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Grumpy Old Men

 Grumpy Old Men
type
TVTItem
 Grumpy Old Men
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Grumpy Old Men
 Grumpy Old Men
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GrumpyOldMen
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Grumpy Old Men is a 1993 romantic comedy directed by Donald Petrie, starring the legendary comedy duo of Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau.It centers on two, well, grumpy old men, John Gustafson (Lemmon) and Max Goldman (Matthau) who've been neighbors for over 50 years and bickering for most of it, all the while ice fishing on the local lake and putting up with their kids (John's daughter Melanie, played by Daryl Hannah, and Max's son Jacob, played by Kevin Pollak) and John's nonagenarian father (Burgess Meredith). Then the pair's lives are turned upside down by a new neighbor named Ariel (Ann-Margret), and their old feud goes all out to try and win her hand.The film was successful enough to revive the Lemmon-Matthau team for a string of comedies in the mid-90s, including sequels to both this film and The Odd Couple, as well as The Grass Harp and their final collaboration Out to Sea.note Had Matthau not been too sick to work, their true final pair-up would have been the presidential comedy My Fellow Americans.Not to be confused with the British talk show of the same name.
 Grumpy Old Men
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2023-05-31T22:29:22Z
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2023-05-31T22:29:22Z
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Dropped link to AvertedTrope: Not a Feature - IGNORE
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Dropped link to EllaFitzgerald: Not a Feature - ITEM
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DBTropes
 Grumpy Old Men / int_170705e4
type
Translation Matchmaking
 Grumpy Old Men / int_170705e4
comment
Translation Matchmaking: In Israel, it became The Old and the Restless
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 Grumpy Old Men / int_24321e44
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Only Sane Man
 Grumpy Old Men / int_24321e44
comment
Only Sane Man: Chuck, at least some of the time.
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 Grumpy Old Men / int_267ce120
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Dirty Old Man
 Grumpy Old Men / int_267ce120
comment
Dirty Old Man: Grandpa Gustafson had more Unusual Euphemisms for sex than your average Fark thread. In other words, when it comes to women and for an old man, he has an abnormally perverted obsession with sex, even revealed clearly just by his kinky remarks. The outtakes during the credits roll highlights this, with his using fictional Hawaiian islands as a means of seduction (e.g. "Imakindakinky") Also, his advice to John regarding Ariel:
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 Grumpy Old Men / int_280333d4
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Hollywood Heart Attack
 Grumpy Old Men / int_280333d4
comment
Hollywood Heart Attack: John has one to start out the third act, outside in the snow, all alone.
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Grumpy Old Men / int_280333d4
 Grumpy Old Men / int_2be15316
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Ambiguously Jewish
 Grumpy Old Men / int_2be15316
comment
Ambiguously Jewish: It's never explicitly stated that Max is Jewish, but Goldman is a common Jewish name, and he occasionally peppers his speech with Yiddish words. Though he celebrates Christmas, which adds to the confusion (mind, someone being ethnically Jewish doesn't automatically mean they practice Judaism).
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 Grumpy Old Men / int_319a6fd7
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Passed in Their Sleep
 Grumpy Old Men / int_319a6fd7
comment
Passed in Their Sleep: A few days after a date with the newly arrived Ariel, Chuck dies peacefully in his sleep.
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 Grumpy Old Men / int_31da1e24
type
Shipper on Deck
 Grumpy Old Men / int_31da1e24
comment
Shipper on Deck: As much as he fights with Max, John seems perfectly okay with the idea of Max's son liking his (John's) daughter. Although that might just be because he hates Melanie's estranged husband, and knows that Jacob is a genuinely nice guy. Max is doing the same thing to Jacob about Melanie.
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 Grumpy Old Men / int_46290b93
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Manic Pixie Dream Girl
 Grumpy Old Men / int_46290b93
comment
Manic Pixie Dream Girl: Ariel.
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 Grumpy Old Men / int_50b05d30
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Disproportionate Retribution
 Grumpy Old Men / int_50b05d30
comment
Disproportionate Retribution: Max destroys John's ice shanty because he thought John was stealing Ariel away from him like he did with May (who John says was no good for him anyway).
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 Grumpy Old Men / int_51561f43
type
Hurricane of Euphemisms
 Grumpy Old Men / int_51561f43
comment
Hurricane of Euphemisms: The outtakes feature take after take of Burgess Meredith making different euphemisms for Chuck getting some action.
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 Grumpy Old Men / int_53c3fa83
type
Granola Girl
 Grumpy Old Men / int_53c3fa83
comment
Granola Girl: Ariel, who replaced her TV's screen with a fishbowl and used to teach art at Berkeley.
