Movies and books about grumpy, cranky, broken men who don’t talk much.

March 25, 2018 1:59 PM

But they have a heart of gold. Movie examples include Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. Jeremy Renner in Wind River. Ethan Hawke in Maudie. Clint Eastwood in Gran Torino. On Netflix, the sheriff in Longmire. Books like A Man Called Ove. Extra points if currently found on Showtime or Netflix. Thanks.
posted by HeyAllie to Media & Arts (36 answers total)

Hunt for the Wilderpeople
posted by btfreek at 2:07 PM on March 25, 2018 [18 favorites]

Best answer: The Epicure's Lament by Kate Christensen!
posted by fingersandtoes at 2:17 PM on March 25, 2018 [1 favorite]

The Station Agent
posted by pipeski at 2:19 PM on March 25, 2018 [8 favorites]

The Old Man and the Sea
posted by DaddyNewt at 2:21 PM on March 25, 2018 [1 favorite]

The Knight in Sour Armour trope provides many examples of these.
posted by plep at 2:22 PM on March 25, 2018

Best answer: The Straight Story
posted by hydrophonic at 2:24 PM on March 25, 2018 [8 favorites]

Isn't this part of Jack Nicholson's oveure? As Good As It Gets and About Schmidt immediately jump to mind.
posted by Major Matt Mason Dixon at 2:26 PM on March 25, 2018 [1 favorite]

Mike in Better Call Saul (he has less of a heart of gold in Breaking Bad)
posted by Chenko at 2:35 PM on March 25, 2018

Definitely Million Dollar Baby. I guess Clint Eastwood really likes this type.
posted by honey wheat at 2:36 PM on March 25, 2018

Best answer: I feel like for books, mostly anything by Kent Haruf would fit the bill.
posted by leesh at 3:16 PM on March 25, 2018 [1 favorite]

I just watched "Taking Chance," (produced by HBO and available on Prime) in which Kevin Bacon plays real-life Marine Lt. Col. Michael Strobl who, in 2004, was watching the Iraq War from a desk, and spotted on the lists a KIA Marine who was apparently from his hometown, PFC Chance Phelps. So he volunteered to escort PFC Phelps to his final rest, and found himself on an interesting personal journey. It's based on the true account written in the Chicago Times by LTC Strobl.
posted by Sunburnt at 3:33 PM on March 25, 2018 [1 favorite]

The Guard. Can't find a more lovable grump than Brendan Gleeson.
posted by Idle Curiosity at 3:34 PM on March 25, 2018 [3 favorites]

Tommy Lee Jones has a few of these. The first that comes to mind is Deputy Marshal Sam Girard in The Fugitive. The sequel, US Marshals, was talkier as Girard carried a lot more of the movie, but he's still a cop interested in truth and justice.
posted by Sunburnt at 3:40 PM on March 25, 2018

TV Tropes: Jerk with a Heart of Gold or Grumpy Old Man to start.
posted by glibhamdreck at 3:43 PM on March 25, 2018 [1 favorite]

Kurt Russell in the movie of "Stargate," though he comes out of his shell by the end of the movie, just after he saves the planet.
posted by Sunburnt at 3:44 PM on March 25, 2018

Clint Eastwood, Unforgiven
posted by Sebmojo at 3:54 PM on March 25, 2018 [1 favorite]

Have you seen Mad Max: Fury Road?
posted by glibhamdreck at 4:02 PM on March 25, 2018 [4 favorites]

A Man Called Ove was turned into a movie that we enjoyed a lot. It's on Netflix (DVD, not streaming).
posted by Short Attention Sp at 4:12 PM on March 25, 2018 [2 favorites]

Mr Darcy in Pride and Prejudice and all the various adaptations and variations like Colin Firth in Bridget Jones' Diary (and, well, Colin Firth in the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice)
posted by mrmurbles at 4:15 PM on March 25, 2018

Lots of private eye movies are like this including The Long Goodbye and Devil in a Blue Dress.
posted by Buddy_Boy at 4:24 PM on March 25, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Get Low starring Robert Duvall.
posted by Grandysaur at 5:05 PM on March 25, 2018

Lucky with Harry Dean Stanton
posted by pxe2000 at 5:54 PM on March 25, 2018

Richard Russo, Nobody's Fool. It was a movie, too
posted by Sybil Stockwell Oop at 6:04 PM on March 25, 2018

Don't know if this is what you're looking for, but Up! Holy shit, that movie makes me bawl like a baby.
posted by AppleTurnover at 6:25 PM on March 25, 2018 [6 favorites]

Jack Reacher novels by Lee Child. Please pretend the Tom Cruise movie doesn’t exist; it is anathema both to the character and the generally well-thought-out nature of the books.
posted by SaltySalticid at 6:34 PM on March 25, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Maybe not a heart of gold in either case, but Christian Bale and Wes Studi in Hostiles. This is definitely a Western trope, so there are lots of examples in that genre. Also, Viggo Mortensen in The Road. Also, maybe Denzil Washington's character in Man on Fire?
posted by cnc at 7:09 PM on March 25, 2018

Rick from Casablanca is the ur-grump.
posted by jesourie at 7:34 PM on March 25, 2018 [3 favorites]

Including this in the list is something of spoiler I guess but: Slow West
Also:
True Grit
St Vincent
LA Confidential
posted by Coaticass at 12:23 AM on March 26, 2018

Silas Marner would be a classic novel about this type of character. Presumably this has been filmed once or twice, I haven't seen any (yet!)
posted by Coaticass at 12:35 AM on March 26, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Any of the Discworld novels with Sam Vimes .

At the beginning you think he's just a bitter old man, but in reality he's such an idealist that he's just struggling to mask the pain. His observations on society and inequality will break your heart. He's pretty funny and sarcastic as well.
posted by Tarumba at 6:07 AM on March 26, 2018 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Lots of great suggestions here. I've already read or seen many of the suggestions listed, so if I didn't favorite it, it's because I already had heard about it.
posted by HeyAllie at 9:04 AM on March 26, 2018

movie: Paul Newman/Hombre.
posted by mule98J at 11:03 AM on March 26, 2018

Gibbs on NCIS.

Cormoran Blue Strike in the Robert Galbraith (nom de plume of JK Rowling) novels and the "Strike" television show.
posted by Mo Nickels at 11:22 AM on March 26, 2018

Lots of Paul Newman movies, actually. Kind of ironic for such an articulate man.

Nobody's Fool
Twilight
Mr. & Mrs. Bridge
posted by SemiSalt at 12:06 PM on March 26, 2018

Henry Fonda in On Golden Pond.
Paul Dooley as the Dad in Breaking Away (the scene where Dave says “Everybody cheats. I just didn’t know” and then sobs “daddy” in his dad’s arms just SLAYS me every time.)
The scary old man neighbour in Home Alone.
Ebenezer Scrooge.
posted by chococat at 10:04 PM on March 26, 2018

Grayson Thane in Born in Ice by Nora Roberts.
posted by paduasoy at 7:56 PM on March 31, 2018