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Kotch (1971)
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Overview
Release Date:
17 September 1971 (USA) morePlot:
Joseph Kotcher, a retired traveling salesman, lives with his son Gerald and daughter-in-law Wilma in Los Angeles... more | add synopsisPlot Keywords:
Awards:
Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 4 nominations moreUser Comments:
Genial serious-comedy with carefully-used pathos moreCast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Walter Matthau | ... | Joseph P. Kotcher | |
| Deborah Winters | ... | Erica Herzenstiel | |
| Felicia Farr | ... | Wilma Kotcher | |
| Charles Aidman | ... | Gerald Kotcher | |
| Ellen Geer | ... | Vera Kotcher | |
| Donald Kowalski | ... | Duncan Kotcher | |
| Dean Kowalski | ... | Duncan Kotcher | |
| Arlen Stuart | ... | Mrs. Fisher | |
| Jane Connell | ... | Miss Roberts | |
| James Brodhead | ... | Mr. Weaver | |
| Jessica Rains | ... | Dr. McKernan | |
| Darrell Larson | ... | Vincent Perrin | |
| Biff Elliot | ... | Pink Motel manager | |
| Paul Picerni | ... | Dr. Ramon Caudillo | |
| Lucy Saroyan | ... | Sissy |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parentsRuntime:
113 minCountry:
USALanguage:
EnglishColor:
Color (Metrocolor)Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 moreSound Mix:
MonoCertification:
Iceland:L | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:Btl | UK:PG | USA:GP (original rating) | USA:PG | West Germany:6Filming Locations:
Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, Palm Springs, California, USAMOVIEmeter: 
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Walter Matthau was only 50 at the time of filming. The actor playing his son (Charles Aidman) was 45. moreQuotes:
Peter Stiel: [offended by Mr. Kotcher calling him "Peter Herzenstiel"] Just "Stiel". S - T - I - E - L. moreSoundtrack:
Life Is What You Make It moreFAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more
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Discuss this title with other users on IMDb message board for Kotch (1971)| Recent Posts (updated daily) | User |
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| Cinematography | livekernel85 |
| There's a wonderful sequence in this movie... | netstvdvs |
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Bittersweet film directed by Jack Lemmon features real-life pal Walter Matthau as an unwanted old codger in Southern California who befriends an unmarried, pregnant teenager. The film makes points on several topics (retirement homes, married life in suburbia, the value of the elderly) yet it doesn't use this material to build momentum--and since the film isn't a satire, the humor (often condescending or sarcastic) comes off as smirking. Matthau does a fine job--he even convinces us he's a baby lover!--but his relationship with the troubled girl fails to ring true (Matthau's pinched, icy daughter-in-law is a worse matter--she's a one-note caricature). At one point, Matthau goes on a road trip by bus and sends back lots of postcards to his son, but director Lemmon does not use this segment to bolster the plot (it's too sitcom-like and, with that silly music, plays like a geriatric "Midnight Cowboy" besides!). Lemmon is careful not to flood the movie with teary sentiment; he's generally gracious and attentive and many of his details are wonderfully wry. The film is likable enough, but overall seems a bit fatigued. **1/2 from ****