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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
'Sunshine' on their shoulders, March 24, 2000
Don't watch this one if you haven't seen the original, because, though funny, Woody Allen and Peter Falk are no match for George Burns and Walther Matthau. Not that they didn't try, but they were both absurdly miscast since neither of them has done in real life the sort of comedy their characters do. And it shows: their supossedly hilarious TV sketch looks so forced, the child actor in it has to fake his laughs. They all do, actually. The entire thing feels forced and embarrassed. Besides, Falk is shown much too old and meaner than the part requires and Allen looks like a fish out of water in every routine; he's a great comedian but no vaudeville sidekick, and one just can't buy these guys were ever partners, let alone successful ones. Still, I hope they had much more fun doing this half-baked TV remake than I had watching it. Best of luck next time, both of them, for I'm really their fan!
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Really Bad Version, February 19, 2007
First off, I am a great fan of Woody Allen. I toured nationally plaing his role in Play It Again, Sam --but he is totally miscast in this version of The Sunshine Boys. There is no sparkle between him and Peter Falk. It is lifeless and disappointing. It should never have been done. As other comments attest, the movie version with Matthau and Burns is vastly superior. Sometimes ---great talents just don't work well together. That's the case here. Surely they knew it was not working when they shot it. No chemistry between them --a sad on-screen encounter with no payoff whatsoever. You'll waste your time watching it!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
A second generation removed from vaudevillians Smith & Dale, October 3, 2010
This review is from: Neil Simon's The Sunshine Boys (DVD)
Alan Arkin directed the original Broadway production of Neil Simon's THE SUNSHINE BOYS. It had 538 performances between 12/20/72 and 4/21/74. Opening night cast included Jack Albertson as Willie, Sam Levene as Al and Lee Meredith as their buxom sketch nurse. Lewis J. Stadlen was Willie's nephew, Ben Silverman (his original last name). Stadlen, a dead-ringer for Groucho Marx, portrayed him in the off-Broadway musical, MINNIE'S BOYS (1970).
The DVD pictured here is a TV movie misfire of the Neil Simon play that updates the start of Lewis & Clark's stage act to the 1960s, which makes little sense as vaudeville was long dead by then. Falk and Allen can't come near George Burns' or Walter Matthau's charisma in the original film. Also, changing Willie's nephew to a niece smacks of political correctness.
Simon's play is based on real life vaudevillians Joe Smith and Charlie Dale. The skit they fail to perform on a nostalgia TV special is directly lifted from Smith & Dale's " Dr. Kronkheit and his Only Living Patient."
As a fan of both Woody Allen and Peter Falk I had hoped this rehash would offer some laughs. Alas, in the end there was only hash. The weakest moment of all was Falk pretending to be convalescent and making Allen walk ALLLLL the way across the room to see him. Matthau did this bit brilliantly; Peter 'Falked' it all up. If you've seen the 1975 movie, don't bother with this one!
Parenthetical number preceding title is a 1 to 10 imdb viewer poll rating.
(5.8) The Sunshine Boys (TV-1995) - Woody Allen/Peter Falk/Sarah Jessica Parker/Michael McKean/Edie Falco/Liev Schreiber
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