Grumpy Old Men (1993)

A pair of veteran movie stars inhabits their roles with well-worn comfort in this lowbrow but good-natured comedy. The thought of venerable thespians such as Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau inhabiting a sex-obsessed, toilet-humored gross-out comedy should be enough to make film buffs quake with fevered angst, but richly thought out characters and rapid-fire gags add up to an entertaining if often slight experience. When either of the stars or supporting player Burgess Meredith is center stage, it's easy to forget how thin and obnoxious this material really is; the proceedings just feel delightfully naughty. When other cast members such as Daryl Hannah or Kevin Pollak briefly take over, the energy and interest take a kamikaze-style nosedive. Fortunately, there's nary a moment when Lemmon and Matthau aren't visible, so that even through the boring subplots and the thick, sticky coat of sitcom shellack applied by director Donald Petrie, the stars keep shining through. Grumpy Old Men is certainly no award winner, but it's a solid hit guaranteed to generate a few guilty-pleasure moments. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide