Grumpy Old Men

The three main characters of "Grumpy Old Men" are John Gustafson, Max Goldman and Ariel. The movie takes place in the frozen Minnesota town of Wabasha over the Christmas holidays. The two men have been at war with each other for fifty years. Throughout the movie both characters call each other names when the greet each other, like "Hi, dick head", "putz" and "moron." The two also used their homes as command posts and measured the success of their days by playing nasty jokes on each other.

John, in his 70's liked to play chess by himself while talking about the relative merits of having a stroke, an accident or a heart attack as the death of choice. He entertains himself by listening to opera while fishing through an ice hole in his shanty, on a nearby lake. Lounging in an easy chair in perfect wear, only to be disturbed by the fish or Max.

English: Ice fishing in the Finnish Miljoonapilkki...

Ariel by John Safer 1983 Polished Bronze on Granit...

Isborr

Max also in his 70's occupies himself full time by searching for ways to shock his neighbor John. His other activities consist of watching television and obsessing over ice fishing.

Ariel an attractive 52 year old widow and a professor who believes she is starting to loose her figure but little of her appeal. She arrives with a moving van crammed with New Age sculptures and a snowmobile. Her zest for life is shows throughout the move.

The town is small, seeming, to be a in kind of neighborhood where everybody spends all their time, either out in front of the house shoveling snow, or inside of the house peering out through the curtains.

Even though John and Max are feuding enemies they both go ice fishing together. When they do go fishing together, which means they go separately, but adjacently, so...