. Thus they can marry rich widows. The fact that Matthau can’t dance doesn’t deter him.
Naturally, he doesn’t spill the plot until he gets Lemmon on board.
The two recruits report for the first inspection of the dance hosts (among them, two legitimate dancers, Donald O’Connor and Hal Linden). The cruise host, Brent Spiner, is a self-admitted dangerous combination - “a song-and-dance man raised on a military base.”
The autocratic Spiner lays down the rules, especially no fraternizing with passengers off the dance floor. Any infraction would be punished by dismissal and charge for the normal cruise fare.
Matthau sets his sights for Dyan Cannon, who occupies the most luxurious suite with her crusty mother (Elaine Stritch). The fact that Cannon is attached to the wealthy Edward Mulhare is a minor hurdle. Mulhare likes to gamble, and he becomes an easy target for experienced Matthau.
Lemmon becomes attracted to a retired book editor (Gloria De Haven), and she sparks to him. But he cannot shake the grief over his wife’s death, and that leads to misunderstanding in the new romance.
Robert Nelson Jacobs’ script, his first to be produced, is jammed with gags, spoken and visual, hit and miss. Director Martha Coolidge (“Valley Girl,” “Rambling Rose”) wisely gives the two stars free rein. Though some of the situations don’t pay off, she maintains a quick pace that makes you forget the duds.
xxxx “Out to Sea” Location: North Division, Lincoln Heights, Coeur d’Alene Credits: Directed by Martha Coolidge, starring Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, Dyan Cannon, Brent Spiner and Hal Linden. Running time: 1:46 Rating: PG-13