


The story here has Jack Lemmon as John Gustason and Walter Matthau as his long time neighbour, Max Goldman. John and Max grew up as friends, but a falling out as young men has left them as a pair of bickering, cantankerous curmudgeons, who have quarrelled with one another since dinosaurs roamed the earth. Johns dad, played by Burgess Meredith, is a gem and pretty funny as he refers to the two of them as kids. As if things were not bad enough between these two, they get worse when a flirtatious, adventurous mature beauty, Ariel, moves in across the street. Soon, these two are competing for her attention, as well as their usual bs. Amusing and entertaining as these two are to watch at work, there are not enough really funny jokes to make this one a real classic gem. Ann-Margarets Ariel, as attractive as she is, was irritating and it really feels like men should been rolling their eyes at her, not looking at her with lust and admiration. Still, the chemistry between Matthau and Lemmon is still there (or was, since both of these guys have passed away) and the film is worth catching on TV or as a low-price renter.