Arthur Hiller (Love Story) directed the film adaptation of Neil Simon"s curious comedy about a pair of non-New Yorkers (Jack Lemmon and Sandy Dennis) having a hellish visit to the Big Apple on the eve of a job interview for Lemmon"s character. Made in 1970, this hectic film almost seems ahead of its time when compared to more recent misery-piled-on-misery comedies such as Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. The couple in this film endure everything that can go wrong on a trip, including being forced to spend the night in a mugger-happy Central Park. The strange element in Simon"s script, though, is that Lemmon"s character is so unpleasant. A middle-class, uptight guy who can"t believe that New Yorkers in the service profession don"t perform their jobs slavishly, he"s kind of a one-note joke that quickly wears thin. Remade with Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn. --Tom Keogh