Exploring the 'Grumpy Old Man' Archetype

The ‘grumpy old man’ archetype is not necessarily gender exclusive, but is mostly about an old person that enjoys complaining about how things were better in his day, how kids show no respect these days. They may have unexpected wisdom. In certain instances, they may be cold and distant, but have a heart of gold, slowly warming up to the company of kids. They usually are fiercely protective towards their loved ones and would do anything for them.

One of the best ‘grumpy old men’ in my opinion is Carl Fredricksen from Up. He doesn’t have the stereotypical, aggressively masculine childhood, where he was taught to bottle up his feelings, in fact he had a very vibrant and colourful childhood/life. Enhanced by Ellie’s presence. Although that completely shatters with Ellie’s death. Leaving him with a pessimistic outlook on his life.

A scene that I really enjoy is this (link), where Carl learns to let go of Ellie, living his life to the fullest. It’s a subtle but impactful moment of release and grief in the movie. Showing how we can still grieve, but not letting it take over our lives.

Another character I want to take inspiration from is Jay Pritchett from Modern Family. He’s a tough and pragmatic character, often enjoying his alone time with his dog. He has very traditionally masculine views, such as how men shouldn’t cry and should “suck it up” instead, how men should be lack of feeling and rough.

In s7e8, called ‘Clean Out Your Junk Drawer’ (specifically this scene), Jay talks about his father. In the series, he constantly talks about and idolises his father, upholding his values as it was ingrained in him since childhood. In this episode, he is talking about his childhood experiences. How even when he was in pain, both physically and mentally, his father has pushed him to repress his emotions, to the point of a meltdown. This particular moment is much less subtle than Carl’s moment, but it is impactful, nonetheless.

Ron Swanson is also a key figure I took inspiration from. There is a scene where he explicitly explains when he has cried in his life and I thought it was so funny within the context, that something like the death of a mini horse can bring such a man to tears.

I realised by the end of the research that I wanted to focus on the character journey and development. To make my story more emotionally engaging, I need to visually/non-verbally showcase what caused them to have such strong feelings about the inability to be vulnerable and emotional and give a strong reason as to why they would want to be free of those ideologies.