The Little Old Lady Who Broke All the Rules

The group plans the logistics for the painting exchange. They decide to put the money in a stroller, and they debate which brand of disposable diapers will best conceal the banknotes. Christina wants to use a stroller belonging to her daughter, Emma, but the others overrule her, deciding instead to purchase a new, untraceable double stroller called the “Akta Gracilia.” When Martha jokes about not being able to produce a real baby, Christina storms out in tears. Rake consoles her with Belgian chocolates. The items are delivered to Diamond House, and Martha signs for them using the alias “Maya Strand.” The friends celebrate with champagne as they pack the ransom money into the diapers. Anna-Greta is overjoyed when Gunnar arrives for a visit, and they have sex in her room.

Martha and Christina execute the painting exchange near the Grand Hotel. Christina’s infant grandchild, Malin, occupies one side of the double stroller, while the other contains a doll and the diapers stuffed with money. They leave the stroller locked to a railing as instructed and wait for two hours at the hotel’s Veranda, drinking raspberry-flavored vodka. Upon returning, they find the money removed and two wrapped paintings left in its place under the blankets. As they head for the National Museum, a strong gust of wind nearly blows the stroller into the water, but a passing skipper rescues it, damaging it in the process. The skipper then carries the stroller up the museum steps, causing more damage, and it collapses completely inside the museum elevator. Martha leaves the stroller containing the paintings in the elevator, takes Malin, and departs with Christina. From a taxi, Martha anonymously calls the museum to report that the Monet and Renoir paintings are in a stroller in the elevator. Later, back at Diamond House, Christina points out the irony that giving back stolen property isn’t a crime, meaning they could have simply walked in with the paintings.

Chief Inspector Petterson and Inspector Strömbeck arrive at the National Museum, where the director shows them the collapsed stroller in the elevator. Inside, Petterson finds a dirty diaper and two paintings. When he unwraps them, he sees cheap, kitsch art of a crying girl and a skipper with a pipe. Strömbeck proposes that they issue a false press release claiming that the real paintings have been recovered. He hopes that this will trick the actual thieves into revealing themselves. The director agrees and arranges for the kitsch paintings and the broken stroller to be stored in the museum’s warehouse as evidence.

In prison, Liza learns of the paintings’ return and is furious that her plan to blackmail Martha has failed. The narrative then reveals the truth of the exchange: Petra decided to get rid of the paintings after a mysterious visit from Liza, who claimed to be her cousin, and after nearly damaging the paintings with spilled bilberry juice. She wrote the ransom note, collected the 100,000 kronor, and covered the masterpieces with kitsch art before leaving them in the stroller. 

Meanwhile, Petterson and Strömbeck re-examine the evidence in the museum warehouse. Petterson cuts into one of the canvases and discovers the real Monet painting hidden underneath. They quickly uncover the Renoir as well. However, their triumph is cut short when the museum director reminds Petterson that the 10 million kronor in ransom money is still missing.

Brains reads a newspaper report about a recent security van robbery. He recognizes the method of anesthetizing the guards as an idea he once suggested to Juro at Asptuna prison. Brains believes that Juro committed the robbery and has stashed 20 million kronor in mailbags somewhere in Djursholm. The League decides that their next “ultimate crime” will be to steal this already-stolen money. They agree to use the money hidden under Martha’s mattress to purchase a van for the heist. Their planning is interrupted when Nurse Barbara bursts in during their celebratory singing and announces that Katia has been moved and that she is now in full charge of Diamond House.

With Nurse Barbara in charge, the residents of Diamond House grow more rebellious as their quality of life declines. For example, they break the coffee pot when Barbara tries to limit them to two cups of coffee per day. The League of Pensioners begins to take a sudden interest in painting.

