Grumpier Old Men

A couple of old-fashioned slapstick comedies have opened for the holidays, though "Grumpier Old Men" is decidedly a retread sequel, and Mel Brooks' "Dracula: Dead and Loving It" is a hit-and-miss parody that never comes close to his masterpiece, "Young Frankenstein."

— "GRUMPIER OLD MEN" doesn't aspire to do anything more than please the audience of the unexpected 1993 hit "Grumpy Old Men." And to that end, it will likely succeed.

In the first film, you may recall, Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau were longtime crabby neighbors in the Minnesota suburbs, and when full-of-life Ann-Margret moved in across the street, they both pursued her. Subplots included the matching of Lemmon's daughter (Daryl Hannah) with Matthau's son (Kevin Pollack) and a series of foul-mouthed musings from Lemmon's father (Burgess Meredith).

The formula stays intact, more or less, with this sequel. But since Lemmon won Ann-Margret in the first film, there needed to be a new potential love-interest for Matthau — so, believe it or not, they hired Sophia Loren!

The story has Loren converting the local bait shop into an Italian restaurant. Naturally, Lemmon and Matthau try to sabotage her efforts, but Loren is not one to be easily intimidated.

Meanwhile, Hannah and Pollack are having trouble setting a wedding date, thanks to their interfering fathers, and Meredith is as feisty and foul-mouthed as ever (the latter wearing out its welcome rather quickly). And he even chases after Loren's mother (Ann Guilbert).

The jokes are sometimes wheezy, but the film's greatest pleasures come from the talented timing of its stars. If anyone knows his way around a piece of comic dialogue, it's Matthau (who gets the lion's share of screen time in this entry — and he's very funny), matched, of course, by the irrepressible Lemmon.

And what a treat it is to see Loren, even in the service of soft comedy. She deserves better, but it's still nice to see her in any kind of leading role. Julia Roberts and Demi Moore get bigger salaries, but Loren has class (and screen-presence) they can only dream about.

"Grumpier Old Men" is rated PG-13 for considerable vulgar language, including an abundance of double-entendres, as well as some profanity and a couple of scenes that show off Loren's considerable cleavage.

— "DRACULA: DEAD AND LOVING IT" has its amusing moments — but the big surprise here is a centerpiece highlight (or lowlight) that owes more to Monty Python than vintage Mel Brooks.