Grumpy Old Men (1993)

Wabasha representation. Saint Paul representation. Sauna representation.

A yearly rewatch. Legally required as a Minnesotan.

This was filmed in my hometown of Saint Paul, and honestly at least 20% of my enjoyment of this movie is just seeing Minnesota representation committed to film. The ice fishing. The frozen lakes. The way everyone’s bundled up and still standing outside talking. The passive-aggressive neighborly warfare. It’s all so accurate it hurts.

I regularly attend Grumpy Old Men Fest in Wabasha. Yes, that’s a real thing. Yes, it’s wonderful. Yes, I have strong opinions about the chili competition.

Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau have incredible chemistry - one of the great screen pairings. It’s funny that the very first scene establishes them as enemies in a way that has them defending each other. These men love each other. They’d never say it, but you feel it in every insult. That’s Minnesota friendship - decades of grudges held alongside decades of loyalty. You hate the guy and you’d also help him push his truck out of a snowbank at 6am without being asked.

I also love that one of the first manic pixie dream girls in cinema is an old professor obsessed with saunas. Ann-Margret showed up and understood the assignment.

This movie makes me mourn late 90s comedies. They don’t make them like this anymore - warm, funny, character-driven, no cynicism. Just two grumpy guys ice fishing and falling in love with the same woman. Simple pleasures.

We don’t get enough movies set here. This one counts.

Also on Letterboxd