Movie #1009 "Prisoner of Second Avenue" was being shown on TCM on Neil Simon day , and it is one I'm familiar with, as far as scenes, but I've never really read the whole show nor ever seen it in its entirety. I must say, I like it in smaller doses......because as a whole show, it gets tiring just like "the Out of Towners" ---- as one bad thing layers on top of another, it gets tiring instead of funnier to watch. But there are some great moments here --- the scene where Bancroft is trying to explain to Lemmon that their apartment has been robbed is a stitch (and we used that scene in speech team and for one -acts many a time), another scene where Lemmon mugs a guy who he thinks stole his wallet, and the famous water on the balcony moment. There are lots of laughs here, but it's intermittently, in comparison to some of his better stuff.
The Prisoner of Second Avenue1975PG I'd give this 3.5 out of 5 stars
Neil Simon's hit Broadway comedy makes a seamless transition to the big screen. Middle-aged New York City executive Mel has recently been "downsized" and doesn't know where to turn -- even though his sympathetic wife (Anne Bancroft) is just an arm's length away. The crazy ups and downs that follow keep the couple on their toes, if not on the edge of a nervous breakdown. Look fast for a young Sylvester Stallone as a man mistaken for a mugger.
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