So, the other day, I got this random thought stuck in my head. I was thinking about old movies, and “Grumpy Old Men” popped up. You know, with Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau. Great flick. Anyway, I started wondering, where on earth did they actually film that? It looks so genuinely cold and Minnesotan, but you never know with movies, right? Sometimes they fake it all.
My Little Search Mission
I figured, hey, I’ve got a computer, I’ve got internet. Let’s do some digging. So, I just opened up my browser and punched in something simple like “where was grumpy old men filmed” or “grumpy old men movie locations.” Pretty basic stuff, nothing fancy.
A whole bunch of links came up, as you’d expect. Some were just movie database pages, others were fan discussions. I started clicking around, trying to find some solid info. You know how it is, sometimes you gotta wade through a bit of junk to get to the good stuff.
What I started noticing was a few place names popping up over and over again. That’s usually a good sign, means there’s some truth to it.
The Big Reveal: Minnesota, Of Course!
And guess what? My hunch was right! They filmed it right in the heart of what you’d expect for that kind of movie. Minnesota! I know, shocking, right? A movie that feels like it’s set in a cold, snowy Minnesota town was actually filmed in Minnesota. Sometimes Hollywood gets it right.
More specifically, a lot of the filming happened in a few key spots. I kept seeing these names:
- Wabasha, Minnesota: This seemed to be a big one. A lot of the town scenes, the general feel of the place, that was Wabasha. I could almost picture those guys stomping around the streets there.
- Lake Rebecca, near Rockford, Minnesota: This is apparently where they did a lot of the ice fishing scenes. Makes sense, you need a good frozen lake for all that grumpy bickering on the ice.
- St. Paul, Minnesota: Some other scenes were shot in and around St. Paul too. So it wasn’t just one tiny town, but more of a regional effort.
- I also saw mentions of places like Red Wing and Faribault for some shots.
It was pretty cool to see the actual towns. It wasn’t just some generic backlot. They went to the real deal. They even apparently used some local folks as extras, which I always think is a nice touch. It adds to that authentic feel, you know?
So, yeah, that was my little journey into the filming locations of “Grumpy Old Men.” It wasn’t exactly rocket science to find out, but it was satisfying to confirm that the movie’s setting felt so real because, well, it pretty much was. Makes me appreciate the film just a little bit more, knowing they were out there in the actual Minnesota cold, bringing those characters to life. Now I kinda want to rewatch it and try to spot these places, even though I’ve never actually been to Wabasha!
