ChicRawIdol
A brilliant film that helped define a genre
Baseshment
I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.
Bumpy Chip
It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.
cricketbat
The best part about disharmony in music is that eventually you get satisfying harmony. The Out-of-Towners fails to do that. While I'm impressed that they were able to keep this movie semi-plausible, the main characters never catch a break - it's miserable for them throughout the entire journey. The interactions between the husband and wife were entertaining, but this movie just stressed me out.
Blueghost
I've laughed a films that had both Goldie Hawn and Steve Martin. And having seen the original Out of Towners years back, I think I can safely say that this film really doesn't hit any humorous chords.Frank Thornton said it best in a KQED interview back in the 1990s when he came to visit San Francisco after being invited by the PBS station. We laugh at the antics of character on stage and screen because it makes use feel superior, because we wouldn't be dumb enough to do what they have (done). He further went on to say that we wouldn't admit it to ourselves, but that is why we laugh.And when I saw this remake I couldn't help but think that some corporate hired director (who probably did some drugs) was given some paint-by-the- numbers instructions of how to direct this film based on a script that had been doctored to death and resembled nothing of Neil Simon's original work from a couple decades earlier. There's that, and the fact that the gags in this film just don't hold up. There's no motivation nor real shock value in any of them. And even a couple of the gags were in other films that came out around the same time. And when you mix all that together, what have you got?You can't fault the actors. I remember Steve Martin in lots of other films, and his performance is on par here with previous work. Ditto with Goldie Hawn who actually looks more attractive now in this film than she ever did as a young college girl in Laugh In, or as the 30-something damsel in distress during her run in the 70s and 80s. But the material both actors and the supporting cast are given to work with is pretty dismal and just not fresh. And, with all due respect to both leads, part of that may be that Martin and Hawn don't strike us the audience as the naive suburbanites from a very church conservative sector of the nation.A better film needed a different director and most definitely a different script. Or, better yet, don't do remakes in the first place.Watch at your own risk.
The Grand Master
The Out-of-Towners, which is a remake of the 1970 comedy, was a very irritating and frustratingly painful movie to watch. It was not the least bit funny and a lot of the humour was very stale.Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn had the potential to make this work, however the whole movie was just a disaster from start to finish. Not even John Cleese could redeem this movie. Normally slapstick comedy is meant to be funny however I found myself frustrated at how painful it was as well as being very unfunny. I felt like I was ripped off.It was no surprise that this was actually a critical and commercial failure upon its release in 1999. Nonetheless this is a very forgettable comedy that I will never watch again. It robbed me of 90 minutes of my life that I will never get back.1/10.
jamesmkruger
I loved the original, Jack Lemmon at his best. Great story, typical Neil Simon script. I'm not a Sandy Dennis fan, but she was very good in this role, surprisingly.Two of my favorite comedic actors are Goldie Hawn and Steve Martin. I grew up on them. But, they just don't cut the mustard in this remake. I can't place my finger on it, but it just isn't funny. It's not just the writing, it's the actors and their direction.I was so excited when this movie was released. Who doesn't love John Cleese? Well, I don't in this role. I did enjoy seeing a great stand-up comic, Steve Mittleman, in a cameo role in the early portion of the film. Mittleman was one of the funniest comics I remember from my childhood days.This movie is a waste of time.
