Premium Essay

Grumpy Old Men

In: Philosophy and Psychology

Submitted By gmartinb1969
Words 1090
Pages 5
Georgina Martin GM, 6

Grumpy Old Men Assignment

Grumpy Old Men Assignment

The movie “Grumpy Old Men” starring Jack Lemon and Walter Matthau, portrays aging in its highs and lows through humor to soften the ageism put on the last stages of life. It exposes the disengagements, actions and social emotions of the second half of life from a development process. John Gustafson (Jack Lemon) spends a lot of time in his home alone playing chess. His mornings outside of the holidays consist of ice fishing in his own house careen; his nights in front of the television eating TV dinners alone. While he is not on a diet, his eating habits are poor. His daily routines demonstrates the disengagement described in the disengagement theory of aging. As people age they “withdraw themselves from the world around them,” (Baird, 2011, p. 187). This happens when the elderly retire from work and no longer have the type of daily socialization you get from co-workers and dealing with the outside world.
Children get older and develop their own lifestyle which results in them coming around less or not at all. The elderly are left to linger in their own memories as they await death. Ariel Truax (Ann-Margret) and Max Goldmen (Walter Matthau) also had introverted parts of their lives; however these stereotypical behaviors wasn’t the focus of the movie. Ariel’s painting and Max’s fishing became their pastime although they longed for companionship. Ariel took life in its moments. She moved around often to for new adventures and to meet new people. She had worked as an expressive art teacher where feeling and thought were communicated in the visual forms of art. Max and John both took a liking to Ariel but it was Ariel who took action in

Similar Documents

Free Essay

No Country for Old Men

...No Country for Old Men The theme of No Country for Old Men is that even though the types of evil that people faced has changed there has always been evil that people battle. Two elements that contribute to this film are the elements of narrative form and sound. The sound used by Ethan and Joel Coen in this film is very unique. There is no music score present during the whole one hundred and twenty-two minutes. Most of the time, a music score is used as a cue that something was going to happen on screen such as a dramatic score when the protagonist is being threatened or a gloomy score when a character is going through tough times. The visual cues in No Country for Old Men are so strong that a music score is not necessary to give hints that something is about to happen. When Anton Chigurh is killing someone he always uses his captive bolt pistol. As Anton gently reaches down and calmly twists the valve and pressurized gas seeps out you know that Anton is going to claim another life. This is where a music score would go to give a clue that a dramatic moment was going to happen, but because of the lack of music the visuals are stronger. Also, because there is no music a viewer must keep their eyes glued to the screen and are more immersed in the story. The lack of music creates much more suspense and contributes to the slow pace of the film. Music score increases the drama of a scene but because there is no score the conflicts in the film seemed much more realistic and relatable...

Words: 655 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Existentialism / No Country for Old Men

...Gloria Payan PHIL 1301 December 2, 2014 Existentialism / No country for Old Men Existentialism is the idea that existence precedes essence, and predicament is a strenuous, complicated and unpleasant situation that is or appears irrational, or beyond comprehension. When the character of the Sheriff Edd Tom Bell played by Tommy Lee Jones in the film, No Country for Old Men, says “a man would have to put his soul at hazard”¹ I believe he was expressing that even if he knew that he had to be willing to die to do his job, that in the process of doing so he might kill someone and that would put his soul at hazard, and in order for him to exist he would be in a strenuous, complicate and unpleasant situation. He seems to be discouraged with the way things were and how crime had raised from the time when Law Man carried no weapons and people respected them just for being Law Man. When the Sheriff, finds himself with the predicament of entering into the hotel where he believes Anton Chigurh is. Anton is an unstoppable psychopathic hit man who is willing to kill everyone who comes across him. The Sheriff is faced with the struggle of making a decision which may or may not cause his own death or the death of Anton which would cause him to put his soul at hazard. I believe the Sheriff decision to retire was mainly due to failing attempt to capture Anton, which left him feeling despaired discourage, defeated and overwhelm. Soren Kierkegaard, believed that for a practical level-headed...

