The Fortune Cookie
After a football injury, a cynical lawyer turns a cameraman’s pain into a million-dollar scam that strains friendship, love, and conscience.
Overview
A tale of greed and deception unfolds in the world of sports injury claims.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- witty
- sardonic
- cynical
- classic movie night
- Billy Wilder retrospective
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a sharply written, often exuberantly funny Billy Wilder comedy, while noting that its long running time and softened finale dilute some of its cynicism.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Willie Gingrich turns Harry's injury into an insurance fraud scheme, while the characters treat compensation systems as opportunities for manipulation.
Harry's ex-wife Sandy reappears while the injury settlement creates an atmosphere in which reconciliation and opportunism overlap.
The film's black-and-white photography gives its football, domestic, legal, and surveillance scenes a crisp satirical texture.
Harry is pressured to exaggerate his injuries and use a wheelchair as evidence in the million-dollar claim, making bodily performance central to the plot.
Films like The Fortune Cookie, and why
The Apartment
shared darkly comic satire of opportunism, moral compromise, and American institutions
Some Like It Hot
shared Billy Wilder wit, cynical social comedy, and sharp romantic complications
The Verdict
shared courtroom-adjacent farce, insurance manipulation, and morally compromised comedy
The Sting
shared bittersweet comedy-drama about dishonesty, self-interest, and reluctant moral awakening
Movie Details
- Director
- Billy Wilder
- Release Date
- 1966-10-19
- Runtime
- 125 min
- Rating
- 7.2 / 10 (363)
Cast
- Jack Lemmon
- Walter Matthau
- Ron Rich
- Judi West
- Cliff Osmond
- Lurene Tuttle
- Harry Holcombe
- Les Tremayne
- Marge Redmond
- Ann Shoemaker
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, YouTube TV, MGM Plus
- Rent
- Apple TV Store, Spectrum On Demand
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Fortune Cookie about?
- After a football injury, a cynical lawyer turns a cameraman’s pain into a million-dollar scam that strains friendship, love, and conscience.
- What is The Fortune Cookie like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Fortune Cookie as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Fortune Cookie violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Fortune Cookie as mild.
- What did critics think of The Fortune Cookie?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a sharply written, often exuberantly funny Billy Wilder comedy, while noting that its long running time and softened finale dilute some of its cynicism.
- Which films are like The Fortune Cookie?
- Films with a similar feel include The Apartment, Some Like It Hot, The Verdict, and The Sting.
- How long is The Fortune Cookie?
- The Fortune Cookie runs 125 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Fortune Cookie?
- In United States, The Fortune Cookie streams on fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, YouTube TV, MGM Plus.
