This cheerful holiday comedy, a surprise box office smash, featured a generous dollop of raunchy, crude humor and was greatly elevated by the presence of masterful performers in the lead roles. Jack Lemmon is John Gustafson, an ice-fishing Minnesota native who has been feuding with his neighbor and former best friend Max Goldman (Walter Matthau) for decades. The battle of wills between John and Max is characterized by crude name calling and harmless practical jokes. Max is unaware that John is
having serious problems, chiefly that his daughter Melanie (Daryl Hannah) is experiencing marital woes and that his house is about to be confiscated by an officious IRS agent (Buck Henry). When it seems that John and Max may finally put aside their childish rivalry, however, sexy new neighbor Ariel (Ann-Margret) arrives and dates both men, pitting them against each other more fiercely than ever before. Despite their mutual loathing, the death of a friend, John's problems, and a budding romance between Max's son Jacob (Kevin Pollak) and Melanie may force the two old friends to reconcile. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi
The movie is too pat and practiced to really be convincing, and the progress of Ariel's relationships with the two grumps seems dictated mostly by the needs of the screenplay.
Though supported by a stellar ensemble running the gamut of their seriocomic paces, it's not enough to distract viewers from script holes large enough to drive a snowplow through.
Not the best film of the duo Matthau and Lemmon, but, Grumpy Old Men still a funny and charismatic movie about love, life, family, friends and death in old age.
An instant classic! This comedy has all the right timing and Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau make the funniest pair. Don't skip the end credits either, Burgess Meredith has some of the funniest one-liners I've ever heard!
No quotes approved yet for Grumpy Old Men. Logged in users can submit quotes.
Submit a Quote from 'Grumpy Old Men'
A quote can be a single line from one character or a memorable dialog between several characters. Please make your quotes accurate. Quotes will be submitted for approval by the RT staff.
Example:
Luke: Alright. I'll give it a try. Yoda: No. Try not. Do or do not. There is no try.
Top Critic
