Buddy Buddy
| Buddy Buddy | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Billy Wilder |
| Produced by | Jay Weston |
| Screenplay by |
Billy Wilder I.A.L. Diamond |
| Based on | L'emmerdeur (1973) and the play Le contrat by Francis Veber |
| Starring |
Jack Lemmon Walter Matthau Paula Prentiss Klaus Kinski Dana Elcar Miles Chapin Ed Begley, Jr. Michael Ensign |
| Music by | Lalo Schifrin |
| Cinematography | Harry Stradling Jr. |
| Edited by | Argyle Nelson |
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Release date
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Running time
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96 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $10 million |
| Box office | $7,258,543 (US) |
Buddy Buddy is a 1981 American comedy film directed by Billy Wilder that stars Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau. The screenplay by Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond is based on the 1973 French language film L'emmerdeur, which screenwriter Francis Veber had adapted from his play Le contrat.
The film proved to be the last directed by Wilder, who in later years said, "If I met all my old pictures in a crowd, personified, there are some that would make me happy and proud, and I would embrace them . . . but Buddy Buddy I'd try to ignore."
Hitman Trabucco has been hired to eliminate Rudy "Disco" Gambola before he testifies against fellow members of the Mob, but completing the contract becomes problematic once he encounters suicidal Victor Clooney, an emotionally disturbed television censor staying in the room adjacent to his in the Ramona Hotel in Riverside, California.
When Victor climbs onto the ledge outside his window, Trabucco convinces him not to jump by agreeing to drive him to the Institute for Sexual Fulfillment, the nearby clinic where Victor's wife Celia, a researcher for 60 Minutes, is gathering information for a segment on the program.
At the clinic, Victor discovers Celia has fallen in love with Dr. Zuckerbrot, who is concerned her husband's suicide will reflect badly on his practice. Trabucco accidentally is injected with a tranquilizer intended for Victor, who volunteers to fulfill the killer's contract when Trabucco's vision is impaired. After overcoming assorted complications, Victor completes his task. However, despite Victor's high hopes, Trabucco has no intention of sticking together and parts ways with him following their escape.
Trabucco retires to a tropical island, where he unexpectedly is joined by his nemesis after Celia runs off with Dr. Zuckerbrot's female receptionist to become a lesbian couple. Desperate to see Victor gone, Trabucco suggests to his native attendant to reinstate the old custom of human sacrifices for the local volcano...
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Wikipedia