Greenes Please don't spend money on this.

Libramedi Intense, gripping, stylish and poignant

Grimossfer Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

Billy Ollie Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

John Panagopoulos "Out to Sea" (hereafter "OTS") is basically a melding of "Grumpy Old Men" (or "The Odd Couple", take your pick) with a typical "Love Boat" episode. Before you groan and decide this is something you might want to skip, I wish to assure you that comic and acting (and sadly, now departed) legends Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon effortlessly turn on the smooth, wacky, exasperated, and cunning charm to make OTS a laugh-filled, satisfying, if somewhat predictable romp.The frantic fun begins when Matthau's character Charlie Gordon, a shifty gambler in hock with several bookies and loan sharks, persuades his despondent, widowed brother-in-law Herb Sullivan (Lemmon) to take a cruise with him on-board the Holland America liner Westerdam presumably to cheer him up. When Herb protests that neither of them can afford a cruise, Charlie assures him that he managed to wrangle free tickets. Herb grudgingly agrees.Of course there's a catch. Only after they board the ship does Charlie inform Herb that in exchange for the free room and board, they must serve as dancing partners and escorts for "unattached" women passengers. Though Herb is understandably agitated with Charlie for this con, he figures he and Charlie can make the best of it. After all, cruises have all sorts of amenities and benefits, and the Central America/Mexico itinerary is enticing. Besides, Herb is a good dancer. But, of course, there are other catches.One, while Herb can trip the light fantastic, Charlie can't. In fact, Charlie has all the dancing grace of the Scarecrow from "The Wizard of Oz". Two, their boss is the despotic, brown-nosing, and smugly irritating martinet Gil Godwin (Brent Spiner, in a role as diametrically opposite to his unemotional, rational role as Data the android from "Star Trek – The Next Generation" as a role can be). Gil is the cruise director from hell with a soul of a drill instructor. He warns all the dance partners that dancing is as far as it goes with the women passengers. Any kind of relationship, even the most casual, is strictly forbidden. Naturally, Gil keeps a haughty eye on Herb and Charlie – especially Charlie, who spends much of the movie shirking his dancing duties and dodging and disobeying Gil's edicts.And so "OTS" launches into a comedy of deception, mistaken identity, and screwball antics. Besides avoiding Gil, Charlie keeps busy by playing poker against the snobbish, wealthy card expert Cullen Carswell and doggedly wooing the apparently glamorous, well-to-do Liz LaBreche (a still stunning Dyan Cannon), traveling with her ornery, cantankerous mother Mavis (Elaine Stritch) who wants her to marry someone worthy of her social station and who instantly disapproves of Charlie. Meanwhile, the more subdued Herb finds his own romantic interaction with Vivian (Gloria DeHaven), a fetching widow traveling with her grown daughter and son-in-law. They are mutually attracted to each other. Problem is, Vivian, through Charlie's interference, believes Herb is a doctor. Herb is actually a retired Gimbel's sales clerk, but is afraid to tell Vivian the truth because he doesn't want to disappoint her. Besides, Herb still stubbornly yearns for his deceased wife of 46 years, Susie.Again, the plot is straight out of any "Love Boat" episode, but Matthau and Lemmon are consummate, confident pros who can squeeze laughs out of the most outlandish doings. Through both physical slapstick and quick and sharp dialogue, Matthau and Lemmon seem to be having a ball in "OTS" and therefore let us have fun, too. And yet, good comedies always have a core of emotion and pathos. Both Matthau and Lemmon have it in "OTS" and so we hope that they can rise above the sticky deceptions and white lies they have built and find love and fulfillment. Do they? Well, think about any "Love Boat" episode and how it turns out that Herb and Charlie aren't the only ones harboring secrets in the movie, not least Gil and his shameless flattering of ship owner Ellen Carruthers (Rue McClanahan) in order to secure a promotion, and rest assured that poetic justice comes into play.P.S.: Although I have been on several cruises with several cruise lines, including Holland America, I have never been on the Westerdam. OTS showcases the ship well and I'm sure Holland America was grateful for the publicity. I would love to take a trip on the Westerdam someday.

gwnightscream Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, Dyan Cannon, Gloria DeHaven, Elain Stritch, Rue McClanahan and Brent Spiner star in this 1997 comedy. This focuses on pals, Herb (Lemmon), a widower and Charlie (Matthau), a gambler. Charlie talks Herb into going on a cruise with him where they can look for women, but have to be dance hosts because they can't afford it. Soon, Herb finds romance with divorcée, Vivian (DeHaven) and Charlie with Liz (Cannon) who is single, but is on vacation with her mother, Mavis (Stritch). The late, McClanahan (The Golden Girls) plays Ellen, the ship's owner and Spiner (Independence Day) plays obnoxious, cruise director, Gil. This is a good comedy with a good cast and The late, Lemmon & Matthau were great together as usual. I recommend this.

kai ringler Another pretty decent film from comedic geniuses Lemmon, and Mathau,, not quite as good as their earlier work but still very entertaining,, this film has them getting on board ,, albeit under false pretenses as dance instructors. well neither one of them really know how to dance all that well,, one of them men falls for Dyan Cannon, who still looks pretty darn good for her age. the other falls for Gloria De Haven also pretty good looking I might add. along the way there are lot's of laughs, great one liners, as they have to figure out how to pull of being dance instructors. These two actors especially when paired together never cease to amaze me how good they are at their craft,, Both of them will be dearly missed.

elcutach I never heard of this film when it first came out. It must have sunk immediately. :o) I saw it on cable while sick in hospital so I hardly had enough energy to watch it, let alone turn the channel. Better choice than the Style Channel. ;0(. Filmed on location, this travelogue should have been on the Travel Channel. The plot is recycled from ship board farces of the thirties and forties. The cast seems to have been recycled from the fifties. Donald O'Connor, star of musicals and Edward Mulhare as a card shark. As to the main cast, Walter Matthau is still playing the same part as he did in Guys and Dolls or was it the one about the orphan girl? Wiseacre irresponsible gambler and rounder. But it just doesn't take with a man of his age. As to Jack Lemmon, he plays his part so straight, he can hardly dip and glide when dancing. And as mentioned, Dyan Cannon is outstandingly attractive as another swindler sailing with her mother who thinks Walter is rich, while he thinks she is rich. Elaine Stritch plays Dyan's mother, another retread from the fifties. The most fun is the running feud between Brent Spiner as the domineering and snotty cruise director who immediately spots Walter as a poor dancer, and spends his time trying to get him dismissed so he will have to pay for his free passage. In the end, though he receives his comeuppances. Meanwhile Jack mopes about, meets an attractive woman, with mutual attraction, but their affair is broken up by Walter's lies that Jack is a doctor, when he was actually a retired department store buyer. But finally, the two men take to the sea in a rubber boat to intercept her seaplane and all is well. There does not seem to be any principal player under the age of fifty.