Grumpier Old Men (1995)

John and Max resolve to save their beloved bait shop from turning into an Italian restaurant, just as its new female owner catches Max's attention.

Director:

Howard Deutch

Writers:

Mark Steven Johnson (characters), Mark Steven Johnson

Stars:

Walter Matthau, Jack Lemmon, Ann-Margret

2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Walter Matthau	...	Max Goldman
Jack Lemmon	...	John Gustafson
Sophia Loren	...	Maria Sophia Coletta Ragetti
Ann-Margret	...	Ariel Gustafson
Burgess Meredith	...	Grandpa Gustafson
Daryl Hannah	...	Melanie Gustafson
Kevin Pollak	...	Jacob Goldman
Katie Sagona	...	Allie, Melanie's Daughter
Ann Morgan Guilbert	...	Mama Ragetti (as Ann Guilbert)
James Andelin	...	Sven
Marcus Klemp	...	Eddie, Assistant Manager
Max Wright	...	County Health Inspector
Cheryl Hawker	...	Lena
Wayne A. Evenson	...	Handsome Hans
Allison Levine	...	Assistant at Dog Pound

Storyline

Things don't seem to change much in Wabasha County: Max and John are still fighting after 35 years, Grandpa still drinks, smokes, and chases women , and nobody's been able to catch the fabled "Catfish Hunter", a gigantic catfish that actually smiles at fishermen who try to snare it. Six months ago John married the new girl in town (Ariel), and people begin to suspect that Max might be missing something similar in his life. The only joy Max claims is left in his life is fishing, but that might change with the new owner of the bait shop.

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Plot Keywords:

boat | lake | neighbor | rivalry | minnesota | 

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Taglines:

Still Yelling. Still Fighting. Still Ready For Love.

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for salty language and innuendos

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Italian German

Release Date:

22 December 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Grumpy Old Men 2

Filming Locations:

Mayslack's, 1428 4th Street NE, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$69,870,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lancaster Gate, Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Max and John have for years been trying to catch a catfish they call "Catfish Hunter." It is named for Baseball Hall Of Fame pitcher Jim "Catfish" Hunter.

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Goofs

When Max visits Maria as she is fishing, he pulls aside her boat which is sitting silently in the water. As they finish their chat, somehow Maria's engine magically starts running and she motors away. Kind of tricky for a "pull start" outboard to do without someone actually pulling the cord.

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Quotes

[Tv on]
Geraldo: "Lesbian Bandits" next on "Geraldo"
Max: Ooooh Lesbians yummy.

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Crazy Credits

Outtakes also show Walter Matthau and 'Jack Lemmon' both forgetting their lines, including the names of their characters' respective love interests.

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Connections

Referenced in Lethal Weapon: Gold Rush (2017)

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Soundtracks

Volare
Written by Mitchell Parish, Domenico Modugno and Franco Migliacci
Performed by Dean Martin
Courtesy of Capitol Records
Under license from CEMA Special Markets

User Reviews

Who would have ever guessed that it's the same place?

For the most part, "Grumpier Old Men" is pretty silly. Max Goldman (Walter Matthau) and John Gustafson (Jack Lemmon) are still at each other's throats when Italian immigrant Maria Ragetti (Sophia Loren) arrives in town and throws everything into flux. What actually struck me most about the movie was how different the town looked in this one from the original. Obviously, it was a different time of year, but maybe the different look was meant to show how everything might be changing in the town.

Other than that, Ann-Margret returns as Ariel, and she's still as free-spirited and vivacious as she was in the original. Burgess Meredith - in his final role - is still the grandfather who can exercise absolute authority over the youngsters, although he now has the hots for Maria's mother (Ann Morgan Guilbert, aka Millie on "The Dick Van Dyke Show"). Kevin Pollak and Daryl Hannah also reprise their roles from the original...ah, and there's that fish.

All in all, a fairly interesting movie. Not any kind of masterpiece, but it showed that Lemmon and Matthau still had it.