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Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Have you ever had something happen to you at work that you wanted to milk it for everything that it was worth? We all know what I’m talking about. Something that was a minor incident, but you knew you could spend a few days away from work and maybe get some compensation for it. We have all thought about what would happen if? Could I get away with this if this specific thing happens? Shit, my mind does that all the time on a Monday morning when I didn’t want to go to work. The reason I bring all of this is because I just watched The Fortune Cookie. It’s a black comedy about a man who gets “hurt” during a football game only for his conniving lawyer brother-in-law to try to squeeze every penny out of the insurance company.
I have watched plenty of Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau films. They have a great chemistry and collaboration together. My favorite collaboration between them is The Odd Couple. The comedic delivery and story are fascinating. When looking for a new Academy Award film to watch, I landed on The Fortune Cookie. I saw that Matthau won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance but was more intrigued that it was the first film in which Lemmon and Matthau collaborated. I wanted to see how this beautiful friendship started.
The Fortune Cookie is a film directed, produced, and co-written by Billy Wilder. This screwball comedy begins with CBS cameraman Harold “Harry” Hinkle (Lemmon) trying to get images of the crowd during a football game. While not paying attention, football player and star Luther “Boom Boom” Jackson (Rich) of the Cleveland Browns accidentally runs into him. Harry is injured and taken to the hospital for care and to ensure he is alright. Harry’s conniving lawyer brother-in-law William H. “Whiplash Willie” Gingrich (Matthau) sees an opportunity to make some significant money. William convinces his brother to pretend that he is far more hurt than he is to try and claim $1 million in pain and suffering from the insurance company. To help Harry through this, William calls his ex-wife Sandy (West) to suddenly reappear and try to rekindle their relationship. As the pair try to con their way to money, Harry’s conscience comes into play as Jackson’s play on the field drastically falls off as he struggles with what happened to Harry. Will William help get the money, or will Harry let his conscience help and do the right thing?
This film has all the elements of a good Lemmon and Matthau collaboration film. It was funny, but the later movies were more comical and entertaining. The story is entertaining, with Harry getting hurt but William doing everything he can to convince and hoodwink the insurance company into giving over massive amounts of funds. The story has two parallel parts working at the same exact time. On one side, you have Harry, who is going along with the scheme. He is only doing it because he is still in love with his trifling wife, Sandy. Sandy could care less about Harry. The only reason she is around is because she wants that money. To see Harry try to woo his former wife is downright sad. Harry also must try to avoid getting caught by the insurance company. He rolls around in his wheelchair and stays in his apartment while the insurance company spies on him.
On the flip side is William and his hustling ways. William is a straight-up crook, but I like the way he works. Everyone knows he is a conniving person, yet he gets away with it because he knows the law. Several scenes show him in a funny way. First, his office is a straight-up disastrous pin. He has papers all over the place and doesn’t seem organized. When he talks to the insurance company honchos, he outsmarts them by telling them about different cases he can refer to. William also keeps tabs on Harry and knows what the insurance company is doing. He knows where the wires are and uses the bathtub to drown out the sound.
Everything seems to be going well for Harry, but his conscience gets the better of him as he hears more and more of Jackson’s struggles. Jackson visits Harry, and Harry at first treats him rudely and takes advantage of him. Jackson states that his play has been okay, and he is being booed. When Harry hears that Jackson will give up football, he has a revelation and decides to out the whole scheme. With the insurance company across the street, Harry dances, jumps around, and tells it all. The only thing is that William stated something else to make sure he would get some type of funds. It was a funny way to end the whole scheme.
The acting was spot-on for the film. Jack Lemmon as Harold “Harry” Hinkle was funny and had the whole Lemmon vibe. If you watched many of Lemmon’s movies, you know the type of vibe I am talking about. He is a good person who is always caught in the middle of something.
To me, Walter Matthau as William H. “Whiplash Willie” Gingrich was the film’s best part. When he was on the screen, he made the most of it. The way he played William was perfect as the conniving lawyer. Matthau was hilarious in his role and portrayed what a stereotypical lawyer is like.
The Fortune Cookie is one of those films that is funny, but you won’t remember. It is not the best collaboration between Lemmon and Matthau, but it is the start. Matthau was hilarious in his role and the film’s highlight. The story is decent, but when you watch other movies from this pair, you will soon forget this film.
