Review of Grumpy Old Men

In a chilly Minnesota ice-fishing town, two lifelong enemies (who live next door to each other) compete for Ariel, the free-spirited new redhead on the block (Ann-Margret, doing her best with an underwritten role). Comic vehicle for Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon isn't strenuous, it breezes right along, but this type of farce, an insult-slinging sitcom, has been patented and packaged along a cinema assembly-line reaching back many years. The plot is constructed (and constricted) by its one-liners, like a foul-mouthed Neil Simon; the grouchy leads play up the old coot business for all it's worth, but they are so cantankerous that it isn't too likely life-loving Ariel would want either of these guys (her rapport with shopkeeper Ossie Davis, though seen at a distance, appears to be much warmer). Still, there are some laughs on occasion, the locations are well-captured, and the smartly-picked supporting cast is winning. **1/2 from ****