John Chard
9/26/2014
Do me a favour. Put your lip over your head... and swallow. Grumpy Old Men is directed by Donald Petrie and written by Mark Steven Johnson. It stars Walter Matthau, Jack Lemmon, Ann-Margret, Kevin Pollack, Burgess Meredith, Ossie Davis, Daryl Hannah and Buck Henry. Music is by Alan Silvestri and cinematography by Johnny E. Jensen. A lifelong feud between two neighbours has been continuing since for ever. Now in the twilight of their lives, things get worse when a new female neighbour moves across the street. A perennially fun viewing experience, one that boasts a wonderfully mature cast having a good time in the process. It would be easy to decry the formula, the trajectory of where it will go, and maybe stand tall and proclaim the writing isn't up to the standard of a Wilder or Simon movie, but that's kind of missing the point. It's a new era of film and the makers of Grumpy Old Men have tailored it to suit impressively the twin talents of Matthau and Lemmon. Both of whom are wonderful, their chemistry set in cement, their timing and reactions to scripting an utter joy. It's not without problems, anyone can see that, especially when the film veers onto the drama path, but the comedy over rides it all to leave a adult friendly holiday movie full of warmth and chuckles. 7/10