Words: 550 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Lego

...Daniel Camarillo Cinema- 26 03/13/09 Mid-Term No Country for Old Men The opening of the film has actor Tommy Lee Jones narrating about himself and past law enforcement officers. I was a little frustrated to think I was going to have to listen to him throughout the entire film. I then realized that little commentary in the opening scene set the movie for what it became. The complexity of moral and social implications would have anyone in the situation Josh Brolin’s character faces, in a bind. Would you take the money or go to the authorities? The Coen brothers have a unique way of capturing the audience and making them hold on to there seat waiting for the next scene. I believe the style, characters, and techniques of the film were built around the Coen’s distinctive directing. The film takes place in the 1980’s near the Mexican border in Texas. It is dark and dusty, similar to a modern western. Shot through with moments of humor these come, as in life, from real situations and observations. This film has a universal theme that everyone can recognize and appreciate. A director usually chooses to use one thematic element to emphasize the film. I believe for this film, the Coen’s focus on ideas. They make the characters have significance beyond the film itself. Mexico has been dealing drugs in the United States for decades. It has escaladed so high that thousands of people die each year in one way or another. The dark and bloody shoot outs are really problems...

Words: 885 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Movie Analysis of Secohand Lions

...cash. Both uncles are reluctant to have Walter at their home and view him as a nuisance. Uncle Garth beings to tell Walter tails of him and Hub’s adventures as young men serving in the French Foreign Lesion during World War I. Uncle Hub is a wild character, who seems to be desperately trying to hold onto his youth and prove that he is still as strong and capable as ever. After getting into a fight with several teenagers, Uncle Hub brings them back to his house. He gives them his “what every boy needs to know about being a man” speech. By the end of the movie, both uncles have grown attached to Walter and are upset when his mother returns to take him. Walter decides that he wants to stay with his uncles, but insists that they be involved in all of his activities including little league, boy scouts and PTA (McCanlies, 2003). On the surface, the public image of the uncles are that of two grumpy, bitter, old men. They regularly shoot at salesmen that come to call on them. They are rude to their relatives. Uncle Hub gets into a fight with teenagers. He checks himself out of the hospital after yelling at the nurses and throwing stuff down the hall. They are both in conflict with the idea of getting old and they lash out. However, there is also another very important side to the uncles. They are both strong, adventurous men who want to share their life experiences with the next generation. Uncle Hub’s “what every boy needs to know about being a man speech” is something he is proud to...

Words: 991 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Classifications

...girl Alexis who has been working at Pilot Travel Center for about two and half years. When she first started, she too thought the same – all truckers are fat and nasty. To her surprise, there are so many different kinds of personalities that walk in the door; you’ll be astonished that they are in the truck driving industry. After quick examination Alexis was able to narrow “these people” down to four specific categories; the creepy flirts, the professional clean cuts, the grumpy jerks, and of course, the stinky fats-o’s. Now, with that being said, sit back and try to visualize these unique individuals. First up, the creepy flirts; these are the men who will turn any type of conversation into an episode of Date Night. One of the procedures that have to be met while working at Pilot Flying J is asking for the "my rewards card," if for some reason the customer doesn’t have the card physically with them it can be looked up by the number associated with the account. It doesn’t matter how good looking or just plain old decent the cashier looks, any time a trucker is asked for their number they’ll try to flip the scrip. The most popular line that these drivers use are “well you called me last night, you forgot that quickly?” Or they’ll try this line “1800-BIG-DADDY.” Curtis is one of those customers that comes to PFJ faithfully every day; he is also the biggest...

Words: 2067 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Short Story

...surrounds the main characters who are envious of the achievements or the attention that another man receives. The first story is about an old man who is taking his wife on a second honeymoon when she encounters an old suitor, creating jealousy for the husband. In the second story, the jealousy surrounds Smurch who is envious of Charles Lindbergh's fame and accolades. The jealousy in the final story is the envy of the attention that any man with fame can receive from a woman. Each person's own insecurity allows envy to control their actions and creates trouble in their lives. The three stories all have jealousy, in some it is more clear than others. Jealousy lead two of the characters to make a fool of themselves, and it cost another character his life. In the first story, Charley took his wife Lucy on a second honeymoon, or Golden Honeymoon, as it is titled. While they are in St. Petersburg Fla., Mother was at the doctors office and began a conversation with a lady, only to discover that she is Mrs. Frank M. Hartsell, Lucy's ex-fiancee. This made Charley uncomfortable because he had rivaled Frank for Lucy's hand in marriage. A story that began as a second honeymoon for Lucy and Charley, became a jealous contest between two men. This reminds me of the movie, Grumpy Old Men, because of the unofficial mini contests that the two men have with each other. Comparing the film and the book, they were very similar except the sequence of events were different. In the story...

