There's something inherently funny about Walter Matthau - perhaps it's his face, which possesses a permanently hangdog expression which brings to mind Droopy the Dog. Paired up with Jack Lemmon in The Odd Couple and you have a recipe for one of the best comedies of all time. As with Billy Wilder's The Apartment, the action takes place almost entirely within the confines of the home in which recent divorcees Felix Ungar (Lemmon) and Oscar Madison (Matthau) foolishly decide to live together. The sharp script mines their incompatible personalities for everything it's worth, as Felix's obsessive-compulsive behaviour sits at odds with Oscar's slovenly attitude to the housework. Adapted from a Broadway play by Neil Simon, The Odd Couple was one of the most successful films of the year when it was released in 1968. Few comedies have managed to come close to matching the incredible double act put on by its two exceptionally talented leads.
