The Owl and the Pussy Cat neither pulls punches, nor ventures to cross its legs when it sits down if this film has been to a finishing school then its one of Neil Simons disreputable joints. There is a notable lunge forward in permissiveness here, as the teasing of the Carry On films gives way to outright profanity. About time, too.
There is more to the film than cheap thrills, though, with a script as sharp as Simon's for The Odd Couple and onscreen chemistry as impressive in its kinetic violence as Robert Redford and Jane Fondas was feel-good in Barefoot in the Park. Whereas that 'opposites attract' film promised to break the rules in its tagline, The Owl and The Pussycat takes up the challenge and leaves us with a ringing in our ears and four-letter words tripping off our tongue.