For most parents, the moment when your child moves out of home is one that is both joyful and melancholy, and many have discussed the concept of empty-nest syndrome, where parents have to acclimate themselves to the knowledge that their offspring is out, living their own lives and that the family has entered a period of transition, which can be difficult to comprehend, especially for parents that are actively involved in raising their children. This concept is the basis for The Out-of-Towners, which tells the story of Henry and Nancy, a mild-mannered Midwestern couple who travel to New York City for Henry’s upcoming job interview, but find themselves struggling to actually reach their destination as planned, with a never-ending barrage of challenges arriving when they least expect it. Written by Neil Simon, the story has been the focus of two films, with the basis of this discussion being the 1999 remake, in which director Sam Weisman decides to take the well-received comedy and revisit its themes, without actually changing much or doing any meaningful update on the material. It does beg the question about the necessity of a remake that doesn’t add (or subtract) anything of value, but that’s a discussion for another day. Focusing on roughly 24 hours in the life of a couple that face just about every obstacle one can encounter in such a short time frame, the film is hilariously funny and quite charming, even if it pales in comparison to many other similarly-themed films, including the previous version of this same story. However, it isn’t difficult to appreciate this film based on what it does with its terrific story, which is kept remarkably simple and never becomes too convoluted, which is a credit to both Simon as the author of the original text, and Weisman as the director, especially since he was not particularly seasoned when he helmed this film, and was usually hired to direct run-of-the-mill comedies that could be produced quickly and without too much hassle. This is arguably not too much of an exception, but it does manage to be quite charming when we least expect it, which is at least one positive aspect of an otherwise pleasant but inconsequential film.

Within every genre, there are further sub-categories that often tend to be quite intriguing to unpack and explore. In terms of comedy, the concept of the “one crazy night” film has had a long and storied history, stretching to the early years of comedy, in which we see characters setting off on a particular mission that they aim to complete within a very short timeframe (usually not more than a single day), but encounter challenges that prevent them from reaching their goal all that easily, which makes for hilarious and enthralling viewing. There is something about a story that takes place in such restricted circumstances (in this case, temporal) that is extremely engaging and has spurred many terrific films that focus on the subject. The Out-of-Towners is modelled after this concept, but whether or not it is successful depends on the individual viewer. There is certainly a chance that we can feel overwhelmed – after a relatively placid expository introduction, we are thrust into the chaos of the story, which begins almost immediately and moves along at rapid-fire pace for the entirety of the film, only abating in the final moments when the audience, much like the characters, gets that moment of cathartic release. The film is extremely energetic and doesn’t stop moving, not even pausing for a brief moment in which we can catch our breath – for some, this is part of the appeal, while for others it indicates a lot of style but not enough substance. This is the primary problem with The Out-of-Towners, which is focused on the madcap energy far more than it is the actual storyline or emotional development, which is left by the wayside far too often. However, it does manage to tie up all these loose ends and concludes on a relatively satisfying note, which is surprising considering the sheer amount of pandemonium that we encountered throughout the story. Perhaps it was intentional, which certainly seems very likely, especially when using Simon’s original screenplay as the blueprint, which had a similar sense of deliberate chaos, just having been executed with more elegance in the previous version.

