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

Ann Morgan Guilbert is only six years older than Sophia Loren but plays her mother.

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Goofs

When Max is looking at the wine in the bait shop and goes to set it back in the box, he only sets it in half way. In the next shot it is all the way in, then back to half way in the next shot.

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Quotes

Grandpa: And then the Mama Bear said, "Somebody's been sleeping in my bed, too!" And finally, the Baby Bear looked and he said, "Somebody's sleeping in my bed, and the bastard's still there!" But Goldylocks had a Remington semi-automatic, with a scope and a hair-trigger!
Allie, Melanie's Daughter: That's not the way it goes!
Grandpa: And that was the end of the Three Bears.

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Crazy Credits

Outtakes are run beneath the closing credits, including Burgess Meredith giving many different bawdy names for the Hawaiian island he visited, and the line he uses to invite Maria's mother back to his room.

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Connections

References The Geraldo Rivera Show (1987)

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Soundtracks

Liar's Polka
Written by Thomas Newman and Frank Marocco
Performed by Wally Olson Band

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.