This German TV film is based on a theatre production of Neil Simon's "The Odd Couple" which also starred Heiner Lauterbach as Oscar and Uwe Ochsenknecht as Felix. The setting is Munich, Blanche and Francis are called Beate and Franzi, and they pay in Euros. But all these changes would not have been necessary. Besides, the whole film looks very cheap. It seems to have been filmed with a home camera and the set decoration is in very bad taste. But the worst of it are the leading actors. Ochsenknecht as well as Lauterbach mumble to such an extent that many gags get lost just because these two guys aren't able to open their mouths. Moreover, they are not able to transport the fun and wit of Simon's lines, they are just not funny and I didn't even laugh once. Neil Simon doesn't deserve such an amateurish production and neither do the spectators. So when you want to enjoy his brilliant comedy, watch out for the 1967 version starring Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau. That's the definitive production of "The Odd Couple".
