The Sunshine Boys

The Sunshine Boys

Made for TV in 1995, this version of Neil Simon's venerable play The Sunshine Boys, previously filmed with George Burns and Walter Matthau in 1975, stars Woody Allen and Peter Falk as a bickering comic team who, after years of animosity, reluctantly contemplate reuniting when offered parts in a movie. Updating his original for the '90s, Simon has made his protagonists holdovers from the early days of TV comedy, in which both he and Allen have roots. But while the play translates effectively, this production doesn't make for thrilling viewing. Though watching him spit out Simon's one-liners is a bit like watching Bob Dylan sing a James Taylor song, Allen does good work as the more stable half of the duo. Too bad the usually reliable Falk, who has substantially more screen time, made the decision to play his part in a grumpy-old-man voice that sounds as if it could have been overdubbed by Adam Sandler on a particularly lazy day. A nice supporting cast, including Sarah Jessica Parker and Michael McKean, lends support to what is essentially a two-man show, and TV veteran John Erman's direction minimizes the piece's staginess. But overall, there's little more offered by this version of The Sunshine Boys than could be found in a community repertory production.

 
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