Words: 431 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Charles Dickens

... at the age of twelve Charles went to live with a family friend Elizabeth Rylance. There Charles attended a private school for three years. In May 1827 Charles worked as a junior clerk for the law offices of Ellis and Blackmore. In 1832 at the age of 20 Charles submitted his first story A Dinner at Poplar Walk. As a young man Charles also mastered shorthand, and before long was employed as a Parliamentary reporter. In 1836 at the age of 25 he started working at Pickwick Papers. At Pickwick Papers he published many of his novels in monthly installment in the paper. The first of these installments were from the novel Oliver’s Twist, which would later be published in 1838. Some of Charles Dickens other novels include Nicholas Nickleby, The Old Curiosity Shop, A Christmas Story, David Copperfield, Bleak House, Hard Times, A Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations, and Our Mutual Friend. Charles Dickens first love was a woman by the name of Maria Beadnell, after Maria’s parents disapproved of their courtship Maria was sent away to school in Paris. On April 2, 1836 after a one year engagement Charles married Catherine Thomson Hogarth. Together Charles and Catherine would have 10 children and be together for 18 years. In 1857 however Charles would hire Ellen Ternan to star in one of his plays and fall madly in love with her. Although not a practice in that time Charles would divorce his wife Catherine to pursue his relationship with Ternan who was 27 year his junior. When Catherine...

Words: 1955 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

A Christmas Carol Movie Comparison

...movie plays out, but is the story even worth the time when the movie shows emotion, and during the book people talk, but do the people in the movie not matter? They are in a movie that shows picture for a reason, you know? During the movie “A Christmas Carol” we go on a journey with Mr.Scrooge though his past, present, and future of “his” Christmas. When the movie starts to play it takes us all around the present day scene of Christmas in a town. As we go through the town we see kids happy, carolers singing, adults chatting, and then we get to grumpy Mr.Scrooge. If we have read the story before we know very well that you can’t see...

Words: 690 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Aging Women Analysis

...vastly unrepresented in the media. When I was first asked to write a paper based on older women in them media, my first thought was “Where do I look?” One tv show came to mind, which shall be discussed later. Other than that, I was at a loss of what to include. Upon further research, I learned that not only do men outnumber women on television, but women over 65 only take up 3% of the screen (“An Analysis of Aging Women…”). In the media, older women are less likely to be seen working outside of the home also. Although the 3% was specifically related to on-air television time, it appears that...

Words: 1285 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

Unit 4 Task 4 Health and Social Care

...Saga Magazines... How does ageing affect you? MENOPAUSE The menopause, sometimes known as “the change of life”, is where a woman’s ovaries stop producing an egg every 4 weeks, meaning she no longer has periods and is unlikely to get pregnant. Monthly periods can sometimes stop suddenly when you reach the menopause; however it is more likely that your periods will become less frequent, with longer intervals between each one, before they stop altogether. In the UK, 51 is the average age for a woman to reach the menopause, although some women experience the menopause in their 30’s or 40’s. Symptoms The menopause can cause a wide range of physical and mental symptoms. The first symptom is usually a change in the pattern of your monthly periods. This is called the premenopausal stage, during this time you may have light or heavy periods (menorrhagia). Other symptoms can include: * Hot flushes and night sweats * Loss of libido (sex drive) * Headaches * Mood changes, such as depression, anxiety or tiredness * Urinary Tract Infections (UTI’s) * Noticeable heartbeat * Vaginal discomfort, pain, itching and dryness The severity of symptoms and the overall duration of the menopause will vary depending on a number of factors including genetics, lifestyle, diet, stress, and overall health. Although if you experience the menopause suddenly, rather than gradually, your symptoms may be worse. The menopause is caused by a change in the balance of the body’s...

