Billy Wilder directs this first-time pairing of Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau in a brilliant comedy in which a larcenous lawyer convinces his brother-in-law to perpetrate insurance fraud. Jack Lemmon portrays Harry Hinkle a TV cameraman who gets injured by a very considerate player while working a Cleveland Browns football game. Walter Matthau is the devious lawyer Willie Gingrich who encourages the expensive lawsuit. Co-written by Billy Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond the film garnered
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Starring the legendary duo of Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon Wilder's characteristically cynical comedy again explores the corrupting influence of money When TV-cameraman Harry Hinkle (Lemmon) is slightly injured while covering a football game Willie Gingrich (Matthau) his ambulance-chasing attorney of a brother-in-law sees the opportunity for a major score Persuading Lemmon to exaggerate the extent of the damage Matthau sues the football team the network and the stadium for a fortune Meanwhile Boom Boom Jackson (Ron Rich) the good-natured player who ran over Lemmon guiltily suspends his career to care for his victim and Matthau calls in Lemmon's ex-wife (Judi West) whose compassion seems to be stimulated by the sound of money But the deception begins to wear on Lemmon who becomes ever more disgusted with himself for exploiting the innocent player and with the blatant venality of his ex Matthau however has no intention of seeing his percentage of a potentially huge settlement go up in smoke Although Lemmon give a finely-modulated performance as a reluctant scam-artist Matthau's lawyer a Volpone-like monster of avarice has the best lines in a hilarious film that suggest a slight mellowing in the director's perspective on human nature
This comedy satire was directed by Billy Wilder, from a script he wrote with I.A.L. Diamond, and saw the first screen pairing of Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau. Lemmon plays Harry Hinkle, a news cameraman who is knocked over while covering a football game and subsequently rushed to hospital. Matthau plays Whiplash Willie, Hinkle's brother-in-law, an unscrupulous lawyer who knows an opportunity when he sees one and tries to persuade Hinkle to fake injury and sue for a million dollars. Hinkle agrees, but will he be able to keep up the pretence? Matthau collected a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his performance.
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