Tribute

In a role designed to flatter his talents, Lemmon (who had starred in Bernard Slade's play on Broadway) is unwisely allowed to let rip as a wisecracking, rascally Broadway press agent who discovers - on the eve of his ex-wife (Remick) and grown son (Benson) arriving in New York for the summer vacation - that he has a critical illness. By a series of pitiful gags, he tries to win back the affection of his son, who only hates him the more. Shamelessly geared to theatrical applause, the movie is a truly grotesque mix: part soppy father/son love story, part new morality of how vulnerable men can be through fear of Failure and Meaningful Relationships. Addicts of filmed theatre and knighthood-aspiring performances will revel in it; all others are advised to carry smelling salts. DMacp.