The Sunshine Boys (1975) / Z-View

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The Sunshine Boys (1975)

Director:  Herbert Ross

Screenplay:  Neil Simon

Starring:  Walter Matthau, George Burns, Richard Benjamin, F. Murray Abraham and Howard Hesseman.

Tagline: For the price of a movie, you’ll feel like a million!

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

At one time Lewis & Clark, aka The Sunshine Boys, were the Kings of Vaudeville.   Audiences loved their routines and the comedy duo had a long, successful run.  Sadly, when Lewis & Clark broke up, they’d reached the point that neither could stand the other.  They haven’t talked in years.

Now an opportunity to perform together on television has appeared.  Will The Sunshine Boys be able to put aside past differences and catch lightning in a bottle once again?

As I watched The Sunshine Boys I couldn’t help but think how our perception of the elderly has changed.  When Lewis got lost, couldn’t open a door and yelled at people, audiences in 1975 probably thought, “This old guy is quite a character.”  I couldn’t help but think, I wonder if he has onset dementia.

I was expecting more laughs from The Sunshine Boys.  The best scene is when Lewis & Clark first get together to rehearse the routine they’ll perform on tv.  Sadly the rehearsal is funnier than the actual performance.  Also Lewis comes off as a real jerk.  It’s no wonder Clark didn’t want to perform with him any longer.

Still The Sunshine Boys does have it’s moments.  George Burns is a joy and it’s no wonder he won an Oscar for his performance (which was the first movie he’d made in over 30 years)!  The scene of Lewis auditioning for a potato chip commercial is funny.  The interactions of Lewis & Clark are the heart of the movie and I wish we had more of them.

The Sunshine Boys earns 3 of 5 stars.