Movie · 1966 · Comedy, Drama, Crime · 2h 5m · NR · English
Curator score: 5.5/10 (32.3K ratings)
Is he a spy? A security risk? Is he unfaithful? Or is he a nice, normal shnook - out to make a million bucks by sheer accident!
Overview
TV cameraman Harry Hinkle is injured while filming a football game. Seeing big dollar signs, his unscrupulous ambulance-chasing lawyer brother-in-law Willie Gingrich enters the picture, and convinces Harry to overstate his injuries and claim class="h-100" million in pain and suffering. Harry's similarly-minded ex-wife suddenly reappears in an attempt to rekindle their relationship.
Ratings
Curator score: 5.5/10
IMDb: 7.2/10
Letterboxd: 3.63/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 96%
Metacritic: 63
TMDB: 7.2/10
Director
Billy Wilder
Production
Phalanx Productions, Jalem Productions, United Artists
Cast
Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, Ron Rich, Judi West, Cliff Osmond, Lurene Tuttle, Harry Holcombe, Les Tremayne, Marge Redmond, Ann Shoemaker, Ned Glass, Archie Moore, Howard McNear, Harry Davis, Lauren Gilbert, Sig Ruman, Noam Pitlik, Maryesther Denver, Judy Pace, Helen Kleeb
Where to watch
Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, MGM Plus, Philo, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Curator Review
Verdict
A sharp, sly Billy Wilder comedy that turns an insurance scam into a study of greed, humiliation, and transactional relationships. It’s not Wilder at his most savage, but the Lemmon-Matthau chemistry is a major attraction and the film’s cynical bite still lands.
Best for
fans of classic Hollywood comedies with a dark edge
viewers who enjoy con-man plots and legal farce
people interested in the first Lemmon-Matthau pairing
audiences who like character-driven, dialogue-heavy satire
Skip if
you want fast pacing or big set pieces
you prefer broad, feel-good comedy over cynicism
you need a highly escalating plot
you’re looking for Wilder at his most ruthless or iconic
Overview
The Fortune Cookie is a compact, dryly nasty comedy about how quickly ordinary injury becomes a business opportunity. Billy Wilder keeps the premise grounded in embarrassment and small-time corruption, which gives the film a more human, less flamboyant sting than some of his sharper classics.
Worth noting
Walter Matthau is the engine here, all oily confidence and opportunism, while Jack Lemmon plays the perfect target: anxious, pliable, and increasingly trapped by the scheme. Their chemistry is the movie’s real hook, and it’s easy to see why this pairing became such a durable screen partnership.
Bottom line
The film is a little looser and gentler than Wilder’s very best work, but it still has a clean satirical target: a world where pain, marriage, and morality are all negotiable. If you like your comedies with a bitter aftertaste, it’s an easy recommendation.
Top Letterboxd reviews
laird (4.5★) · 279 likes
Walter Matthau answering the phone forever
Zoë 🐛 (4★) · 167 likes
The real con artist is Walter Matthau himself, considering he steals the entire movie.
Rafael "Mister Movie" Jovine (3.5★) · 165 likes
Action! - Three Auteurs: The Witty and Eclectic Mr. Wilder
Billy Wilder comes with a vengeance in this new comedy starring his consummate actor, Jack Lemmon, in his first collaboration with the great Walter Matthau in what is also Wilder's proper black comedy.
The way the whole thing is broken up into chapters is what caught my attention the most. Even though the film is told in a linear fashion and no chapter introduces much by way of new characters,… more
𝙿𝚊𝚘𝚕𝚘 𝙼𝚊𝚌𝙶𝚞𝚏𝚏𝚒𝚗 | 🇮🇹 (4★) · 141 likes
In the mid-60s Walter Matthau is one of the most popular stars on Broadway, but the cinema always reserves minor parts for him. It is then that Billy Wilder in The Fortune Cookie wants him as the protagonist, together with Jack Lemmon, as a fraudulent lawyer who exploits the modest incident that happened to his brother-in-law, convincing him to simulate a paralysis in order to be paid an appropriate compensation. The actor is unrivaled in embodying the art of deception… more In the mid-60s Walter Matthau is one of the most popular stars on Broadway, but the cinema always reserves minor parts for him. It is then that Billy Wilder in The Fortune Cookie wants him as the protagonist, together with Jack Lemmon, as a fraudulent lawyer who exploits the modest incident that happened to his brother-in-law, convincing him to simulate a paralysis in order to be paid an appropriate compensation. The actor is unrivaled in embodying the art of deception… more
Deckk (3★) · 108 likes
100-word review: The Fortune Cookie is a charming, low-key entry in Billy Wilder’s filmography; it pairs Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau to great effect, with Matthau’s scheming lawyer providing most of the comedic bite. "Boom Boom" Jackson further inject the movie with a good dose of heart and soul. The chemistry between these three keeps the story engaging even when the pacing feels leisurely. That said, by Wilder’s standards, the film is relatively uneventful. The central premise doesn’t escalate as… more 100-word review: The Fortune Cookie is a charming, low-key entry in Billy Wilder’s filmography; it pairs Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau to great effect, with Matthau’s scheming lawyer providing most of the comedic bite. "Boom Boom" Jackson further inject the movie with a good dose of heart and soul. The chemistry between these three keeps the story engaging even when the pacing feels leisurely. That said, by Wilder’s standards, the film is relatively uneventful. The central premise doesn’t escalate as… more
1959 · Comedy, Romance, Crime · 2h 3m · NR · Curator 9.7/10 (658.9K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, MGM Plus, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
A classic Wilder farce with fast dialogue, escalating lies, and a strong comic duo dynamic.
1955 · Comedy, Romance · 1h 45m · NR · Curator 4.3/10 (115.2K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, TCM, Darkroom, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
A Wilder comedy of temptation, self-delusion, and suburban unease.