The Sunshine Boys
Two estranged vaudeville veterans must survive one last reunion when a determined producer tries to put their legendary act back onstage.
Overview
Two legendary comedians face off in a hilarious reunion that could revive their careers, if only they can stand each other long enough to perform!
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Mild
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- None
- witty
- sardonic
- nostalgic
- lazy sunday
- classic movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly found the adaptation funny, poignant, and strongly performed, while some felt its insult humor reduced complex characters to a thin comic routine.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Willy Clark and Al Lewis have spent more than twenty years estranged despite their shared success as a vaudeville duo.
The reunion proposal places the elderly comedians back in the spotlight while emphasizing their frailty, irritability, and fading career.
Ben Clark's variety-show booking drives the attempt to reunite the feuding comedians for a major televised appearance.
The film repeatedly derives humor from Willy and Al's hostile exchanges and finely timed verbal barbs.
Films like The Sunshine Boys, and why
The Odd Couple
veteran performers, antagonistic comic partnership, and affectionate show-business comedy
My Favorite Year
backstage performance anxiety, aging entertainers, and bittersweet theatrical humor
The Muppet Movie
vaudeville-era performers, reunion dynamics, and warm but prickly character comedy
Movie Details
- Director
- Herbert Ross
- Release Date
- 1975-11-06
- Runtime
- 111 min
- Rating
- 6.9 / 10 (112)
Cast
- Walter Matthau
- George Burns
- Richard Benjamin
- Lee Meredith
- Carol Arthur
- Rosetta LeNoire
- F. Murray Abraham
- Howard Hesseman
- James Cranna
- Ron Rifkin
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Darkroom
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Sunshine Boys about?
- Two estranged vaudeville veterans must survive one last reunion when a determined producer tries to put their legendary act back onstage.
- What is The Sunshine Boys like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Sunshine Boys as measured, its intensity as mild and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Sunshine Boys violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in The Sunshine Boys.
- What did critics think of The Sunshine Boys?
- Critics broadly found the adaptation funny, poignant, and strongly performed, while some felt its insult humor reduced complex characters to a thin comic routine.
- Which films are like The Sunshine Boys?
- Films with a similar feel include The Odd Couple, My Favorite Year, and The Muppet Movie.
- How long is The Sunshine Boys?
- The Sunshine Boys runs 111 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Sunshine Boys?
- In United States, The Sunshine Boys streams on Darkroom.
