Grumpy Old Men (1993)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Donald Petrie

Writer (WGA):

Mark Steven Johnson (written by)

Release Date:

25 December 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

A fifty-year fight.

Plot:

A lifelong feud between two neighbors since childhood, only gets worse when a new female neighbor moves across the street.

Plot Keywords:

Neighbor | Rivalry | Hospital | School Teacher | Bar

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Jack Lemmon	...	John Gustafson
Walter Matthau	...	Max Goldman
Ann-Margret	...	Ariel Truax
Burgess Meredith	...	Grandpa Gustafson
Daryl Hannah	...	Melanie
Kevin Pollak	...	Jacob Goldman
Ossie Davis	...	Chuck
Buck Henry	...	Snyder
Christopher McDonald	...	Mike
Steve Cochran	...	Weatherman
Joe Howard	...	Pharmacist
Isabell O'Connor	...	Nurse (as Isabell Monk)
Buffy Sedlachek	...	Punky
John Carroll Lynch	...	Moving Man
Charles Brin	...	Fisherman

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some sexual references.

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | South Korea:15 | Australia:PG | Finland:S | France:U | Germany:6 | Spain:T | Sweden:Btl | UK:12 | USA:PG-13 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Center City, Minnesota, USA

Company:

John Davis

Trivia:

The sixth pairing out of ten movies of comic actors and great friends Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When Chuck, Max, and John are talking about Ariel at the bait shop, John says that Ariel came to see him last night at 2:00am. Ariel came to see him two nights ago, not last night.

Quotes:

Grandpa Gustafson: Kids; Can't live with them, can't shoot them.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Ladies and the Champ (2001) (TV)

Soundtrack:

HAYDN QUARTET #14 IN G MAJOR, K. 38

Good Laughs

Grumpy Old Men (1993)

*** (out of 4)

Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau play the grumpy old men, neighbors who have been fighting with one another for over fifty years. Their fights pick up when a red head (Ann-Margret) moves in next to them as both men try for her. I've always enjoyed this film (as well as its sequel) but I understand that some people won't. I think it's true that this material is perhaps below both actors but when the two are on the screen together you really can't help but have a smile on your face. This is certainly just another spin on The Odd Couple but this time they're older and say dirtier words. I've read countless reviews that put the film down and call the screenplay lazy because it just features toilet language and this is true but you still can't get around the fact that Lemmon and Matthau have so much chemistry together that it doesn't really matter what they say. The way the two men play off one another is like a jazz musician just throwing all sorts of magic out there and it sticks no matter how wild and crazy it is. One of the silliest scenes in the film is when Matthau uses his truck to nearly kill Lemmon who is in his shack fishing. Normally this scene would just come off as eye rolling but the actors pull it off. Even though both men are great they don't steal the film because that honor goes to Burgess Meredith as Lemmon's father, a horny old man always coming up with new terms about mounting women. Ann-Margret is charming enough for her role and works well off of the two stars. Darryl Hannah and Kevin Pollak are wasted in their small roles but Ossie Davis has a good turn in the film. This film certainly isn't a classic like The Odd Couple but for me you can never have too much Lemmon and Matthau especially when they're together and not getting along.