Grumpier Old Men

Infobox Film
name = Grumpier Old Men


director = Howard Deutch
producer = Richard C. Berman
John Davis
writer = Mark Steven Johnson
starring = Walter Matthau
Jack Lemmon
Ann-Margret
Sophia Loren
Burgess Meredith
music = Alan Silvestri
cinematography = Tak Fujimoto
editing = Maryann Brandon
Seth Flaum
Billy Weber
distributor = Warner Bros.
released = December 22, 1995
runtime = 101 min
country = USA
language = English
budget = $25,000,000 (est.)
preceded_by = "Grumpy Old Men"
amg_id = 1:135506
imdb_id = 0113228

"Grumpier Old Men" is a 1995 Warner Bros. romantic comedy film starring Walter Matthau, Jack Lemmon, Ann-Margret, and Sophia Loren, with Burgess Meredith, Daryl Hannah, Kevin Pollak, Katie Sagona, Ann Morgan Guilbert.

This sequel to "Grumpy Old Men" (1993) was directed by Howard Deutch, the screenplay was written by Mark Steven Johnson. The original music score was composed by Alan Silvestri.

The film was Burgess Meredith's final motion picture appearance. He was already suffering from Alzheimer's and had to be gently coached through his role in the film.

Plot summary

Several months after the events at the end of "Grumpy Old Men", the lifelong feud between Max and John has cooled, and their children, Melanie and Jacob, have become engaged after a brief relationship.

The spring and summer fishing season is also in full swing in Wabasha, with the annual quest to catch "Catfish Hunter", the lake's largest catfish, consuming the fishing community. However, the local bait shop (which closed due to the death of its proprietor, Chuck, in the first film) is in danger of being taken over by a recent arrival in town, Maria Ragetti, and being turned into a fancy Italian restaurant. Max and John join forces to try and sabotage the restaurant and succeed to a point, enough to make Ariel force John to go over to the restaurant and apologize to Maria for what he's done. Originally John doesn't want to, forcing him to move in with Max for a few days, but after living with Max he breaks down and goes to apologize.

Things go awry, however, when John and Maria trade shots of grappa over the conversation. Eventually John drinks too much and passes out, waking up the next morning in the restaurant and having Ariel and Max believe that the two are having an affair. Two things are revealed by Maria's mother following the confrontation- the first is that she and John's father are having a relationship, and that Maria in fact is infatuated with Max, to everyone's surprise.

While out in his boat one day Max finds Maria on the lake fishing, and the shared interest helps to begin a romance between the two. However, Maria calls it off thanks to her mother reminding her of five failed marriages in the past, and Max is bewildered and disappointed.

To make things even further complicated Jacob and Melanie's wedding plans are causing the couple thanks to their fathers' apparent inability to plan a proper wedding. After John decides to book Wabasha's "polka king" for the wedding Melanie finally snaps and she and Jacob get into a huge argument which results in the wedding being called off and the two to live separately. Upon hearing the news John and Max call off their truce and reignite their feud. Things come to a head when John's cat is chased through both houses by Max's new dog, causing a statue Ariel had made of John to break and her to storm out of the house, saying that she wasn't coming back until "this silly feud is over."

Saddened, John goes to the lake to fish with his father, only to find him dead on the couch he was sitting on. Grandpa Gustafson is cremated, and his ashes scattered in the lake, and Max and John call off their feud again. The two also help Jacob and Melanie reunite after their brief estrangement, and the wedding is apparently back on. Furthermore, John convinces Max to try again with Maria, telling him to "park (his) stupid pride" and tell her how he really feels. Max does and the two rekindle their romance.

Much like the first film, a wedding is to take place at the end of the film. However, Max and John decide to take one last chance at catching Catfish Hunter before going. The two are able to catch him, but John convinces Max to throw him back saying that his father tried to catch him for 20 years and that the two belonged in the lake together. Max does and the duo rushes to the church for the wedding, which turns out to be Max's wedding to Maria (which is not revealed until Max and John arrive at the church; it is implied that it is Jacob and Melanie's wedding, but the two had eloped prior to this). Max and Maria are wed and drive away in the limousine to their reception to be held at Maria's restaurant, which will also serve as the town's bait shop again.

Cast

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

External links

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