The Sunshine Boys

Movie adaptations of Neil Simon's plays have been a mixed bag, and even the best still feel stagebound, which is certainly the case with this 1975 film of Simon's Broadway smash, stiltedly directed by Herbert Ross. The Sunshine Boys centers on a legendary comedy team who split up acrimoniously more than a decade earlier but are invited to appear on a TV special to perform one of their old sketches. Much of the story follows the frantic efforts of the nephew (Richard Benjamin) of curmudgeon Willy Clark (Walter Matthau)—an older version of gruff Oscar Madison—to persuade Clark and his erstwhile partner, Al Lewis (George Burns), who is now living contentedly in the suburbs, to agree to work together again one last time. He does succeed, but the ancient animosity between the pair threatens to derail their performance. Burns is a delight—winning an Oscar here—but Matthau bellows overmuch, and his heavy old-age makeup is unconvincing. And the supposedly classic doctor skit the duo bring out of mothballs turns out to be a hoary vaudeville routine that is more likely to evoke groans than laughs. With all its flaws, however, The Sunshine Boys is a poignant as well as sporadically funny film about two old guys whose underlying affection is evident despite their rants, and it provides Burns the opportunity to give a master class in impeccable comic timing. Debuting on Blu-ray, extras here include an audio commentary by Benjamin, a featurette about Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer with a substantial segment on the movie, a silent makeup test with Matthew and Jack Benny (who was originally signed to play Lewis but dropped out due to illness), and a screen test of Phil Silvers as Clark. Recommended. (F. Swietek)