"I guess I'm just a little irritable" confesses Gwen Kellerman (Dennis), after the insufferable misfortunes she and her hubby George (Lemmon) have been gone through within a lesser-than- twelve-hour stretch, and end up being stranded in the Central Park of NYC, is probably what a first-time viewer vicariously feels at that exact point, and the misery is far from winding up.A Neil Simon's comedy directed by Arthur Hiller, who was in his heyday with a major awards contender LOVE STORY (1970) in the can the same year in December. The story involves a concatenation of mishaps which are constituted with hoary incidents, befall on the ill-fated couple from a small town in Ohio. George is scheduled to have an interview for a job promotion in NYC, which seems to be a cinch to get. So he arranges a stay in the Waldorf-Astoria, and a fancy dinner in the Four Season with Gwen, but starts with the busy air traffic control and an unexpected heavy fog around Kennedy International Airport, their voyage turns out to be an unabated chain of nightmares, whatever contretemps could possibly happen to the out-of-towners, happens, and they are all heavy-handedly implemented.Jack Lemmon has never looked so jaded and aggrieved, and Sandy Dennis has deteriorated into a ceaseless vent of annoyance as their plight aggravates. The movie is a farce intemperately piles up all possible gags consecutively, without any discretion to varnish a tad of empathy and reasoning onto its rudimentary ballast of cheap laughters. "New York will not stop me", this is the spirit, it is self-boasting individualism Vs. collective machinery of a metropolis, bluntly juxtaposed with a ridicule about bourgeois esprit and a then-topical reference of Cuba. You are aware of the intention, but can hardly buy it for the in-your-face combo-package.How much fun can one get from watching other people's misery? This film provides a feasible answer: nil if you overcook it, that is the unmistakable blunder trips THE OUT-OF-TOWNERS, it's as if you are watching a chapter of FINAL DESTINATION, waiting for something bad regularly occurring but in this case, death is not an option, not even on a hijacked plane to Cuba.

TV Guide Magazine did a review of the 'Out Of Towners' several years ago and shared a piece of trivia about the manhole cover explosion. In the scene with Jack Lemmon and Sandy Dennis arguing in the New York street, Jack hears a hissing sound near by. Moments later, the manhole cover blasts into the air and then lands just inches from Jack Lemmon. According to TV Guide, this was not a special effect, but a real incident. The director decided to keep the surreal footage, shot a few scenes to blend it into the story, and added it to the long list of mishaps the characters encountered in the movie. It's a miracle no one was hurt in that take. I'm sure the involved insurance companies breathed easier too.

Jack Lemmon rescues this good comedy which shoulda been great > there are as many believable and funny scenes as there are unbelievable and just plain dumb scenes which should have hit the cutting room floor.as a NJ-NYer from 1951 to 2009, I loved the location shots of New York in 1970 and the Director and EDitor know just how much time to spend on these classic backdrops.of course, movie comedy is about exaggeration and we can go down of a list of "in reality, they could have easily....". but it's Neil Simon, probably the first American playwright who writes mostly based upon his own New York experiences and knows how to tickle the funnybone especially, of middle class easterners, earnest but constantly being kicked around; not as street savvy as they think they are.I wrote above that Lemmon saves the project, as professional as it is, because, frankly, Sandy Dennis is uncharacteristically awful. And it's not her fault, I surmise > seems the Director does not know if she should just use her beautiful "English accent", throughout, or mix in some real Brooklynese. On the other hand, perhaps his concept of Mrs. Kellerman, is a kind of naïve, flaky kid, like Edith Bunker > always adoring - restrained but still capable of breaking out in a lecture, if needed.another reason I chose a "6" rating is in the terrible denouement and finale scene. to use a contemporary expression to describe an old movie directorial/literary choice, "what were they thinking?".good to see Meara and Billy Dee Williams, in early roles. (and all those 8 cylinder sedans!).

I love this film. Jack Lemmon is outstanding and Sandy Dennis is great as the supporting wife (she's very sweet and I love the way she says "I'm getting a bit irritable" about half way into the chaos). The script is superb with funny, witty dialog. The direction and camera-work is great - sometimes almost documentary in style, sometimes very original and groundbreaking. I also love the 70s style with the cars, signs, colors, interiors and clothes. And the music! See it, buy it (if you can get hold of it). It's a film worth seeing many times. I've already said my piece, but, you know, there's this 10 line requirement, so I do a bit of rambling here. There, now it's gotten through....