Grumpy Old Men (1993)
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Two feuding neighbors find their rivalry tested when they both fall for the same woman.
The story
In Wabasha, Minnesota, retirees John Gustafson and Max Goldman are feuding next-door neighbors. Living alone, as John is divorced and Max is a widower, they spend their time ice fishing, trading insults, and pulling cruel practical jokes on each other. Their rivalry irritates their shared friend Chuck, owner of the town bait shop, and Max's son Jacob, who is running for mayor. However, John has a major problem that Max doesn't; he has been dodging the attempts of IRS Agent Elliot Snyder to collect a serious debt. John supports his daughter Melanie when she separates from her husband Mike, whom John dislikes.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In Wabasha, Minnesota, retirees John Gustafson and Max Goldman are feuding next-door neighbors who spend their time ice fishing and pulling practical jokes on each other. Their rivalry irritates their shared friend Chuck and Max's son Jacob. John is also dodging a serious IRS debt. Both men become attracted to Ariel Truax, a widowed English professor who moves in across the street. After Chuck dies, John and Max compete for Ariel's affections. John eventually reveals he and Max were childhood friends, and his animosity stems from Max resenting John for marrying Max's high school sweetheart, May. John ends his relationship with Ariel due to his debt fears. After a heart attack, Max finds John and declares him a friend. Max eventually helps resolve John's debt by barricading the house and tricking the IRS agent. John and Ariel marry, and Max finds a date of his own.
- First release year
- 1993
- Runtime (minutes)
- 103
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Donald Petrie
- Writers
- Mark Steven Johnson · writer; John Davis · producer; Richard C. Berman · producer
- Cast and characters
- Jack Lemmon; Walter Matthau; Ann-Margret; Burgess Meredith; Daryl Hannah; Kevin Pollak; Ossie Davis; Buck Henry; Christopher McDonald
- Genres
- romantic comedy; buddy comedy
- Themes
- aging; friendship; rivalry
- Tone and mood
- cheerful; comedic
- Premise and plot tags
- holiday movie; buddy comedy
- Franchise connections
- Grumpy Old Men
- Reception
- The film received mixed to positive reviews from critics and was one of the biggest surprise hits of the year, grossing well above its budget.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 66% · review count: 47; CinemaScore · score: A · scale: A+ to F
- Production trivia
- The screenplay was written while Mark Steven Johnson was working as a secretary at Orion Pictures.; The cast and crew had to wait to start shooting until February 2 because of a lack of snowfall.; Matthau was initially hesitant to accept the role but was convinced by Lemmon and his son Charles Matthau.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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