Charles Herold (cherold) The Sunshine Boys always struck me as a lesser Neil Simon comedy, amusing and likable but neither as funny nor as insightful as his best work. The original movie worked mainly because of a terrific cast. But this less well-cast and less well-directed TV remake exhibits all the flaws and none of the strengths of Simon's light work.There are so many problems with this movie. Falk and Allen are too mismatched, with Falk overplaying to the point of annoyance and Woody underplaying to the point of putting me to sleep. They are both talented people, but they exhibit zero chemistry, and thus make no sense as an ex comedy duo. Walter Matthau and George Burns hated each other, but they also riffed off of each other. Falk and Allen feel not like people who worked together for decades but like people who met a week ago.Sarah Jessica Parker isn't especially bad as Falk's niece/agent, but without the nervous energy of Richard Benjamin, her part just lays there, and she feels wildly unnecessary.While many people here complain of Simon's rewrites, the truth is, the jokes from the first movie are mainly intact, and it's not Simon's fault that most of them fall flat the second time around. It is the listless direction and mismatched performances that sink this movie.With the right cast, this movie could still work. But what's the point?

ianlouisiana "The drizzling boys" would have been more like it.Obnoxious Willy Clark (Jackie Mason he ain't) played by Mr P.Falk,and neurotic Jack Lewis(Woody Allen he ain't - oh my God he IS Woody Allen)are a former comic partnership who couldn't stand each other but are considering re - uniting for a movie. Take my advice - don't go to see it. Two more miserable less likable characters it would be hard to find. Clark lives in a filthy hotel suite,Lewis with his daughter in some comfort. Their reunion does not go well. Mr Falk offers a caricature of every third - rate Jewish comedian who ever spent a season in the Adirondacks.Mr Allen offers a caricature of himself caricaturing every third - rate Jewish comedian who ever spent a season in the Adirondacks. The movie is dull,dull,dull.The performances are appalling. I have yet to figure out why messrs Falk and Allen got involved in it. Not for the money,surely?

caa821 I couldn't assign this more than 3* -- 2 for Allen, 1 for Falk. I was in NYC on business during this work's original stage run, with Sam Levene in the Woody Allen part, and Jack Albertson in Falk's.I'm not prejudiced against New Yorkers, I just think they're about one-third to a half less-sophisticated and -trendy than they do.Everyone was praising the original of this work as if it were a treasure, and I'd have graded to original at a B+. The subsequent Burns/Matthau flick, 20 years prior to this one, could be about B-, with a bit of a stretch.I loved Columbo, and have enjoyed Peter Falk's work with his buddies, John Cassavetes and Ben Gazzara -- but here, his voice and accent throughout sounded at times like Arte Johnson when he did his nerdy German soldier character on "Laugh In," and the rest of the time like Adam Sandler doing his Opera Man, the nerd from "The Waterboy," and other inane types he has done with this same type silly nasal, whiny accent.I've thought Bruce Jenner, in his Village People opus, "Can't Stop the Music, " may have been one of the worst performances ever recorded on film -- but then Bruce's talent was running, jumping, throwing the discus, putting the shot, etc., not acting.Peter Falk, with a very strong resumé in both humorous and serious roles, may have been even worse here. It's a stretch to mark this offering even a D-.

Gyran This is a made-for -TV film of the Neil Simon comedy, better known in the Walter Matthau and George Burns version. Peter Falk and Woody Allen play two grumpy old comedians who get back together after many years of mutual hatred.Woody Allen understates his performance in the George Burns role and his character is pleasingly different from his normal screen persona. Unfortunately Peter Falk's performance is so mannered that it renders the film virtually unwatchable