Grumpy Old Men (1993)

This is How Movies Should Be Made

Nice effects though.

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Back in the '90s, I worked as a radio announcer in a small northern WI town. My wife operated a travel agency. Once a year we would host a bus tour, usually to Branson, Mo. Around '95 or so we were going over what movies we would show on the bus on the ride down. We debated over "Grumpy Old Men", wondering how our audience (mostly seniors) would react. We decided to give it a shot.They were laughing so hard I started to fear we would have several cardiac arrests. Years later we would run into some of them and they would bring up that movie. It was a good choice.Even though it's 20 years old now, the film holds up very well. Just goes to show you what veteran actors with great chemistry can do on-screen, especially with a terrific script, deft directing and location photography.

This movie is very cheerful and delivers a subtle family comedy for all to see, many fun pairing of both Lemmon and Matthau are available, my favorite has always been Odd Couple, this 1993 pairing will fall under my top 3 pairing of both actors.This is the sixth film to star both Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau and one of the coolest as both actors were at their best, and they delivered the laughs. The thing that got to me in this movie is the way men in their 70s behaved like children, playing tricks on one another and even coming up with some that I have never thought off. This romantic comedy also stared Ann Margret, and her acting was fun to see as I have no recollection of seeing her in any other movie and seeing her here was a nice introduction for me.Grumpy Old Men is directed by Donald Petrie who is the man behind the 1994 movie Ritchie Rich and my worse movie ever in 2003 How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days.The movie plot is about two old friends/rivals Max (Walter Matthau) and John (Jack Lemmon), both retired and spend majority of their adult life playing tricks on one another.Things changed in their small town when college professor Ariel Truax (Ann Margret) moved into a house opposite theirs, her happy demeanor and joyful outlook, made her the talk of the town and soon Max and John took a liken into her and their old time feud continued as both tried to get the girl.The movie is fun and funny and was recognized by the American Film Institute, as it got a nomination in the AFI's 100 Years... 100 Laughs. The next movie that both were in after this series (i.e. after 1995 Grumpier Old Men) was Out to Sea, which was not well received by critics, but I have seen the movie and I can tell you it is not as bad as critics make it to be, it was funny and delightful.Grumpy Old Men was followed by Grumpier Old Men two years after in 1995, another old female icon Sophia Loren was introduced into the mix of Lemmon and Matthau, whose acting was not as grand as that of Ann Margret if I may say so. This movie had a mere positive reception from critics and it also was a mild box office success.www.lagsreviews.com

This movie was one of the best ever. It had it all - great acting, atmosphere (it felt like winter in Minnesota), a beautiful soundtrack, touching moments and most of all it was very, very funny. The cast was absolutely perfect. I don't know why some of the reviewers complained about watching old men swearing at each other and fighting. I think the title kinda implies that. If you don't like watching grumpy old men then a movie called "Grumpy Old Men" is probably not for you. Some people just take things too seriously. This is the kind of movie you can watch over and over again and it still makes you laugh or at least smile every time.

"Grumpy Old Men" is a 1993 Donald Petrie film about two feuding old men (Lemmon, Matthau) who step up their game to woo their new neighbor (Ann-Margret). Let me start off by saying that I love both Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon and I have heard of how the two of them are often paired together on film. This is the first film I've seen with the both of them in it and I can tell why they were paired together here. The chemistry between Matthau and Lemmon is really noticeable throughout this film - they really love working with each other. Everyone else's performances were also very well done. The movie was also pretty funny overall, but what surprised me the most was that this film featured some very touching and heartwarming scenes within it. Honestly, I can say that this movie surprised me all together. I thought I was only going to get a 90 minute film of two old men swearing at each other. What I got was that, but with very great acting, subplot development, tonal diversity, and more. "Grumpy Old Men" is a film that I watched with a genuine smile on my face.