LOCAL HERO (1983) (A) - Bill Forsyth kicked off the fleeting heyday of low-key Scottish cinema with this sweet fish-out-of-water story about a Texas oilman going across the ocean to woo a small town's residents into selling their beachfront property. Forsyth, coming off his UK hit "Gregory's Girl," crafts a minor key classic, putting Peter Riegert out front as the fish out of water, backed by Burt Lancaster as his boss, the eccentric oil tycoon.
Forsyth, who has not made a film since the early '90s, just had an ear for the daily patter in the lives of common people of his native land. Here, the townsfolk -- fueled mostly by pints in the bar -- are a motley collection of merchants and oddballs (including the singular punk-rock girl in town) who each stand to become instant millionaires. Riegert's Mac bonds with Gordon (Denis Lawson), the hotel/bar owner, and is attracted to Gordon's wife, Stella (Jennifer Black), while Mac's assistant, Danny (Peter Capaldi), falls for the lovely oceanographer Marina (Jenny Seagrove).
Mac's mission falls to the wayside as he gets seduced by the languid lifestyle surrounded by natural beauty. He reports back regularly to Lancaster's Felix Happer, an amateur astronomer who is more interested in the Northern Lights than in the closing of a deal. Eventually Happer will helicopter in to try to seal the deal. Meantime, Mac is feeling guilty about using blood money to steal this slice of heaven from the inhabitants.
The humor is dry and witty. The cast members bounce their quirks off of each other. Forsyth subtly draws out the pathos while reveling in a quaint way of life. Mark Knopfler's soundtrack is sweet and wistful. There are few films that so ably capture a time and place and mood.
THE ODD COUPLE (1968) (A-minus) - Neil Simon's foundational screenplay launched his film career and imprinted the epic pairing of Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon as Oscar and Felix, the beta buddy-movie foils.
Before it morphed into a cozy sitcom, the concept that drives the film is darker and grittier than its small-screen yukfest. There are serious concerns that Felix, crushed by the collapse of his marriage, might actually kill himself. In fact, Felix's opening scene places him on a top floor of a fleabag hotel, where his attempt to off himself will be comically foiled.
Lemmon's fussy Felix grounds the film, while Matthau seems to riff off that quirkiness with his trademark exasperation. (It is a template he'll adapt for Simon's "Sunshine Boys" a few years later.) It all comes together with a climactic visit from the neighboring Pigeon sisters, Cecily and Gwendolyn (Monica Evans and Carole Shelley) (or is it Gwendolyn and Cecily?), who end up swooning over poor pitiful Felix.
Simon's screenplay snaps with one-liners, both broad and subtle. The poker buddies are a delightful Greek chorus. And Matthau and Lemmon are a match for the ages.
BONUS TRACKS
Knopfler's "Local Hero" theme song:
And the Mekons (with Robbie Fulks) with "The Last Fish in the Sea," recorded on the island of Jura off the coast of Scotland.
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