Oldies Walter Matthau and Ossie Davis meet up on a New York City Central Park bench and chew the cud, in this welcome adaptation of Herb Gardner's Tony-award-winning play. This bitter-sweet comedy does seem at times a bit stagy and tends to bang on a bit (it really shouldn't have run to this length), but the dialogue is of fine quality and the hugely likeable Matthau and Davis are well worth tuning in for. Only the scenes where the duo get embroiled with drug dealer Craig T Nelson and mugger Guillermo Diaz seem hollow and time-wasting: they should have had the courage to make the film with just the two old blokes yakking. Unusually, the playwright gets to write his own screenplay and direct, so this must be the definitive film of a super evening in the theatre. Matthau's fans will be on cloud nine.
©ipc tx. Film content from TVTimes