SUMMARY: Running Time: 1 Hour, 44 Min.
With author Brian Garfield loosely co-adapting his same-titled 1975 novel, this R-rated 1980 comedy directed by Ronald Neame mocks Cold War intrigue. Unexpectedly demoted to a desk job for insubordination, sixty-ish CIA field ace Miles Kendig (Matthau) absconds to Austria and quietly reunites with his ex-colleague, Isobel (Jackson).
Inspired by a chance comment by his friendly KGB rival, Yaskov (Lom), Kendig retaliates against his blowhard ex-boss, Myerson (Beatty), from afar by writing an explosive tell-all memoir. Mailed a sample first chapter, Myerson desperately realizes that Kendig intends to expose his long history of ruthless slimeball tactics (otherwise referred to as “dirty tricks”).
Kendig’s insightful protégé, Joe Cutter (Waterston), reluctantly follows Myerson’s orders to chase his old friend down. Meanwhile, with Isobel’s loving help, Kendig cunningly plays an international cat-and-mouse game, with the CIA, FBI, and the KGB, all in hot pursuit.
Changing up the rules of the revenge game, as he goes, proves a fun (not to mention, expensive) way for Kendig to spend his forced retirement. Deliciously baiting his ex-boss with one humiliation after another, Kendig’s risk-taking means finding out if publishing this exposé ultimately signs his death warrant.
Note: The movie’s title (as with the novel) is the same as Kendig’s memoir.
Miles Kendig: Walter Matthau
Myerson: Ned Beatty
Isobel Von Schoenberg: Glenda Jackson
Joe Cutter: Sam Waterston
Yaskov: Herbert Lom
Leonard Ross: David Matthau
Parker Westlake: George Baker
Carla: Lucy Saroyan
Maddox: Severn Darden
Follett: Douglas Dirkson
REVIEW:
Aside from its generous slew of profanities (i.e. Myerson’s multiple F-bombs), this intelligent spy-caper comedy for grown-ups delivers vintage Walter Matthau. Enjoying sly chemistry with the ensemble cast, Matthau’s everyman charm conveys Kendig’s personal vendetta against his bureaucratic nemesis. Making it look easy, Glenda Jackson, Herbert Lom, and Sam Waterston pitch in, as necessary, to help carry various scenes.
As the buffoonish Myerson, Ned Beatty’s expletive-laced meltdowns are hilarious (especially, in the Savannah shootout sequence), making him a perfect foil for Matthau’s witty hijinks. Matthau’s own son, David, and Douglas Dirkson are terrific as Myerson’s mustachioed operatives helping Cutter pursue Kendig. Matthau’s step-daughter, Lucy Saroyan, cameos as a breezy freelance pilot, as she shares a fun in-joke late in the film.
Perhaps the most welcome element is how this cast, in a mix of locales worthy of a James Bond film, plausibly imbue their characters as ordinary people in the spy business. The only letdown stems from the movie’s choice not to divulge Myerson’s ultimate fate (who knows? – maybe he gets promoted, just for irony’s sake). Leaving it to the audience’s imagination is too much of a cop-out, much like how the script teases Myerson’s sleazy misdeeds without actually divulging specifics.
Aside from this quibble, the spy game satire of Hopscotch is first-class entertainment. If one is looking for an underrated comedy gem (complete with a finely-tuned, Mozart-heavy classical music score), then Matthau’s Hopscotch makes perfect sense.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 8½ Stars
Note: Pairing this movie with Grumpy Old Men or IQ (with an older Matthau in peak comedic form) makes good sense. Considering the Herbert Lom connection, Hopscotch is also an ideal double-feature option with Inspector Clouseau’s best capers, i.e. A Shot in the Dark or The Pink Panther Strikes Again.
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