the hospital, Max checks in by declaring he is John's friend. He tells Ariel what happened, and she reconciles with John as he recovers. Max tries to resolve John's debt, but the unsympathetic Agent Snyder prepares to sell John's house and possessions. Barricading the house, Max leaves a fish in Snyder's car and buries him in snow, while Jacob manages to temporarily block the property's seizure. Spring arrives, and John and Ariel get married. As a wedding gift, Max informs John that he and Jacob have paid off the debt. The newlyweds drive off, but not before John finds Max has left a fish in the wedding limo car. Max leaves to find a date of his own, as Jacob and an officially divorced Melanie begin a new romance with each other. Cast Jack Lemmon as John Gustafson Jr. Walter Matthau as Max Goldman Ann-Margret as Ariel Truax Burgess Meredith as John Gustafson Sr. Daryl Hannah as Melanie Gustafson Kevin Pollak as Jacob Goldman Ossie Davis as Chuck (Bait Shop Owner) Buck Henry as Elliott Snyder (IRS Agent) Christopher McDonald as Mike Steve Cochran as Weatherman Joe Howard as Phil (Pharmacist) Production The screenplay of Grumpy Old Men was written by Mark Steven Johnson, a film student at Winona State University (Minnesota). John Davis and Richard C. Berman pitched Johnson's script to Bill Gerber. Johnson envisioned the screenplay to star Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, and Sophia Loren. Matthau was initially hesitant to accept the role but was convinced by Lemmon and his son Charles Matthau. Ann-Margret was cast as the love interest, but Loren would be cast in the sequel. During pre-production the script was also rewritten to be more comedic than originally envisioned. The cast and crew arrived in Minnesota in January 1993 but had to wait to start shooting until February 2 because of a lack of snowfall. Interior scenes were filmed at the Paisley Park Studios while St. Paul, Faribault, and Center City doubled as Wabasha. The ice-shanty scenes were shot on Lake Rebecca. Filming wrapped on June 23, 1993, after a delay of several months when Matthau contracted pneumonia while filming a fight scene with Lemmon in subzero temperatures. Release Grumpy Old Men was one of the biggest surprise hits of the year at the time of its release. The film opened on December 25, 1993, with a weekend gross of $3,874,911. However, its numbers gradually