Words: 2463 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

Career Path Research Paper

...To be a successful coach you need to have a social personality. It would be helpful to have a personality where you can talk to anyone with ease. Players don't wanna come play for some boring, grumpy, stuck up coach, they want someone who interacts well with them and is easy to talk to. There are no really health requirements but you need to be able to handle the busy workload ( Description, usf job classes ) . Being a coach you're going to travel a lot throughout the year with the team and recruiting. You're gonna have to be able to handle the late nights at the field/office with your team and morning lifts. Traveling will be the hardest thing, you travel almost every week and weekend during the season, off season you spend your time recruiting players around the country. Recruiting the right players is one of the hardest things about the job, you are investing in a kid who is going to represent your program over the next four years...

Words: 538 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Speech About Happiness

...grandmother Haleema, is a 75 year old woman. Whoever sees her thinks she's 40 years old, maximum. I always wondered what was the secret the kept her looks so youthful. I thought it must be a face cream, lots of spa sessions or something like that. The other day while visiting her, I decided to ask, "Grandma, what helps you look so young?" She replied: "I am always happy my child." I found that a bit odd to be honest. How can someone be this old and never face pain or misery? It is statistically impossible. So I asked her one more time "Grandma, how is that possible?" She replied wisely once again: "Every human being has the choice of being happy or not. It is a simple matter of being positive all the time, whatever life threw at me, I looked...

Words: 827 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Feuille D’album

...Road from Colonus" by E. M. Forster  The Road from Colonus is one of the short stories written by E.M. Forster.  It tells us the story of Mr. Lucas who is an Englishman getting old. He is finally accomplishing the dream of his live: visit Greece. However, the trip it is not going as it was expected.  He is travelling with a party made of his little sister Ethel, who has to dedicate his life to take care of him in his old age, and two or three more English people. During the travel, Mr Lucas has a revelation and he realize that he did not want to have a peaceful death, he desires to die fighting instead. So that, he is determined to stay in a small inn near to the place with the hollow tree where he has felt that revelation and the sensation that he must stay there. Needles to say, the party is horrified and force him to leave with them. The people from the village appeared to understand Mr. Lucas and try to support them but they did not success. Back in England, when some time has pass, Mr Lucas barely remember what was happened in that hollow tree. He has become a grumpy old man always complaining about everything.  Eventually, a gift arrives from a friend in Greece and it is wrapped in a Greek newspaper. Ethel is upset when read that on the night they left Greece, the old tree had felt on the family living in the inn, killing them all. However Mr. Lucas no longer care about that. It is just as he could not remember how were their feeling back then. ...

Words: 1483 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

Phi-210 Final Paper- Fact or Fiction

...Fact or Fiction : Are People Judged Equally? Critical Thinking- PHI 210 Instructor: Dr. Carla E. Thompson Ronald McCall Sr. May 20, 2013 Many opinions made by society and individuals are based on pre-conceived ideas that generalize a group of people and place certain characteristics based on these ideas to every individual of that group. These pre-conceived ideas are stereotypes and by definition is a thought or image about a group of people based on little evidence (Moore &Parker, pg 122). Stereotypes are created based on some idea of abstract familiarity. A stereotype can be deemed 'positive', or 'negative'. Concepts of stereotype are rarely invoked in instances of positive stereotypes. This paper will explore the stereotypes and rhetoric that are associated with four groups of people: politicians, tattooed persons, feminists, and senior citizens. When looking at the one stereotype politicians is the ad hominem fallacy. The ad hominem fallacy is “the confusion between the qualities of the person making a claim and the qualities in the claim itself” (Moore & Parker, pg 173). Politicians are thought of as self-serving, hypocritical and dishonest con-artist. During a political campaign we see on the news how one attacks their opponents.   The personal attack ad hominem fallacy is attacking another with negative comment.   During campaigning it is bad because of the personal attacks on each other in order to discredit the other person.   This is how they...

Words: 1583 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

The Golden Girls: Stereotypes Of The Elderly

...up on the couch, turn on the tv and begin to watch one of my favourite tv shows, "The Golden Girls."The show revolves around the lives of four elderly women living in Miami during the 1980s. As I am watching, I for the first time notice the four "elderly" women depicted in the show all defy the general concepts of ageing as well as ageing stereotypes. The female characters all are very healthy, fashionable, energetic, social, employed and have active love lives. This portrayal is a great contrast from the depiction of the grumpy, unhealthy, introverted and frail perceptions modern media and society associates with the elderly. This makes me wonder,...

Words: 1655 - Pages: 7