Pros: Jack Lemmon delivers a brilliant performance as Harry Stoner, a man who somehow need money and is so desperate he calls his arson guy to burn down one of his outlet factories. He's not a bad guy, or at least, he doesn't want to be a bad guy but his real dream lies with baseball and he remains haunted by his memories of battling in World War II. And I do like films that show every day life, though Harry is hardly a typical American as he lives in Beverly Hills and has a housekeeper but the film has a very real feel to it nevertheless.
Cons: Despite his great performance, the film is a bit plodding and boring at parts especially when they talk about areas of business I'm not familiar with, which is a shame as his performance along with the rest of the cast deserved better.
Recommend: Maybe
Grade: B+
Side Notes:
-Despite Harry seemingly believing in love with his wife, Janet (Patricia Smith), he nevertheless takes a hooker because his wife has to go to New York for some reason.
-Apparently pornos were pretty expensive viewing pleasures in the early 1970s.
-Harry does show a good bit of humanity at the end by insisting the arsonist keep his co-worker, Phil (Jack Gilmore) out of it.
-Harry does refuse to talk no for an answer, if he wants to eat Chinese, he will even if Phil wants to eat something different.
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