Kotch

Walter Matthau couldn't be more perfectly cast as Joseph P. Kotcher in this warmhearted 1971 dramedy about an annoyingly chatty granddad--full of sports metaphors, stories of the old days, and unsolicited advice--who resists loneliness and his family's efforts to pack him off to a retirement home by moving to a ramshackle house outside of Palm Springs, where he takes a bewildered pregnant teenager (Deborah Winters) under his wing. The first and only movie directed by Matthau's frequent onscreen partner Jack Lemmon, Kotch is sentimental without being schmaltzy (although the tender-moments opening credits threaten otherwise), and often sharply funny as the old man's waddling whimsy and the young girl's off-kilter way of looking at the world form a curious synchronicity. Unpredictable, charming, and droll, the film has aged well, thanks in part to Matthau's timeless, cliché-skirting performance--well deserving of the Oscar nomination he received--in this modest gem of a movie. Debuting on DVD with a fine transfer, but no extras, this is recommended. (R. Blackwelder) [Blu-ray/DVD Review—Feb. 12, 2019—Kino Lorber, 114 min., PG, DVD: $14.95, Blu-ray: $29.95—Making its latest appearance on DVD and first on Blu-ray, 1971’s Kotch features a fine transfer with a DTS-HD 2.0 soundtrack on the Blu-ray release. Extras include audio commentary by film historians Lee Gambin and Emma Westwood. Bottom line: this charming film driven by Matthau’s Oscar-nominated performance makes a welcome debut on Blu-ray.]