Over the next couple weeks, I will be checking out a few throwback comedies for the cold, dull weeks of January
Comedic duo and late friends Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau worked on quite a few films together throughout their career until their deaths. The first film I have ever seen them in together was the 1993 comedy “Grumpy Old Men.”
So, to get things going for my little throwback comedy series, I wanted to revisit this hilarious 1993 comedy!
John Gustafson and Max Goldman are two curmudgeonly neighbors who have been at each other’s throats for many years.
The rivalry of the former friends intensifies when Ariel comes along and provides a love interest for both of them. When Max finds out that John is experiencing family troubles and financial ruin, however, Max steps in to help.
And, after John’s troubles and so much more, their bond is still there.
The 1993 comedy, “Grumpy Old Men,” shows that both Lemmon and Matthau have so much comedic chemistry together after all those years.
Like I said before, this movie was my introduction to this comedy duo. And after giving this timeless comedy a fresh revisit, I can see why Lemmon and Matthau worked on quite a few films together during their careers. There are quite a few moments scattered throughout this movie where they can easily make you laugh.
As soon as both their character’s meet their new neighbor (played by Ann-Margret), their on-going feud escalates and they both do what they can to compete for her love. The characters of Max and John do a lot of bickering and whatnot, but the actors' comedic timing and chemistry makes those bickering moments worth watching.
“Grumpy Old Men” also has a few scenes that can be a little touching and moving, especially when we find out the financial troubles John is going through in the movie. There’s also a few moments where they see that, no matter how many times they get on each other’s nerves, both John and Max will still care about each other.
Even though Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau were great together, Burgess Meredith really stole the show as John’s hilarious and sometimes crude father. In the movie, his character has quite a few funny lines, especially during the outtakes that are playing during the first half of the closing credits.
So, if you haven’t had the chance to see this timeless comedy, I highly recommend it!
Cast: Jack Lemmon (John Gustafson); Walter Matthau (Max Goldman); Ann-Margret (Ariel Truax); Burgess Meredith (Grandpa Gustafson); Daryl Hannah (Melanie); Kevin Pollack (Jacob Goldman); Ossie Davis (Chuck); Buck Henry (Snyder); Christopher McDonald (Mike)
Writer/director: Mark Steven Johnson (writer) (Ghost Rider; Christopher Robin; Daredevil); Donald Petrie (director) (Miss Congeniality; Just My Luck; How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days)
Trivia: This movie marks the 6th pairing out of 10 movies of comic actors and great friends Lemmon and Matthau. Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis were strongly considered for the John and Max roles, but both declined due to Martin’s frail health. A sequel, “Grumpier Old Men,” released in 1995.
MPAA: PG-13 for some sexual references (running time 103 minutes)
Where to find the movie? You can currently find this comedy on YouTube, Apple TV, Amazon Prime and Fandango to rent online!
The sixth pairing out of ten movies of comic actors and great friends Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau.
Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau did not think that this movie would be anything special, and were surprised that it became a box office success on a budget of around $35 million, and making $70 million.
Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis were strongly considered for the roles of John and Max, respectively, but both declined because of Martin's frail health which prevented him from taking the role. Martin died in December of 1995, right around the exact same time that this movie's sequel, Grumpier Old Men (1995) was released in theaters.
A comeback for the legendary yet sporadic team of Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau, who hadn't made a film together for almost a decade. They'd wind up making a sequel; another buddy comedy, Out to Sea; and a sequel to The Odd Couple, sparked by the success of this film.
Walter Matthau originally disliked the script and wanted to pass on the movie. He only agreed to participate after his son Charles convinced him to take the role of Max.
According to the AFI website, the movie was originally supposed to be released in February 1994. However Warner Bros. had such a successful year at the box office in 1993 that they wanted to have their profits maximized before the year came to a close so they bumped up the release to Christmas Day, 1993, and by February 4, 1994 the original planned release date the film had grossed $54 million domestically before closing with a final domestic gross of $70 million. Although Christmas 1993 was a busy movie season this movie managed to out-gross three sequels to popular movies all released in December 1993 including Wayne's World 2 (1993), Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993) and Beethoven's 2nd (1993) which surprised all in the movie industry because it was predicted at the time to those films would all perform better.
Included among the American Film Institute's 2000 list of the 500 movies nominated for the Top 100 Funniest American Movies.
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