The original film paired Jack Lemmon with Sandy Dennis, two of the finest actors of both stage and screen, working together for the first time and delivering knockout performances that draw on their individual traits as actors, as well as their comedic talents. One would imagine that casting the remake would be slightly intimidating, since it needed actors of a similar stature (at least comedically), but not in the sense that they were identical in demeanour, since this was one area in which the film was intent on changing from the original, turning it from a dark comedy into something broader. In this sense, choosing Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn as the leads was a shrewd decision – they had worked together previously and proved to have strong chemistry, as well as being amongst the most beloved comedic actors of their generation, the perfect people to carry the torch in playing these eccentric characters. Neither is doing groundbreaking work, and are essentially playing the same kind of characters that we would expect – Martin is the well-meaning everyman who is teetering dangerously close to a total breakdown, whereas Hawn is the ditzy blonde who is secretly the mastermind between the two, pulling out her intellect when it is least expected but most necessary. The film is built on the experience of seeing them together, which is perhaps as good a reason as any, and something that drives the story without it being too dependent on their star personas, instead asking them to commit to these roles in a way that doesn’t stretch their skills, but rather showcases them in creative ways. They’re joined by an ensemble cast, which includes many terrific character actors and recognisable faces that show up, many of which are drawn from the New York theatre world, giving the film some semblance of hometown authenticity. John Cleese is the standout of the supporting cast, actually managing to turn in an unexpectedly strong performance that nearly steals the entire film, and while he isn’t on screen for long, he proves that he truly is one of our great comedic performers, and someone who has never had difficulty sparring with other comedic icons like Martin and Hawn, whose performances in The Out-of-Towners are just as strong as we would expect.

Despite its shortcomings, something we discover throughout The Out-of-Towners is that there is virtue in a film that can give the audience something of an experience, even if it does tend to go for the low-hanging fruit in many instances. This film is certainly not entirely original in any sense, and we find ourselves often questioning whether it was entirely necessary in the first place – there are better films based around hilarious misadventures, and more than enough comedies that have some jagged edges in how it uses humour to explore a relationship in decline. Yet, we can overlook its lack of originality (and the fact that it is entirely predictable) by acknowledging that there is a lot of value in the entertainment that drives this film. New York City may be an obvious choice for a setting, but as we’ve seen on countless occasions, there are few cities more appropriate for one to spend an evening encounter various hilarious obstacles and mishaps than this one, which is truly one of the most profoundly fascinating places a film like this can be set – and it helps that Weisman does have a very strong instinct in how he chooses to frame the city, using its reputation to make it seem both welcoming and hostile, often at the same time – it makes for invigorating, captivating viewing that is deeply meaningful but never gaudy, allowing the story to go in a few unexpected directions in its journey towards its undeniably predictable conclusion. It may feel like a combination of previous films, almost as if they intended to blend the rabid energy of After Hours with the hilarity of Planes, Trains and Automobiles (which essentially features the same Martin performance, down to the angry verbal breakdown he has at the end of the film), so it never seems entirely original – but it has a lot of merit in how it navigates most of these ideas, never quite amounting to being anything more than pleasant, but still having enough charm to keep the audience interested and captivated, at least for the duration of the film.

As longtime readers may know, I am not afraid to re-evaluate films that are notoriously seen as failures, asserting the great miracle that is time, looking at them from a very different perspective and finding value in them. In some cases, this results in something of a stretch, but for others, it can help us see that not every reviled comedy is actually as dismal as its reputation may seem. The Out-of-Towners is not the strongest film, but it is certainly not one that has deserved to be seen as a blight on the career of those involved, especially not since everyone is doing genuinely terrific work that deserves to be seen, if only for the sake of giving their effort the time it warrants. By no means a defining comedy of its era, or even one that is particularly effective in how it examines certain themes, The Out-of-Towners is still a fun, entertaining comedy that has a tenderness we don’t often encounter in such films, from which a very meaningful story can flourish. It may not be particularly inventive or all that original, but it has enough heart to sustain itself for the full 90 minutes, and it manages to be paced perfectly, neither overstaying its welcome nor being too fast for us to fully embrace its quirks. It’s a great diversion that brings out the best in its cast, placing them in wacky situations and capturing the ensuing hilarity – it isn’t all that revolutionary, but it does just enough to be worth our time, since while it doesn’t tend to have much depth outside of a few emotionally complex moments, it is strong enough to keep us entertained and enthralled, which is ultimately a victory for such a film, with The Out-of-Towners being a lovable, off-the-wall comedy that delivers exactly what it claims to be offering, which is more than enough to keep us engaged and invested in this delightfully quaint work of unhinged, chaotic comedy.