Grumpier Old Men Information

Grumpier Old Men is a 1995 romantic comedy film, and a sequel to the 1993 film Grumpy Old Men. The film stars Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, Ann-Margret, and Sophia Loren, with Burgess Meredith, Daryl Hannah, Kevin Pollak, Katie Sagona, Ann Morgan Guilbert. Grumpier Old Men was directed by Howard Deutch, with the screenplay written by Mark Steven Johnson and the original music score composed by Alan Silvestri. The film was Meredith's final motion picture appearance. He was already suffering from Alzheimer's disease and had to be gently coached through his role in the film.

Plot

The lifelong feud between Max (Walter Matthau) and John (Jack Lemmon) has cooled. Their children, Melanie (Daryl Hannah) and Jacob (Kevin Pollak), have become engaged after a brief relationship. Meanwhile, John is enjoying his marriage to wife Ariel (Ann-Margret).

The spring and summer fishing season is in full swing in Wabasha, Minnesota, with the annual quest to catch "Catfish Hunter", the lake's largest catfish, consuming the fishing community. However, the local bait shop closed after the death of its proprietor Chuck in the first film. New arrival to Wabasha, Maria Ragetti (Sophia Loren), has purchased the building with the intent of converting it into a fancy Italian restaurant. Max and John join forces to try to sabotage the restaurant.

To complicate things further, Jacob and Melanie's wedding plans are causing the couple stress because of their fathers' apparent inability to plan a proper wedding. Upon hearing the news, John and Max call off their truce and reignite their feud.

Subplots

As in Grumpy Old Men, several subplots are present in Grumpier Old Men. In addition to the sabotage of the restaurant and Max and John's poor wedding planning, Grandpa Gustafson again shows his perverted side. Unlike in the first film, where he had designs on most of the women of Wabasha, in the second film, Grandpa's perverted streak is largely due to his desire to have a relationship with Francesca Ragetti. At one point in the film, it is suggested that he succeeds, with Francesca finally being charmed by his overtures and dropping a rose into the water after his cremated remains are poured into the lake. A second subplot with Grandpa Gustafson concerns his advancing age, as he is 95 and remarks that God must have forgotten about him. (When he dies, John remarks "Looks like God remembered you, Pop.") In the first film, Melanie's daughter Allie was a toddler, but in the second film her character was advanced to grade school age and played by a different actress, with added hints that she did not accept her mother's relationship with Jacob, but that had changed by the end of the movie.

Cast

• Walter Matthau as Max Goldman
• Jack Lemmon as John Gustafson
• Ann-Margret as Ariel Gustafson
• Sophia Loren as Maria Sophia Coletta Raghetti
• Ann Morgan Guilbert as Mama Ragetti
• Burgess Meredith as John Gustafson Sr.
• Daryl Hannah as Melanie Gustafson (later Goldman)
• Kevin Pollak as Jacob Goldman
• Katie Sagona as Allie (Melanie's daughter)

Reception

Box office

Grumpier Old Men grossed $71 million at the North American box office, against a production budget of $25 million. While some have said that this was less successful than the original, Grumpier Old Men beat its predecessor's total of $70 million and cost $10 million less to make than the original.

Critical response

The film received mixed to negative reviews. Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 18% based on reviews from 17 critics.

Roger Ebert gives the film a score of 2 out of 4 stars. Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times described the film as contrived and getting by on the star power of the cast.