What on earth does she see in either one of them?

I just thought she was being kind. Maybe wanted to do something nice for them. Change them and make them happy. I guessed she was with some young guy also. Somewhere else in town but they just didn't show it.

Edit: Although she did marry him at the end so...

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Just saw it again -- funny film -- but Ann-Margaret was 51 when she made this, and Walter Matthau was 73! Jack Lemmon was about 70.

Ann-Margaret was logically young enough to be their DAUGHTER! Daryl Hannah would more properly been the age to be their GRANDDAUGHTER.

What a conceit of Hollywood that MALE actors are considered to be about 20 years younger than their chronological ages! and nobody can imagine pairing them up with women THEIR OWN AGE.

I note at the final scene, in the church wedding, we see that the town has plenty of women who look to be 60-70 -- the right age to be dating Matthau or Lemmon -- but they are only "sparked" when beautiful, much-younger Ann-Margaret shows up!

Given the ages of the children (Hannah, and Kevin Pollack), Matthau and Lemmon did not marry and have kids until their 40s? Possible, but unlikely back in the 1950s.

the only possible reason I can think of is shortage of men. the number of women exceeds that of men steadily as you get older, since men tend to die younger. So if you are an older woman who wants a man, your choice gets more limited as you age, and more and more men drop off the perch.

Attraction can not be explained, it has to be felt.
Jack Lemon is attractive. And I am several decades younger than him, born in the late sixties.

Indeed. I haven't read the thread, and I don't really care about seeing the movie, but both Ann Margaret and later Sophia Loren look so vivacious, while the guys look exactly as the title implies. Maybe the movies are funny (one would hope) but the women look fantastic as older gals.