Buddy Buddy (1981)
- Starring:
- Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, (more)
- Director(s):
- Billy Wilder
- Theatrical MPAA Rating:
- R
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Theatrical Release Information | See Details About All Versions
As if in some way Billy Wilder sensed that Buddy Buddy would ultimately turn out to be his final feature film, Wilder lets loose scatter-shot stingers at a wide range of pop-culture targets -- from sex clinics, to 60 Minutes, to movie references, to disco, to Betamax video recorders. Based on Francis Veber and Edouard Molinaro's L'emmerdeur (known in the United States as A Pain in the A. . .), Buddy Buddy concerns the unlikely pairing of a gruff hitman and a suicidal klutz. Walter Matthau plays a professional killer going by the name of Trabucco, who is on his way to rub out gangster Rudy "Disco" Gambola (Fil Formicola), set to testify against the mob. As Trabucco heads off to a hotel across the street from the courthouse where he plans to set his hit, he runs into the depressed Victor Clooney (Jack Lemmon), who laments the fact that his wife has left him for the head of a weird Californian sex clinic. Trabucco keeps walking and sets up his rifle in a hotel room. He is disturbed by Victor trying to hang himself in the adjoining hotel room and tries to prevent him from killing himself by restraining him, but Victor breaks loose and climbs onto the ledge of the hotel window. To get Victor to come back in, he agrees to drive him to the clinic to see his wife. The two go to the clinic where Victor's wife Celia (Paula Prentiss) informs Victor that she is in love in the head of the clinic, quack Dr. Zuckerbrot (Klaus Kinski). When Victor finds out that Celia is filing for divorce, he heads back to the hotel to kill himself, with Celia and Dr. Zuckerbrot in pursuit. Arriving at the hotel, they plan to inject Victor with a sedative but stick Trabucco with the needle instead. Trabucco reveals to Victor his assignment to kill Rudy, and Victor tries to help him with the killing. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
Complete Cast:
- Jack Lemmon - Victor Clooney
- Paula Prentiss - Celia Clooney
- Dana Elcar - Capt. Hubris
- Michael Ensign - Assistant Manager
- Fil Formicola - Rudy "Disco" Gambola
- Bette Raya - Mexican Maid
- Suzie Galler - Pregnant Wife
- Myrna Dell - Cashier
- Lorna Thayer - Lady
- Gene Price - News Announcer
- Ben Lessy - Barney Pritzig
- Patti Jerome - Matron
- Neile McQueen
- Frank Dent - Reporter #4
- Gary Allen - Man in Robe
- Billy Beck - Gentleman
- Pat Bishop - Native
- Walter Matthau - Trabucco
- Klaus Kinski - Dr. Hugo Zuckerbrot
- Miles Chapin - Eddie, the Bellhop
- Joan Shawlee - Receptionist
- C.J. Hunt - Kowalski
- Ronnie Sperling - Hippy Husband
- Neile Adams - Saleswoman
- Archie Lang - Reporter #2
- Charlotte Stewart - Nurse
- Biff Manard - Highway Patrolman #2
- Tom Kindle - Highway Patrolman #1
- Rod Gist - Policeman
- Frank Farmer - Lieutenant #2
- Jon Cutler
- Frances Bay - Female Patient
- Ed Begley, Jr. - Lieutenant #1
- Director(s):
- Billy Wilder
- Writer(s):
- Billy Wilder, I.A.L. Diamond
- Producer(s):
- Jay Weston
- Theatrical MPAA Rating:
- R(Brief Nudity, Mild Violence, Profanity, Adult Language, Questionable for Children)
- Closed Captioning:
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- Subtitles:
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