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 Grumpy Old Men / int_582564f5
type
The Gadfly
 Grumpy Old Men / int_582564f5
comment
The Gadfly: Both of them engage in trolling each other, but Max especially delights in getting a rise out of people in general.
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Grumpy Old Men / int_582564f5
 Grumpy Old Men / int_6b2b3b59
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The Reveal
 Grumpy Old Men / int_6b2b3b59
comment
The Reveal: John has a heart attack and is very weak in the hospital talking to Ariel. That's the last we see of him, up until the end, where Jake, Max, and John's dad talk reverently about him outside of a church, leading the viewer to believe that he's dead. But then they pull off their coats inside to reveal tuxes; what the viewer believes is John's funeral is actually his wedding to Ariel. Also a Shock-and-Switch Ending.
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 Grumpy Old Men / int_7886d4d0
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December–December Romance
 Grumpy Old Men / int_7886d4d0
comment
December–December Romance: While Jack Lemmon had 16 years on Ann-Margret, and she is very well preserved, Ariel is past middle age and John is retired.
 Grumpy Old Men / int_7886d4d0
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 Grumpy Old Men / int_7e499910
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Obligatory Joke
 Grumpy Old Men / int_7e499910
comment
Another standout example is the "getting-spruced-up" montage after John and Max both decide to pursue Ariel in earnest. Along with lots and lots of plaid, we get treated to the sight of Max scouring himself in the bathtub and literally spit-shining his shoes... to the strains of "I'm Too Sexy."
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 Grumpy Old Men / int_8b4f491c
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Villainy-Free Villain
 Grumpy Old Men / int_8b4f491c
comment
Villainy-Free Villain: Snyder of the IRS is just doing his job, trying to collect back taxes that John owes. And (off-screen) he is actually fairly reasonable— Jacob talks him into waiving the late fees if the original amount owed is paid. Doesn't stop Max from insulting him and playing a few hilarious practical jokes on him. Snyder still seems to take great delight in harassing John, when even he admits that John's tax trouble isn't technically his fault. John's constant evading him probably had a lot to do with it.
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 Grumpy Old Men / int_917bed8a
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Minnesota Nice
 Grumpy Old Men / int_917bed8a
comment
Minnesota Nice: Averted, with the titular duo spending all of their time insulting each other and pulling cruel pranks at one another's expense. Or maybe just played with, as by the end they're shown to be Vitriolic Best Buds. The concept is skewered when Mike (Melanie's estranged husband) comes over to the Gustafson house. John hates his guts and reads him the riot act, but still offers him a beer when he asks for one.
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 Grumpy Old Men / int_94d7b230
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Cut a Slice, Take the Rest
 Grumpy Old Men / int_94d7b230
comment
Cut a Slice, Take the Rest: Variant - John brings beer to his dad at his ice shanty. John takes one can out of the six pack and offers it to Grandpa. Grandpa in turn takes the rest of six-pack inside and shuts the door, leaving John with only a single can of beer.
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 Grumpy Old Men / int_95c2a9dd
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Outliving One's Offspring
 Grumpy Old Men / int_95c2a9dd
comment
Outliving One's Offspring: John had another son named Brian, who was killed in the Vietnam war.
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 Grumpy Old Men / int_9d12bbc1
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Foreshadowing
 Grumpy Old Men / int_9d12bbc1
comment
Foreshadowing: At the beginning of the movie, the two talk about what are comfortable ways to die. John comments that strokes are terrible and he'd rather have a cardiac arrest any day. Guess what happens towards the end of the movie. He lives through it, however.
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 Grumpy Old Men / int_9d5a2cdf
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Intimidating Revenue Service
 Grumpy Old Men / int_9d5a2cdf
comment
Intimidating Revenue Service: The subplot involves the IRS repossessing John's house to pay back taxes.
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 Grumpy Old Men / int_9df812ad
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Tiny Guy, Huge Girl
 Grumpy Old Men / int_9df812ad
comment
Tiny Guy, Huge Girl: 5'5" Kevin Pollak gets together with 5'10" Darryl Hannah.
 Grumpy Old Men / int_9df812ad
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 Grumpy Old Men / int_a1154544
type
Grumpy Old Man
 Grumpy Old Men / int_a1154544
comment
Grumpy Old Man: Many of them, naturally. Max and John are the main ones, but there's also Chuck and John's father.
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 Grumpy Old Men / int_a3c6c2b7
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"Facing the Bullets" One-Liner
 Grumpy Old Men / int_a3c6c2b7
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"Facing the Bullets" One-Liner: Okay, so it's a heart attack and he ends up surviving, but it still counts.
