10 Movie Sequels That Got A Raw Deal

One of the biggest criticisms of any sequel, particularly a studio-imposed film with a new, fairly hatchetman-like director, is that it's just more of the same; Hollywood just regurgitating plots and characters ad nausea. This was especially true of the 90s, and became almost so toxic that we haven't had a truly atrocious example since The Hangover Part II.

There's no question that Grumpier Old Men is guilty of every single sin a sequel could commit. The plot, revolving around two elderly rivals cum friends vying for love, isn't any different from the first film, a superior work. The film's script even hits the same emotional beats of the first film, with its leads' two children (Kevin Pollak and Daryl Hannah) fighting to have a relationship.

All of this would prove toxic if said leads weren't Jack Lemmon and Walter Mathauu, one of the funniest, most entertaining comic pairings in cinema. Prior to the Men films, the two hadn't appeared together since 1981's Buddy Buddy, a bizarro comedy that relies on their chemistry and the unhinged, turn-and-he'll-knife-you Klaus Kinski. It wasn't exactly a satisfying conclusion.

What's more, the supporting cast includes a raunchy Burgess Meredith improvising some of the filthiest PG-13 old man talk imaginable. There's a reason both films end with outtakes of the cast cracking each other up, they instinctively understood we weren't satisfied yet.