What is the plot of The Fortune Cookie?

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Billy Wilder poses in a suit and hat, leaning against a streetlamp with a sign reading Sunset Blvd. in a promotional photo for the film Sunset Boulevard. — Billy Wilder Billy Wilder in a promotional photograph for *Sunset Boulevard* (1950), which he directed.

The Fortune Cookie (1966) is an American comedy directed by Billy Wilder that marks the first collaboration between Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau.1

The plot follows Harry Hinkle (Lemmon), a sports cameraman who sustains a minor injury during a football game. His brother-in-law, a shyster lawyer named Willie Gingrich (Matthau), convinces him to feign a serious injury to secure a large insurance settlement. The scheme becomes complicated when insurance investigators grow suspicious, forcing Hinkle to maintain the charade of being a virtual invalid to avoid detection.1

The film is noted for its fast pace and suspense, and it earned Matthau an Academy Award for best supporting actor for his performance.1