Grumpy Old Men works as a film because of that love and respect. These aren't two cutthroat heartless souls, they are two men who care very much about the world and each other. There's nothing overtly said for much of the film about that respect, it's just a sense that Lemmon and Matthau are able to infuse into the characters.
Another reason the film feels like more than just a series of cruel practical jokes is the well-rounded cast. In addition to the main stars and supporting players listed above, the film is full of other great supporting members. Burgess Meredith appears as John's father, Ossie Davis as the owner of the local bait-and-tackle shop, and Buck Henry as an IRS agent.
The Blu-ray release of Grumpy Old Men, is, sadly, a very bare-bones affair – it doesn't even start on a menu screen, it launches right into the movie, which seems to be because the menu is practically non-existent. Soundtrack selection (D
olby TrueHD 2.0 and Dolby Digital 2.0) as well as subtitles (English, French, and Spanish) can't be selected from the main menu, only from the in-film pop-up menu. And, the only extra on the disc is a trailer. The 2.0 sound is perfectly adequate for a comedy, but certainly not all-encompassing. The visuals are only slightly better than a DVD (the detail in the creases of Matthau's face are impressive), and while the print is a relatively clean one, there are still imperfections to be found in it. The opening particularly looks poor, with the static shot of the Warner Bros. shield flickering noticeably.
Whatever imperfections the release itself may have, the film is still an hysterically funny one. Lemmon and Matthau are stellar actors who play brilliantly off one another, and the script not only gives the two the chance to be funny, but to show their serious sides as well. Additionally, the supporting cast (especially Meredith) are excellent. Like its stars, Grumpy Old Men isn't the flashiest film ever created, but it is well-crafted and well worth one's time.
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