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A comedy with heart, ‘The Fortune Cookie’ explores the moral dilemma faced by a sports cameraman, as his game-time injury is made out to be worse than what it is by his conniving brother-in-law, to extract insurance money. A Billy Wilder classic that exposes the vulnerability of people when money is in question.
Harry Hinkle is a CBS cameraman, who gets injured on the sidelines of a football game, when a football player Luther Jackson accidently runs into him. His injury is made out to be worse than what it is by his conniving brother-in-law, a lawyer known as ‘Whiplash Willie’ to extract a huge payout by the insurance company. Willie convinces a reluctant Harry to play along in order to earn the million dollar payout. He even gets Harry’s ex-wife to come back to him luring her with the lucre. Harry struggles with the morality of this situation and with Jackson’s situation as his guilt is beginning to affect his football.
Billy Wilder adds multiple layers to the plot. Harry is a single man, who is aware of the fact that Willie is taking care of his mother and sister. In some ways he is indebted to him. His desire to get back to his ex-wife is also his weakness that is manipulated by Willie. These aspects are brought out subtly and make the viewer understand why he decides to go through with the charade. This Oscar nominated screenplay features an emotional piece where Harry eggs on a broken Thompson to rediscover the fire that made him a football player, in the middle of an empty football field. Cinematic magic
Walter Matthau as Willie is the star of the film in an Oscar winning role. He is calculative without remorse as the ambulance chaser. Jack Lemmon as Harry Hinkle has excellent on-screen chemistry with Matthau as they play out the match of morality from their ends of the court.
A film that will touch your heart and give you plenty of laughs along the way.