Good Neighbor Sam

Directed by David Swift whose direction is anything but, Good Neighbor Sam is a dud with a contrived and belabored plot that allows for plenty of product placement and the result is mildly amusing at best. Talented Jack Lemon, becomes tiresome and like Under the Yum Yum Tree, Irma la Douce, Luv, The Odd Couple, and How to Murder Your Wife , Good Neighbor Sam is strictly for his fans. Dorothy Provine, the poor man's Doris Day, and lovely Romy Schneider are wasted. An over-extended sitcom that somehow made it to the big screen where it must have seen endless. Skip it!

Good Neighbor Sam is watchable, but lacking the laughs and memorable moments for the long run-time. The acting's fine and characters as well. It's not very clever though and over the top, never settling down. Dorothy Provine as Min, the most likable.

I could describe the plot of the movie but i never like doing that since everyone already does it. Jack lemmon is good as usual and its nice to edward g. robinson in a role like this. Romy schneider is gorgeous in this movie. The movie starts out good but towards the end it just feels like it goes overboard with the sort of slapstick comedy.

Jack Lemmon is one of my favorite actors & I love all his movies. I just want to warn people that this one is by far the worst one. I only laughed one time when Jack was driving a private investigator home & the investigator's door opened & he almost fell out. I thought there would be super funny scenes of him running back and forth between the two houses but there wasn't. I wish I would of skipped this one. It was a waste of money.

The film begins well with its depiction of 1960s suburbia, the introduction of the Bissell family (including the ducks), the amusing jibes at the advertising industry (including the inaccurate but hilarious depiction of the filming of a Hertz car rental commercial), provides some great performances from all the principals, and from a great supporting cast, such as Edward Andrews, R.Q. Jones, and Neil Hamilton. It has a smart, yet affectionate quality to it. But as the film chugs along, it seems to run out of steam, as the gags keep repeating themselves, and it begins to seem more like a less successful imitation of the popular Doris Day/Rock Hudson romantic comedies of the time, and one can begin to understand why Lemmon didn't put this one in the top drawer of his memories.

I saw this movie back in 1964 when it first came out. Although I was 9 at the time, this movie is one of my all time greats. Why? Great plot, absolute entertainment, no violence, classic spoof and shtick, spy props, the amazing back yard invention, back scene production of the "Let Hertz put you in the driver's seat", (do you remember the TV ad?), John Q. Lewis and the gorgeous Dorothy Provine, one of my all time greats. This is so full of fun humor. There should be a remake with Steve Martin and Carmen Electra. One more important aspect is the sixties clothes, cars, homes, furnishings, and style. This is pure entertainment.

If you're looking for laughs served up by experts, "Good Neighbor Sam" is just the ticket. Misadventure ensues when the business world and mixed-up home life of a hapless chap collide. Jack Lemmon was the best at this type of thing and plays it for all it's worth. There's an hysterical bit by Louis Nye and the fabulous Hi Lo's appear in a recurring gag. DeVol's music adds to the fun. Mike Connors is wonderful. He more than holds his own in the comedy department with the fabulous Jack. Good looking and funny - could have been another Cary Grant if the right parts had come along. Two lovely gals, Dorothy Provine and Romy Scheider, provide charming support. Enjoy.

"Good Neighbor Sam" bombed big time when it was released in 1964. At the time I thought, "What a shame. This is Jack Lemmon's best comedic acting in years, and this is a pleasant movie." Looking at it now, I understand why "Good Neighbor Sam" was a failure. For one thing, it's way overplotted (there's enough subplots for THREE sparkling comedies). It's played at the sitcom level and runs over two hours. The "domestic violence" subplot is disturbing, even for the times. However, it is still funny, beautifully cast (especially Lemmon, Dorothy Provine, Romy Schneider and Edward G. Robinson) and mostly gentle satire (the Hertz commercial retakes are a hoot). Best of all, the "billboard defacing," which happens near the end of the movie is the funniest sequence of all, meaning "Good Neighbor Sam" NEVER lets up. Special note should be taken of Frank DeVol's music (the recurring theme is a classic). I recommend this one highly

The first time I saw this movie, I was floored by this funny, sexy romp. My God, Jack Lemmon even used the word "hell!". Oh, did I mention that I was 9 years old at the time! Upon seeing it again, many years later, I was glad to see it "held up" better than I thought it would. It's "plenty" dated (so what???). The silliness and familiar faces make it worthwhile. The theme song is memorable (you'll know it when you hear it). Jack Lemmon's eccentricity at home, is in great contrast to his constant fight to appear normal in his advertising agency persona. The advertising "game" was used as the backdrop of many movies of the 1960's, whether comedy or drama. There is a running gag througout this movie, spoofing the filming of a popular Hertz Car Rental commercial. It's very funny. I was also pleased to see Edward G. Robinson make an appearance in a "light" role. Not a GREAT movie, but if you enjoy Jack Lemmon versus the world type comedies, you'll enjoy this one too.....