Stoutor It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

Robert Joyner The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Lachlan Coulson This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

Lela The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

SimonJack The plot for "Good Neighbor Sam" is quite simple and very funny. Sam Bissell (Jack Lemmon) just has to pose as Howard Ebbets (Mike Connors). "Howie" is the recently divorced husband of Janet (Romy Schneider). Janet is the girlhood best friend of Sam's wife, Minerva (Dorothy Provine). The ruse is just to be for a few days to fool a private detective (Louis Nye) that Janet's cousins Jack (Charles Lane) and Irene (Anne Seymour) have hired to spy on the Ebbets. The cousins have greed in their minds, because if Janet isn't happily married to her hubby, she forfeits the $15 million inheritance she is to receive from her uncle's will. The cousins would be next in line to get the dough. The ID switch is concocted after Janet flies into San Francisco from Paris to settle her uncle's estate. She hasn't seen "Minny" since "Min" and Sam were married several years before. Sam and Min have a couple of daughters who have just gone off to camp for a week. This is plain enough and would be sufficient for a good comedy by itself. But more complications enter with Sam's job in an advertising agency when his false marriage comes into play. The agency's new big client, Simon Nurdlinger (Edward G. Robinson) is looking for the perfect wholesome, clean and happily married family for a big ad campaign that Sam dreamed up in the first place. And, the agency photographer snaps the make-believe couple as Janet drops Sam off at work. The real Howard comes looking for his recently divorced wife in hopes of a reunion. Now the ruse involves a foursome. This confuses the neighbors, the milkman, the mailman and any number of others when the switched couples leave their next door homes in the morning. But the humor reaches a crescendo when Sam's neighbor and coworker, Earl (Robert Q. Lewis) points out the new billboards around the city that have Sam and Janet's picture as Mr. and Mrs. Bissell who endorse Nurdlinger milk. If the detective the cousins hired sees that Sam is not Howard Ebbets, Janet's $15 million will go down the drain. The detective has cornered Sam and for $500 he will give him the photos he took of Sam sneaking over from his house (Janet's) at night for a rendezvous with the neighbor's wife (Min, his real wife and home). That's before Howie appears on the scene, whom the detective thinks is Mr. Bissell. Sam will gladly pay the detective the $500 rather than have him learn about the ruse and earn a big chunk for getting the $15 million for his clients, Janet's cousins. Oh, yes. Janet is going to give Min and Sam $1 million of her inheritance for being such good friends and helping her carry off the ruse. What follows next is some of the best action comedy ever filmed. Sam is giving the detective a ride home when Sam spots the first billboard. He does a quick turn so the detective won't see it. Sam's car is a convertible, and the two go on a continuous zigzag speeding course reminiscent of Keystone Kops scenes from an old silent film. After dropping off the disheveled detective, Sam arrives at home and loads ladders, paint buckets, brushes, pails and coveralls in his car. They have to paint over the faces on a dozen major billboards around the city at night – before the next morning. Min and Howie have had enough. The money doesn't mean that much to them. But Sam and Janet tear off on a jaunt that just keeps the laughter rolling. They paint funny faces, Frankenstein monsters and weird and hilarious faces on the billboards. Watching this, I realized that Columbia Pictures actually had such billboards made and put up somewhere, and that they shot at different locations as the two performers painted the very funny faces. There are some other surprise twists in this as well. Even though this description gives the plot away, it won't detract from one's enjoyment of this film. The comedy is mostly in the situations and action. What a great laugh vehicle this film is. It's a wonderful comedy to have in any film collection. The kids should enjoy the running around, face painting, car scenes and Sam's gizmo in his backyard.

brefane Directed by David Swift whose direction is anything but, Good Neighbor Sam is a complete dud with a stupid, belabored plot designed for copious product and brand name placement. Talented Jack Lemon, admirable in The China Syndrome, Glengarry Glen Ross, Avanti, Some Like It Hot and Mister Roberts, is tiresome here as he was in Under the Yum Yum Tree, Irma la Douce, Luv, The Odd Couple, Save the Tiger, The War between Men and Women and How to Murder Your Wife. Dorothy Provine, the poor man's Doris Day, and lovely Romy Schneider are wasted. An over-extended sitcom that somehow made it to the big screen where it must have seen endless. Skip it!

blanche-2 "Good Neighbor Sam" is a 1964 film starring Jack Lemmon, Dorothy Provine, Romy Schneider, Edward G. Robinson, and Mike Connors. Lemmon plays ad man Sam Bissell, married to the lovely Min (Provine). Min's best friend Janet (Schneider) comes to live in the area after her divorce, but she soon finds out she has a problem. Her grandfather has left her his estate, but on meeting with the lawyer, she finds out that she's supposed to be in a good marriage to Howard (Connors), her ex-husband. When her cousins, who want the $15 million she inherited, come to visit, Sam happens to be in her house, which is next door. Janet introduces him as her husband.At work, Sam gets a big promotion when the product's president wants a wholesome individual with good values to head up his account. Between that and a detective in a truck spying on both houses, Sam and Janet have to continue to pretend they're married, to Min's aggravation. Then Howard appears.Cute comedy that is overly long and a little frantic. The premise is simple but on the flimsy side and doesn't quite come off as intended - a Rock Hudson/Doris Day type comedy. It lacks the gloss and snap of the Hudson/Day films.Nevertheless, the performances are good. Provine, with her good figure and quirky voice, is lovely as the sometimes frustrated Min, and Romy Schneider, a huge star in Europe, is beautiful and vivacious as Janet. Sam is the type of role Lemmon could play with one hand tied behind his back. I don't imagine it was much of a challenge.The good supporting cast includes Edward Andrews, Louis Nye, Robert Q. Lewis, Anne Seymour, and Charles Lane (who died in 2007 at the age of 102 and worked to the end).Given the presence of "Mad Men," "Good Neighbor Sam" begs comparison between the way the advertising world is presented in both vehicles. Guess what - it's about the same! The Robinson character quotes the Bible and considers most of the people he deals with as cheating husbands with no moral values.It was fun for me to see Provine, whom I interviewed, Nye, and Robert Q. Lewis (whom I saw on stage in The Odd Couple), none of whom I'd seen in a film for a while. Nice memories and a mildly entertaining film.

duncanjbb I saw this movie back in 1964 when it first came out. Although I was 9 at the time, this movie is one of my all time greats. Why? Great plot, absolute entertainment, no violence, classic spoof and shtick, spy props, the amazing back yard invention, back scene production of the "Let Hertz put you in the driver's seat", (do you remember the TV ad?), John Q. Lewis and the gorgeous Dorothy Provine, one of my all time greats.This is so full of fun humor. There should be a remake with Steve Martin and Carmen Electra.One more important aspect is the sixties clothes, cars, homes, furnishings, and style. This is pure entertainment.