The Fortune Cookie

Billy Wilder, USA, 1966, 125 minutes

Billy Wilder exercises his cynical tendencies in this scandalously neglected comedy about the determined efforts of shyster lawyer Whiplash Willie (Walter Matthau) to win himself a share of an out-of-court settlement of $500,000 by convincing his television cameraman brother-in-law (Jack Lemmon) to grossly exaggerate his medical injuries brought about by a collision with an oncoming player at an American football game.

Jack Lemmon gets top billing in The Fortune Cookie but this is definitely Walter Matthau's show. His malleable facial features work overtime as he grows increasingly determined to get his treasured cut of the money cake. It's a real tour-de-force and an example to any aspiring comic actor.

One must say, alas, that the Wilder-I.A.L Diamond script does occasionally lapse into redundant schmaltz. However, for the overwhelming part it is disciplined and acutely funny. The supporting cast is fine, the direction economical, and the great Andre Previn's score works a real treat.

This film set the pattern for future Lemmon-Matthau films and I would firmly contend that while the subsequent features are certainly in parts very funny, none surpasses the consistent excellence of this true gem of American film comedy.

Review by Stephen Townsend
Taken from EUFS Programme 1993-94