Grumpy Old Men (1993)
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67% of critics liked it
(36 reviews) -
66% of users liked it
(138,429 ratings)
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… More 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
- Directed By
- Donald Petrie
- Genres
- Drama, Comedy
- In Theaters
- Dec 24, 1993 Wide
- Studio
- Warner Bros. Pictures
Critic Reviews
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Richard Schickel, TIME Magazine
Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon are awfully good at this sort of thing.
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Derek Adams, Time Out
Mediocre, regrettably.
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Caryn James, New York Times
Just don't expect their bickering to be on the level of Neil Simon, and you won't be disappointed.
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James Berardinelli, ReelViews
While it won't come close to my top 10 best list for 1993, it will be right up there among the pictures that I had the most fun watching.
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Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
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.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Jack Lemmon
as John Gustafson
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Walter Matthau
as Max Goldman
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Ann-Margret
as Ariel Truax
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Burgess Meredith
as Grandpa Gustafson
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Daryl Hannah
as Melanie Gustafson
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Kevin Pollak
as Jacob Coldman
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Ossie Davis
as Chuck
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Buck Henry
as Elliott Snyder
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Christopher McDonald
as Mike
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Joe Howard
as Pharmacist
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Ollie Osterberg
as Fisherman
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Isabell Monk
as Nurse
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Buffy Sedlachek
as Punky
- Sharon Howard-Field
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John Carroll Lynch
as Moving Man
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Steve Cochran
as Weatherman