Inspectors Lönnberg and Strömbeck are conducting undercover surveillance on the League of Pensioners, whom they suspect are “goalkeepers” for a larger criminal organization. Meanwhile, Christina’s son, Anders, has been recruited as the group’s new driver and accomplice. The five pensioners, along with Anders, set off for their heist in Djursholm in a green van they have nicknamed the “Green Menace.” The two inspectors conduct ongoing surveillance and follow the van, convinced that something suspicious is about to happen.

The League arrives at a large house in Djursholm, with the police covertly watching them. While Brains picks the cellar lock, Inspector Strömbeck sneaks onto the property for a closer look. Anders and the others begin moving what they believe are mailbags filled with the stolen money. Strömbeck emerges from hiding to confront them but trips on the lawn, allowing the group to escape back to the van with only one of the bags. Once they’re safely away, Anders reveals that the bags are sacks of potatoes. The heist is a failure, and the group concludes that Juro’s robbery must have also failed. As they drive off, they notice that a new vehicle, a gray Mercedes, is now following them.

Nurse Barbara throws a lavish anniversary party paid for by a “donation” from Dolores. Director Mattson announces during the party that he and Barbara are engaged. The couple has acquired two more retirement homes. When Dolores begins handing out 500-krona notes from her shopping trolley, the League panics, realizing that the police could easily trace the serial numbers on the bills back to the ransom money from the ferry. They conclude that they must immediately carry out their heist and flee the country.

During the party, Martha observes both the gray Mercedes and the police’s dark blue Volvo parked near Diamond House at different times. Brains suspects that the gray Mercedes belongs to Juro’s gang, who may be watching him. The group decides to commit a major robbery of their own. They conduct reconnaissance of ATMs around the suburbs, still unaware that the police are tailing them, and finalize the details of their new heist.

The League puts its new plan into motion: They’ll rob a Loomis security van. Anders drives a rental car towing a trailer while Martha drives the Green Menace. Martha disables the pursuing police car by dropping a carton of galvanized nails onto the road. At an ATM in Täby, the group intercepts the Loomis van. Christina and Anna-Greta use ether-soaked flowers to incapacitate the two guards. Brains disables the van’s alarm system, and Rake compromises the lock on the back doors with a resin containing metal shavings. They steal all nine security cases containing nearly 19 million kronor and place them into two large freezers filled with carbon dioxide snow on Anders’s trailer, which is disguised with decorations for a bachelorette party. They make a clean getaway, but Martha soon notices that the gray Mercedes is once again tailing them.

After fixing their flat tire, the police resume their pursuit of the pensioners. Brains confirms his suspicion that the gray Mercedes belongs to Juro’s gang. Faced with two sets of pursuers, Martha executes a diversion by driving to Danderyd Church. She instructs the others to go inside with their walkers to appear innocent and harmless. The police arrive and begin to search the empty Green Menace. However, their search is cut short when they spot the Mercedes and identify the driver as Juro. Lönnberg and Strömbeck abandon the pensioners to chase Juro’s gang, allowing the League to escape from both the police and the mafia.

The League meets Anders at a pre-arranged barn. Anders breaks open the security cases, which were frozen to disable the GPS trackers and dye packs. The group then hides the money by gluing the banknotes in layers onto several canvases, covering them with their own abstract paintings, and placing them in frames. They travel to Arlanda Airport, where they pass through security by claiming that the paintings are for an art exhibition in Barbados. 

On the plane, Martha writes two letters. The first, addressed to the Swedish government, demands better conditions in retirement homes, to be funded by their new “Friends of the Elderly” association (391). The second letter informs the police that the remaining museum ransom money is hidden in a drainpipe at the Grand Hotel and is being donated to the Police Pension Fund. The group toasts to their success and their new life abroad.

Inspector Strömbeck sits in his office, frustrated that he and Inspector Lönnberg lost both Juro’s gang and the pensioners. He reads the League’s message about the money hidden in a drainpipe at the Grand Hotel but believes that it’s a taunt. He swears, crumples up the letter, and throws it into the trash can.