Walter Matthau is in peak form in Hopscotch, a featherweight spy-game comedy in which he plays a CIA agent who's way smarter than his dimwitted superiors. That's the fantasy part--this amusing cat-and-mouse game is so lopsided that you can't take it seriously. The movie's charm is derived from the sardonic pleasure with which Matthau makes his pursuers look like idiots, after they've targeted him for "termination" for publishing a tell-all memoir about his tenure in "the Company." He's no stool pigeon, however; it's his boss (played with blustery thick-headedness by the great Ned Beatty) who's abusing his power, so Matthau recruits an old lover (Glenda Jackson) to join him in a globetrotting game of clandestine cleverness. Under Ronald Neame's too-casual direction, this is a not-so-wild goose chase, but Matthau and Jackson (reuniting after they had fun making the 1978 comedy House Calls) have an easygoing chemistry that's nicely balanced with Matthau's cantankerous shenanigans. --Jeff Shannon
Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating: Summary: Getting his own back Comment: One of the most humorous, get the establishment I've seen. Walter Mattheau is superb as the opera singing, ex CIA agent getting his own back on the man who fired him. Many laughs and great imaginative writing. Buy this and have a fun experience. Customer Rating: Summary: oldtimes Comment: Seems like old times. We have waited a long time for the release of a quality dvd of this "fun to watch" spy frolic and Criterion has done just that. Our package arrived in 3 days even with the standard shipping with the "ships free" option. We could not be more pleased. Customer Rating: Summary: Love this film. Comment: This is a witty, funny, and constantly entertaining film. We have watched it many times and recently gave a copy to friends who loved it as much as we did. Customer Rating: Summary: Before it's time Comment: Hopscotch is an intelligent and witty sendup of "cold war" spy activity that that puts modern political "commentary" movies to shame. Walter Matheau and Glenda Jackson are a superb pair of actors who pull off their characters with aplumb. I'm afraid that most of the new stars (relative to the time of "Hopscotch") just couldn't pull it off. And Ned Beatty as Meyerson - great! Customer Rating: Summary: HOW TO OUTWIT THE CIA Comment: WHAT A GOOD MOVIE. HE IS SO UTTERLY CLEVER IN THIS. WALTER MATTHAU SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN AN AWARD FOR THIS. THE MOVIE IS FAST PACED--NO VIOLENCE, SEX AND VERY LITTLE SWEARING.
