Out to Sea (1997)

Highly Overrated But Still Good

This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau star in this long and lame comedy about two old guys who get jobs as dance partners on a cruise ship. Each one finds love on the high seas.Lemmon plays the dope who gets tricked by brother-in-law Matthau into a cruise, not knowing they've been hired to squire old ladies around the dance floor. Could have been funny, but it goes under really fast.Lemmon meets a shy widow (Gloria DeHaven) and Matthau tries to snag a Texas heiress (Dyan Cannon) only to find out that she's also a fortune hunter. Tons of wasted talent here. Elaine Stritch plays Cannon's conniving mother, Hal Linden and Donald O'Connor play fellow dance partners, Rue McClanahan plays the cruise ship owner, Estelle Harris is one of the old ladies, Edward Mulhare plays a card cheater, and Brent Spiner gets way too much screen time as the ship's snarky entertainment director.The situations are unbelievable from the get-go. The film is 30 minutes too long in any case. No one outside of Lemmon, Matthau, Cannon, Spiner, and DeHaven get much to do, although Stritch breathes a little bit of life into this mess. Film would have been much better getting rid of Cannon (who comes off as a total zero) and teaming Stritch and Matthau.There's also a maudlin streak running through the film with Lemmon moping around because his wife died. Who wants to watch him sobbing at her picture in a frame? This was supposed to be a comedy! This one should have followed the Titanic to the bottom of the sea and taken director Martha Coolidge with it.

"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."

Out to Sea (1997): Dir: Martha Coolidge / Cast: Jack Lemmon, Walter Mathau, Brent Spiner, Dyan Cannon, Brent Spiner: Very funny comedy with two elderly males attempting to relive their glory days. The title regards the clueless high hopes by the leads. Walter Matthau plays a gambler who talks his widowed pal into going on an all expense paid cruise but he didn't mention the catch, which is that he signed them both up as dance hosts. The entertainment organizer, who opens his own act, takes an immediate dislike to our grumpy old men. The rest involves their encounter with two other women. Jack Lennon still loves his deceased wife so he struggles in accepting new love. Matthau gets caught up on the dance floor for which his inability to dance is put hilariously to the test. Familiar plot travels a predictable formula but director Martha Coolidge shows examples of comic timing. She previously made such entertaining comedies as Valley Girl and Real Genius. Matthau and Lemmon have irresistible comic chemistry. Brent Spiner plays the entertainment organizer in a standard role yet a terrific foil. Dyan Cannon plays Matthau's love interest but the role is too straight forward. Brent Spiner plays the foiled master of ceremonies who views our duo as a major inconvenience. Theme regards aged friendship. That keeps the script from drifting out to sea. Score: 7 ½ / 10

"Out to Sea" was a vehicle for Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau, a team of comedy actors that excelled in their different movies. This film seems to have been made after the success of "Grumpy Old Men", and it involves a cruise where the men will be involved in funny situations since they have been hired as male escorts to entertain the single women of a certain age that are attracted to this type of vacation.Martha Coolidge, the director, doesn't bring anything new to the picture. It's a formula movie, and as such, we know where it's going at all times. The best thing in the film is Brent Spinner, who is the cruise entertainment director, the man in charge of Herb and Charlie. This man, who loves to sing, supervises his domain with an iron fist and gets funny results.Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau could do their Herb and Charlie well, as they proved in the many films they appeared together. Both actors have some good moments in the film. Dyan Cannon, Elaine Strich, and the lovely Gloria DeHaven, are good to see in any movie. Others in the cast include Rue McClanahan, Donnald O'Connor, Hal Linden, among others.Let's remember Mr. Lemmon and Mr. Matthau for other, better made movies than this one.