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 Grumpy Old Men / int_a4c37cbe
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Mood Whiplash
 Grumpy Old Men / int_a4c37cbe
comment
Mood Whiplash: Does a serious turn when Chuck dies.
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 Grumpy Old Men / int_abad35b4
type
Soundtrack Dissonance
 Grumpy Old Men / int_abad35b4
comment
Soundtrack Dissonance: Several examples, but the crowning one has to be a cheery little polka number going on after Max loses his beloved Green Hornet fishing pole under the ice, and searches despondently (and hopelessly) for it. Naturally, John later fishes it up and anonymously returns it to him. Another standout example is the "getting-spruced-up" montage after John and Max both decide to pursue Ariel in earnest. Along with lots and lots of plaid, we get treated to the sight of Max scouring himself in the bathtub and literally spit-shining his shoes... to the strains of "I'm Too Sexy." Irving Berlin's "Heat Wave" crops up several times: Ella Fitzgerald's rendition plays over the (quite snowy) opening credits, but the characters sing a few lines in later scenes.
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 Grumpy Old Men / int_bf74d357
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Ugly Guy, Hot Wife
 Grumpy Old Men / int_bf74d357
comment
Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: Max and his first wife, Amy. John pokes fun at Max for being ugly and says that Jacob was lucky to inherit his mom's looks rather than his dad's, otherwise he wouldn't be on the ballot for Mayor.
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 Grumpy Old Men / int_c7839568
type
Nice Jewish Boy
 Grumpy Old Men / int_c7839568
comment
Nice Jewish Boy: Max's son Jacob is this trope, he is running for Mayor and the Straight Man to his father regarding the pranks that Max and John pull on one another, and is quite the stand up guy.
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 Grumpy Old Men / int_cbf5c04
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Insult of Endearment
 Grumpy Old Men / int_cbf5c04
comment
Insult of Endearment: Eventually.
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 Grumpy Old Men / int_d45c0b86
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Refuge in Audacity
 Grumpy Old Men / int_d45c0b86
comment
Refuge in Audacity: Ariel introduces herself to John in this way, stealing his mail, inviting herself over to his place, all to find out more about him. She gets away with it because she's gorgeous.
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 Grumpy Old Men / int_d7fc9fd0
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Vitriolic Best Buds
 Grumpy Old Men / int_d7fc9fd0
comment
Vitriolic Best Buds: Despite their incessant jabs at each other, John and Max are actually really old friends.
 Grumpy Old Men / int_d7fc9fd0
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 Grumpy Old Men / int_d848560f
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Unusual Euphemism
 Grumpy Old Men / int_d848560f
comment
Grandpa Gustafson had more Unusual Euphemisms for sex than your average Fark thread. In other words, when it comes to women and for an old man, he has an abnormally perverted obsession with sex, even revealed clearly just by his kinky remarks.
 Grumpy Old Men / int_d848560f
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 Grumpy Old Men / int_e18a3c59
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Hilarious Outtakes
 Grumpy Old Men / int_e18a3c59
comment
Hilarious Outtakes: The first film has an epic blooper reel before the credits, including a great stinger:
 Grumpy Old Men / int_e18a3c59
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 Grumpy Old Men / int_e9e35e8f
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Exact Words
 Grumpy Old Men / int_e9e35e8f
comment
Exact Words: John kisses Ariel after a nice evening at his house, surprising her and himself. She backs off and says it's time for bed, then heads for the door. After berating himself ("Dumb, dumb, dumb.") he follows her to apologize:
 Grumpy Old Men / int_e9e35e8f
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 Grumpy Old Men / int_ee7fca3d
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Silver Fox
 Grumpy Old Men / int_ee7fca3d
comment
Silver Fox: Ariel is played by Ann-Margret, who was a very attractive 52 at the time.
 Grumpy Old Men / int_ee7fca3d
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 Grumpy Old Men / int_fe0330fb
type
Brick Joke
 Grumpy Old Men / int_fe0330fb
comment
Brick Joke: The dead fish in Max's truck.
 Grumpy Old Men / int_fe0330fb
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 Grumpy Old Men / int_feaf5424
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You Called Me "X"; It Must Be Serious
 Grumpy Old Men / int_feaf5424
comment
You Called Me "X"; It Must Be Serious: Max calls John by his surname through the whole film. The only time he calls him John is at the climax when he sees John in the snow having a heart attack.
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 Grumpy Old Men / int_ff16efbf
type
Heroes Want Redheads
 Grumpy Old Men / int_ff16efbf
comment
Heroes Want Redheads: Both Max and John are immediately taken with the redheaded newcomer Ariel.
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Grumpy Old Men

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 Grumpy Old Men
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The Friends Who Never Hang / int_a4b397d5
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To Absent Friends / int_a4b397d5
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