Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, December 30, 1993 TAG: 9312290128
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By MIKE MAYO CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
This bawdy comedy aimed at the "Driving Miss Daisy" crowd contains few surprises, but its familiarity becomes a virtue as a troupe of veteran actors turns on the charm. Essentially, the film is a Hollywood version of a Garrison Keillor's Lake Wobegon. Imagine one of the odder stories about Norwegian bachelor farmers, ice fishing and sex.
Widowers John (Jack Lemmon) and Max (Walter Matthau) are next-door neighbors in the little town of Wabasha, Minn. They've been feuding - and loving every minute of it - for 56 years. John's daughter Melanie (Daryl Hannah) and Max's son Jacob (Kevin Pollak) accept the relationship; that's just the way their dads are. Then Ariel Truax (Ann-Margret) moves in across the street.
A flamboyant free spirit from Berkeley, Calif., she captivates both men and their friend Chuck (Ossie Davis). The feud escalates.
Most moviegoers old enough to vote will be able to predict every major turning point in Mark Steven Johnson's script. He's not trying to challenge anyone with a complex plot or unconventional characters. Director Donald Petrie seems to have approached the film from the same angle. In "Mystic Pizza" he showed that he's comfortable with a small-town setting and everyday characters. He gives this film the same realistic, lived-in look, and it's just right for the story.
He probably did not have to give his stars too much direction. Lemmon, Matthau and Ann-Margret make the material seem absolutely effortless. Lemmon and Matthau have worked together so often over the years that they're as comfortable as a pair of favorite shoes. Audiences have enjoyed their work since "The Fortune Cookie" and "The Odd Couple." They bring that same chemistry to these roles, and they get solid support from Burgess Meredith as John's raunchy old father. Ann-Margret proves that cinematic sexiness has nothing to do with age.
From beginning to end, "Grumpy Old Men" has all the flaws of a standard Hollywood comedy - the slickness, the simple situations, the stock characters. But it also has the strengths - a first-rate cast drawing every laugh from a story with some really funny moments.
In short, it's likely to be a big, big hit.
Grumpy Old Men: ***
A Warner Bros. release playing at the Tanglewood Mall and Salem Valley 8. 103 min. Rated PG-13 for salty dialogue and ribald humor.
by CNB