Grumpy Old Men
Director: Donald Petrie
Starring: Jack Lemmon,Walter Matthau, Ann-Margret,Burgess Meredith, Daryl Hannah
Grumpy Old Men
Director: Donald Petrie
Starring: Jack Lemmon,Walter Matthau, Ann-Margret,Burgess Meredith, Daryl Hannah
Relaxed, valedictory, exquisitely titled, Grumpy Old Men feels like an odd couple's last hurrah.
Old age is seen from a sentimental distance; interaction between characters often rings false; and Ariel is an indistinct, happy idiot. The impression that comes across is of a writer who cares but doesn't really know what he's talking about.
The film barely skims the grimmer realities of growing old - sickness, money problems, loneliness and death. Still, you couldn't think of two better Grinches to spend the holiday with than Lemmon and Matthau.
Two old people doing old people things, talking about old people stuff, and eating old people food. Sound interesting? Grumpy Old Men is a film that manages to be one of the scariest things I have ever seen.
All things considered, Grumpy Old Men might have fared better re-worked as a domestic drama that took full advantage of its talented cast, with the lame funnybone attempts left, like the ubiquitous dead fish, buried in the backseat.
Alan Silvestri
BMI Film & TV Awards (1994)
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