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Hopscotch Reviews
The storyline seemed a bit unlikely, with the protagonist having about as much going his way as Kevin from Home Alone. But Matthau and Co played their roles well and elevated this to a pretty watchable popcorn flick.
A thinking man's spy movie, not a physical fighting spy movie. People who have never worked for the Federal government will not believe the upper management character, but it's pretty accurate IMO.
The sum of implausible scenarios and humor that sometimes misfires makes this a disappointing viewing. Matthau and Jackson, though, are, as always, fun to watch.
One of those films that may not be as good as you remembered it, Hopscotch finds Walter Matthau covering a lot of the same ground he did in Charley Varrick, but without the violence or thrills. While his character also spends most of this film outsmarting pursuers and ultimately faking his own death, the grittiness with which Don Siegel infused Varrick has been traded for light comedy and bloodless intrigue by veteran director Ronald Neame. Perhaps too well mannered for its own good, Hopscotch imagines a world populated by gentle, cultured, middle-aged spies that prefer Mozart to gunplay, where CIA agents are stymied by growling dogs, and the KGB willingly hands over sensitive information in the name of good sportsmanship.
Matthau is good but the script doesn't help him out.
This flick is worth watching just to hear Matthau singing the opera aria alone, but it is even better than that--the nifty plot and the repartee with Jackson, who starred with in House Calls as well, made this film so much fun to watch!
Hopscotch: Hopscotch is a pleasant adult comedy about a CIA field agent (Walter Matthew) forced behind a desk by new boss (Ned Beatty) and having his young protege (Sam Waterston) take his place. He leaves the CIA instead. He hides out with an old flame (Glenda Jackson)recently widowed and rich while pursued to turn sides by his old adversary an amiable KGB officer (Herbert Lom) The Good: Amiable is a good word for this entire film. Walter Matthew does nothing to surprise keeping in his pleasant but rascally grandpa mode he would use to such great effect a few years later in Grumpy Old Men. Despite the globe-trotting, the occasional gunfire and explosion there really is never a sense of threat to anyone. Atomic Blonde this is not. As for the rest of the cast. Sam Waterston gives a surprisingly pleasant performance as the protege, Ned Beatty seems to channel Jackie Gleason in Smokey and the Bandit (with even less menace) and Herbert Lom is the kindest most relaxed KGB bureau chief you will ever see. The Bad: Glenda Jackson (who is fine by the way) plays an ex-agent who got out when the CIA started getting too rough. It's that old it wasn't like this in the old days chestnut. The only problem with this theme is that anyone with a cursory knowledge of the CIA certainly would know it was much rougher and no holds barred in the sixties and early seventies than it was under Carter after the Church Committee hearings. To much paperwork or your not allowed to torture anymore would be a more accurate complaint but alas would not fit into the theme of the film. In Conclusion: If you like Walter Matthew you will like this film. It really is grumpy old spies. It clearly dropped some "f" bombs in the script so it could get an "R" rating in the US and market itself to an older crowd. There is nothing here in reality that would offend grandma or the grandkids. One trivial aside, there is a scene in a Hilton in London where they use key cards to get into their hotel room. I had no idea hotels had that in the late seventies. A fun relaxing funny movie.
In Netflix's recent 온라인카지노추천 adaptation of Lemony Snicket's A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS an Uncle of three children explains that, like books, movies have an outer layer of entertainment, but an inner layer of philosophical brilliance. This best applies to Ronald Neame's HOPSCOTCH which, while truly delightful, is less consciously more about getting old and having one last bit of fun before the latter part of your life gets the better of you. All these moments are organized to the music of Mozart, and, ironically, the screenplay is like a symphony. Director Neame and writer Garfield crafted a film so suspenseful, so hilarious, and so intellectually wise that it is hard to believe critics dismissed it as just another okay comedy. They seemed to have missed what was hidden in a shallow layer of sand - the message of Shakespeare's "undiscovered country," or more commonly known as death. This is usually conveyed through images, but with this film, satire is the choice. You actually never see a word of Kendig's revelations about the CIA. Could it be so truthful that it's terrifying? Full of such lies that the agency could be ruined for nothing? We don't know.
A truly brilliant film in every way. Script, Acting, plot, filmography, casting. Walter Matthou and Glenda Jackson,.
"Hopscotch" was unexpectedly good. Walter Matthau's dry humor is the perfect fit for this off-beat comedy. I had trouble envisioning this international game of cat-and-mouse as a comedy but the constant situational irony and Matthau's wit creates humorous moments from start to finish. A good film requires a good villain, and Ned Beatty fits the bill. It is easy to dislike Beatty with his constant flow of profane dialogue and unnecessarily rude treatment of Matthau at the beginning of the film, all leading to gleeful enjoyment of every scene inside of the Georgia home. While the film has a lot of great moments, the plot is rather farfetched and some of the acting falls short of the high standard set by Matthau and Beatty. I definitely prefer heist films, but this espionage comedy is unlike any story that I've seen and I would definitely give it a second watch.
I enjoyed it but do not need to see it again. It was funny to have old Matthau outwitting all of the CIA and KGB with silly pranks and tricks.
Though it's aged a bit awkwardly in an era where espionage films are expected to deliver thrills, Hopscotch remains an amusing comedy bolstered considerably by the presence of Walter Matthau.
Its all very silly, but still entertaining. I can't help but enjoy something that makes our intelligence organizations look like a bunch of bumbling idiots. Matthau is great, as is the score which consists of random Mozart, Puccini, and Rossini selections.
Lovely way to spend an evening.
Entertaining. This movie was recommended to me by a guy that had worked in the field . Said it comes closest to the realities of the espionage business.
Filmed in a straightforward yet whimsical style that bypasses action in favor of clever plotting, "Hopscotch" is one of the better films of its kind. There are chases, but they occur mainly off-screen. What we see are dialogues in offices instead of actual action (excluding a hilarious scene where a house is unwittingly shot up), which makes the film feel more professional. Walter Matthau is solid in his role and handles the comedic elements of his character quite well, and Sam Waterston, Ned Beatty and Glenda Jackson provide adequate support. "Hopscotch" is light on thrills, but it's delightful and easy to swallow.