Top 10 Grumpy Old Men in Movies

One of the best character archetypes in a movie has got to be the grumpy old man. We all personally know real grumpy old men so this simple character design can apply perfectly to remind us of those we know. In this list we will highlight 10 of the best grumpy old men in movies!

Carl Fredricksen (Ed Asner), ‘Up’- The first character that comes to mind for me when I think grumpy old men in movies is this Pixar protagonist. ‘Up’ is one of Pixar’s strongest films and Carl is a different protagonist than we may be used to seeing in an animated film. He’s the only animated character on this list, but has one thing in common with many others on the list; that being that his old cold heart is warmed by the time the credits roll.

Walt Kowalski (Clint Eastwood), ‘Gran Torino’- This 2008 drama was produced & directed by Eastwood, who also played the lead role. Walt Kowalski is a harsh man who is also just straight up racist at the beginning of this film. His prejudices are proved wrong when he bonds with his Hmong neighbors, whom he eventually learns to love. I won’t spoil the end of the film, but Walt is willing to sacrifice a lot of things for his newfound family in a very heart wrenching way.

Harrison Ford- Yep, just Harrison Ford. Ford was known for a longtime as huge blockbuster movie star and while that status is still true, he has fully crossed over to grumpy old man territory. Pretty much every role he plays now fills this role, in movies like ‘Captain America: Brave New World,’ ‘The Call of the Wild,’ ‘The Age of Adaline,’ ‘Ender’s Game,’ & ‘42,’ as well as his starring TV role in ‘Shrinking.’ He has even taken his three most popular roles (Han Solo, Indiana Jones, & Rick Deckard) and reprised them as a grumpy old man within the last decade in ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens,’ ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,’ & ‘Blade Runner 2049.’

Statler & Waldorf (Peter Linz & Dave Goelz), ‘The Muppets’- This puppet duo is another synonymous in pop culture with the grumpy old men trope. They have appeared in many different Muppet shows & movies, usually appearing to heckle their fellow Muppets, and some fans consider them the funniest characters in the franchise.

Otto Anderson (Tom Hanks), ‘A Man Called Otto’- What I consider a very underrated film from 2022, this film is also a very underrated part of Tom Hanks’ legendary filmography. A very emotional movie, Hanks embodies Otto, who is really just like a real life Carl Fredricksen without the Disney censor. And I would be remiss to not also mention Rolf Lassgård, who played Ove in ‘A Man Called Ove,’ the Swedish film that this one is based on.

Norman Thayer (Henry Fonda), ‘On Golden Pond’- I admit that I still have a good chunk of Fonda’s filmography to emerge myself in. But I don’t see how any films of his could surpass his performances in ‘12 Angry Men’ & ‘On Golden Pond.’ In the former, he plays a hopeful justice-seeking juror and in the latter he plays a cynical, grumpy old man. The role would be Fonda’s final & would win him the Oscar for Best Actor, making him the oldest winner until Anthony Hopkins’ 2021 win for ‘The Father.’

Mickey Goldmill (Burgess Meredith), ‘Rocky’- Sylvester Stallone’s titular boxer would’ve likely never achieved his success without his veteran coach, Mickey, who also made my list of the Best Fictional Coaches. Meredith received an Oscar nomination for his performance in the first film and would reprise his role in the 2nd & 3rd films, with uncredited cameos in the 4th-6th films using older footage. I should also shoutout Stallone himself, who fills the grumpy old coach role as Rocky in the ‘Creed’ films.

Melvin Udall (Jack Nicholson), ‘As Good as It Gets’- Another Oscar-winning entrant, Udall isn’t quite as old as most of our other entries, but is just as grumpy. A mean, bigoted novelist who struggled with OCD who bonds with a younger single mother (Helen Hunt). Nicholson & Hunt won the Best Actor & Actress Oscars at the 70th Academy Awards.

Edward & Carter (Jack Nicholson & Morgan Freeman), The Bucket List- The film that would coin the signature expression stars Nicholson (woohoo, back to back Jack) & Freeman as two men who meet late in their lives and decide to go on some adventures before their time comes. Not quite as grumpy as the others on this list, I still wanted to include this 2007 duo.

John & Max (Jack Lemmon & Walter Matthau), Grumpy Old Men- I mean this has got to be the biggest slam dunk on the list. It’s literally the name of the movie. Lemmon & Matthau star as two retired widowers who are next-door neighbors & best frenemies. Followed by a sequel, ‘Grumpier Old Men,’ both films also star one of our previous old guys, Burgess Meredith as John’s father.