Pardon the pun, I couldn't resist it.*In my opinion this original version starring jack lemon is far, far superior entertainment than the remake with Steve Martin many years later:It's the difference between a Boeing and a bucket.(In the farfetched Martin 'attempt" the lead pair's acting is totally unconvincing. One scene in the remake was, however, hilarious, viz John Cleese in drag, replete with high heels, miming in his botel bedroom to the vocals of a record. Priceless. Elsewhere in this much later offering a massive goof for me was when the main character, having spent a night out in the open, not only appears for his morning job interview without a trace of midnight shadow on his face but, miraculously, sports his large cv portfolio despite one of the many mishaps he'd earlier suffered being the loss of his airport luggage - and never a trace of a shoulder bag which, HAD there been one, might just possibly have been big enough to contain an illustrated A5 presentation display.)Back to the Lemon movie. The whining, scatterbrained wife forever mouthing "Oh my god" amused me immensely; the acttess in this case - not so her successor - succeeded in persuading me that she really WAS the wife of her endearingly pathetic husband.The pair are riotous fun! Eleven out of ten for Lemon squeezing every drop of comic reality from the script. (*Opportune wordplay again I confess.)

I have been visiting NYC since the early 70's, so I was most interested to see if any fond memories highlighted this collaboration. As a huge fan of Lemon, I knew this film would be first rate. Oy Vey! What a challenge to watch even 5 minutes between commercials for another film.First, you have a high level executive interview which translates, at least to most I assume, this guy has it going on. They used Travel Agencies back then, hence this big time NYC company would use only the best. Of course they would be aware of the perils of taking a late flight the night BEFORE an early appointment which might POSSIBLY lead to difficulties. Hence, right off the bat I am being conned into the ramifications of implausible events.Comedy typically comes from unexpected actions and consequences and when you see them coming at every turn it gets EXTREMELY boring! Whoever read this script and kept laughing every five minutes to give the green light owed Mr. Simon a HUGE debt or knew where the bodies were buried.I believe Lemon accepted the role without reading the script and this explains his involvement in such a deleterious role. Dennis was bad enough in WAOVW, so was prepared for yet another annoying performance.Perhaps if you had him coming to town to visit a dying relative and develop the comic action in the ICU this would have more credibility. I advise anyone considering this worse than drivel of a film to complete avoidance.I can only recommend for those who want to see reminders of the old NYC and how it was regarded as a languid, sorrowful, corrupt city and how mightily it reincarnated and rose from the ashes to become the shining star of destination locations in the world.Simon, this was your town and no one wanted to live there anyways then, so why the F U??? Please explain if we ever meet.

It looks like there are mainly a couple of reasons why people Hate this movie.1.) They love their New York and feel protective of it. (N.Y. is one of the main characters, and I don't think the film would be used for the visitors bureau) 2.) If you are an easygoing type, who enjoy chilling with others who can go-with-the-flow.... You won't like the these people ~ The "Kellerman's" Their attitudes and the very sound of their voices will grate on your nerves.However, If you can empathize with frustration, and even see this as a cautionary tale of "There but for the grace of God go I" It may be something of great value! So hate or love it ~ It's obvious after watching this film, when things go wrong, we could all learn how to better RELAX......

I guess I'll never get Neil Simon. I know he's received a lot of awards and accolades, but almost none of his works do anything for me, with the notable exception of "The Lonely Guy," but that screenplay was based on Bruce Jay Friedman's material, not Simon's own. Some become great, but only after they've been reshaped by others, like the classic "Odd Couple" series starring Tony Randall and Jack Klugman.This movie is average Simon. Yes, I know it's supposed to be a comedy about how a night in New York becomes hell for a married couple. But the problem is there is absolutely nothing likable about this couple. George is a blowhard who's always taking down names and threatening to sue when he doesn't get his way. The hotel gave away his room because he didn't show up or call before 10 p.m. as the terms of his reservation stated? He'll sue! An airline rep tells him that they can't send his luggage because JFK Airport is still fogged in? He'll sue! What do you want, George, that they charter a plane and parachute your bags to you? But if George is obnoxious, his wife Gwen is like fingernails on chalkboard. I could die happy if I never hear "Oh, my Goooood" in her nasal whine again. She is so dumb that you wonder why George or any man would stay with her. She gives away his wallet and watch for absolutely no reason. If I was from Ohio, I'd be offended at how stupid these characters make Ohioans look. I think this would be a fine, funny comedy if it was about bad things happening to good people, but it's actually a film about bad things happening to stupid people mostly through their own fault. The vast majority of their problems are caused by George's pigheadedness, from refusing to eat on the plane to refusing to get out of the police car.But this seems to be Simon's habit. His characters usually have no redeeming value. Lemmon & Matthau's "odd couple" in his movie wasn't likable. It took the aforementioned Randall and Klugman (plus good writers) to massage Felix and Oscar into people we could like and cheer on despite their foibles. (Which Simon managed to undo with his eminently forgettable Odd Couple II.) They could still be annoying at times, but you wouldn't find it inconceivable that they would have friends. On the other hand, I'd pay good money to get away from Gwen and George and was happy at the end when they decided to stay in Ohio. The only good thing about this movie is being able to see NYC as it was in 1969.