"Out to Sea" is the last of nine comedy films that Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau made together. The two Oscar winners and senior stars had given us some funny and entertaining films over the years. Besides their comedy, each had a distinguished film career that included dramas, action films and mystery-thrillers. Matthau lived just three more years and died July 1, 2000, at age 79. Lemmon would live just four more years, and died June 27, 2001, at age 76. In this 1997 film, the boys are in their usual form. They have slowed down some but still appear to be chipper. They are a couple of retired codgers. Lemmon plays Herb Sullivan and Matthau is Charlie Gordon. They are brothers-in-law. Charlie's never been married and Herb, who wed Charlie's sister, has been a widower for a year or so.This film has some prominent actors in supporting roles, and these add to the humor. Dyan Cannon, Gloria DeHaven, Elaine Stritch, Hal Linden and Donald O'Connor all are good for laughs. Brent Spiner plays the stars' nemesis. He's Gil Godwyn, cruise director.The plot is far-fetched, and that makes it even funnier. The cast seemed to be having a ball making this film. It isn't on the level of the earlier Lemmon-Matthau comedies, but it's still an entertaining film that's sure to arouse many laughs. It's a good adult film to enjoy, especially for middle aged and older folks. Few in younger audiences are apt to enjoy or appreciate old-fashioned humor, especially among the older set.Here are a couple samples of humor in the dialog. Gil, "No, you listen to me. I'm your worst nightmare. A song and dance man raised on a military base. Dismissed!" Herb, "I'll bet his father was cruise director on the Bismarck."Herb, to Charlie, "You're crazy. Years of insanity have made you crazy."

Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, Dyan Cannon, Gloria DeHaven, Elain Stritch, Rue McClanahan and Brent Spiner star in this 1997 comedy. This focuses on pals, Herb (Lemmon), a widower and Charlie (Matthau), a gambler. Charlie talks Herb into going on a cruise with him where they can look for women, but have to be dance hosts because they can't afford it. Soon, Herb finds romance with divorcée, Vivian (DeHaven) and Charlie with Liz (Cannon) who is single, but is on vacation with her mother, Mavis (Stritch). The late, McClanahan (The Golden Girls) plays Ellen, the ship's owner and Spiner (Independence Day) plays obnoxious, cruise director, Gil. This is a good comedy with a good cast and The late, Lemmon & Matthau were great together as usual. I recommend this.

Once again, Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau team up as a pair of elderly grouches. "Out to Sea" is basically "The Odd Couple" and "Grumpy Old Men" set on a cruise ship, with the two guys trying to meet and defraud old widows. I personally think that they could have done without all the romance stuff and just had JL and WM get on each other's nerves. But don't get me wrong, there are some great lines (namely the one about shark-infested waters). Also starring Dyan Cannon, Gloria DeHaven, Brent Spiner, Elaine Stritch, Hal Linden and Donald O'Connor (in his final role).Oh, and in case Dyan Cannon is reading this: STOP GETTING FACELIFTS!!!!!!!!!!! YOU LOOK TERRIBLE WHEN YOU DO THAT!!!!!!!

After the making of GRUMPY OLD MEN and GRUMPIER OLD MEN, the box office success of those two films made it evident that another film property co-starring Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau was needed. They found one property, THE GRASS HARP, where they shared one scene together. But then this film was made which was fully their film together. Like most of their films Lemmon is the quiet partner who is dragged into the troublesome situation by the noisy partner Matthau. Here they are brother-in-laws (Matthau's sister, who is dead). Matthau convinces Lemmon that he needs to take a sea cruise to end his long period of mourning. Lemmon does not realize that Matthau got them free passage by signing them onto the cruise as social dancers (partners for elderly lady passengers). Lemmon can dance, but Matthau cannot, and one scene has Lemmon trying to teach Matthau, only to be caught by Donald O'Connor and Hal Linden dancing together (O'Connor and Linden jumping to the wrong conclusion). If they can't pull their weight as social dancers, they will have to pay the $1,500.00 per person fare as travelers. Neither can afford that. Matthau really could not care much about this - he hopes that he will be lucky to find, romance, and marry a wealthy woman. Lemmon is encouraged to do the same, but he is not as mercenary. As it turns out Lemmon does meet Gloria De Haven, and Matthau meets Dyan Cannon (and her mother, Elaine Stritch). But the course to true love is never smooth in movies. Matthau has a rival for Cannon, in Edward Mulhare. And Brent Spiner, the cruise entertainment director, is an evil martinet determined to impress the cruise line owner (Rue McLanahan) to put him in control of all the cruise ship's entertainment centers.It is a well-cast film, which helps (this is reminiscent of the two "Grumpies" films that preceded it. But those films had better balance to them. They had moments of pathos where one could see Lemmon and Matthau were not just funny men but human types. Here Lemmon is shown to have such a weakness - he has romanced De Haven in spite of his qualms, but at a critical point remembers his deep love for his first wife. But Matthau's personality is so mercenary (a "cousin" to his "Whiplash Willie Gingrich" in THE FORTUNE COOKIE), that his turning into a legitimate lover of Cannon doesn't quite sit well. Nor does it sit well when we find other likable characters can be equally mercenary.However there are plenty of great moments in the film. Spiner's unplanned involvement with a colorful local parade is one. So is Matthau's ridiculous dance with Rue McLanahan that looks atrocious (he calls his non-steps, "the crawl")but that she enjoys. Spiner, better known as "Mr. Data" the android in STAR TREK, THE NEXT GENERATION, turns in a fine comic villain performance. My only criticism is that Linden and O'Connor seem too peripheral in the plot (although both do give filler about the ruthlessness of Spiner, whom Linden really dislikes). But the film is still very amusing, and worth while seeing. Unfortunately it was not their final film. That would be THE ODD COUPLE II.