Festivale online magazine
A Reel Life film section
Out-of-Towners movie review

The marketing people must have loved this one. Nice mainstream film, proven plot, failsafe location, nice cliched jazz soundtrack, two good comedy stars plus as a bonus, John Cleese as an hilarious transvetite persecutor/victim. A sprinkling of demure if public, sex, some effective swearing and Bob's your uncle. Instant crowd pleaser!

It's been a long time since I saw the original Out of Towners, but I can still remember Jack Lemmon and Sandie Dennis careering madly through Manhattan, demonstrating that Murphy's Law knows no limits. It was enough to put the fear of god into me, and scared me sufficiently to make me think twice about flying there one sunny day.

So It was with curiosity that I approached the remake. I've never really seen the point of messing with successful old films, but then I'm the sort of person the marketing people don't like very much. The plot can be guessed: gauche mid-Western middle aged couple travel to New York and everything that can go wrong, does. In between all the excitement the couple discover all sorts of interesting things about themselves and (surprise surprise) fall in love again.

That said, it's enjoyable and entertaining. Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn play slap-stick to the hilt. Knowing what is going to happen next doesn't destroy the fun as we never forget that it's all going to work out in the end, as the disaster prone travelogue implores us to also come to the city of dreams where nightmares await.

The price of admission is worth it just for the sight of the stilettoed John Cleese prancing and dancing very impressively to "Bad Girls". Boy can he high kick! Something I won't be forgetting for a long time.