grumpy-old-men-social-featureImage via Warner Bros.
By
Rob London
Published 33 minutes ago
A cinematic obsessive with the filmic palate of a starving raccoon, Rob London will watch pretty much anything once. With a mind like a steel trap, he's an endless fount of movie and TV trivia, borne from a misspent youth of watching monster movies on TV, perusing the sun-faded goods at the local video rental shop, and staining his fingers with ink from the Video Movie Guide. Areas of interest include science fiction, film noir, horror flicks, '70s disaster pictures, Bond movies, '90s action, giant robots, dinosaurs, super heroes, and the exuberantly schlocky output of Cannon Films. He also enjoys both Star Trek and Star Wars when they're good, and maybe even more when they're bad. As a Canadian, he also has a vested interest in Canadian movies and TV shows, especially the cheesier ones dubbed "Canuxploitation."
An expert on Marvel Comics, he has also written for the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, and is a member of the Marvel Research Team. He can frequently be found pontificating on comic-book continuity or bemoaning the misfortunes of the Toronto Maple Leafs on his Twitter account.
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The pairing of Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau — friends in real life, but often at odds on screen — was solidified in comedy history with the unlikely success of Grumpy Old Men in 1993. Now, over thirty years later, the cantankerous comedy is still making new fans. It recently hit #7 on the free, ad-supported streamer Pluto.
Lemmon and Matthau first worked together in the 1966 Billy Wilder black comedy The Fortune Cookie. While it was a modest success, they truly broke out as The Odd Couple in 1968. They'd work together again in The Front Page, but a latter-day pairing in Wilder's final film, 1981's Buddy Buddy, was a misfire. Matthau had misgivings about returning for Grumpy Old Men — according to co-star Kevin Pollak, he took the film on to pay off his gambling debts — but it paid off, earning $80 million USD on a $35 million budget. The following decade proved fruitful for them, as they were paired up again in The Grass Harp, Out to Sea, and 1998's belated sequel The Odd Couple II. The last would prove to be their final pairing, as Matthau died in 2000 and Lemmon died in 2001.
What Is 'Grumpy Old Men' About?
Lemmon and Matthau play John Gustafson and Max Goldman, longtime next-door neighbors and one-time friends; when John married Max's high-school sweetheart, they became devoted enemies, spending their lives slinging insults and practical jokes at each other. Now that both men live alone, they've got more time for their rivalry than ever...at least until they both attempt to woo their new neighbor, Ariel Truax (Ann-Margret), making their rival even more personal than ever. Meanwhile, John's daughter (Daryl Hannah) and Max's son (Pollak) have a romance of their own brewing. The film also stars Burgess Meredith as John's aged father, in one of his final roles; as well as Ossie Davis as John and Max's mutual friend, a local bait shop owner; and Buck Henry as an IRS agent who plagues John.
A surprise hit in the winter of 1993, Grumpy Old Men spawned a sequel, the creatively titled Grumpier Old Men, in 1995. In that sequel, John and Max unite to target their ire against Maria Ragetti (Sophia Loren), who intends to turn the old bait shop into an Italian restaurant. Complications arise when she and Max fall in love.
Grumpy Old Men is now streaming for free on Pluto. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.
Grumpy Old Men
Like PG-13 Comedy Release Date December 25, 1993 Runtime 103 minutes Director Donald Petrie Writers Mark Steven Johnson Producers Dan Kolsrud, John DavisCast
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Jack Lemmon
John Gustafson
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Walter Matthau
Max Goldman
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Ann-Margret
Ariel Truax
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Kevin Pollak
Grandpa Gustafson
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Daryl Hannah
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