Dirty Grandpa (2016)

Genre

Comedy

Director

Dan Mazer

Country

USA

Cast

Robert De Niro, Zac Efron, Zoey Deutch, Aubrey Plaza, Dermot Mulroney, Julianne Hough, Jason Mantzoukas, Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman, Adam Pally, Michael Hudson, Danny Glover, Mo Collins, Henry Zebrowski

Storyline

After his grandmother passed away and right before his wedding, Jason (Zac Efron) is tricked into driving his grandfather (Robert De Niro) to Florida for spring break.

Opinion

I'm starting to think that 2016 is the year of disappointments, comedy speaking. It's not like I was expecting anything great from this, but at least I thought it would have been funny. But no. Instead "Dirty Grandpa" is just another unfunny comedy as well as a waste of time and money.

What I was expecting was the typical American comedy that uses gross, sexual, childish and quite stupid humour, and drugs and alcohol related gags to make people laugh. Something like "The Hangover" basically. Maybe it's the casting, maybe it's the direction, the thing is I haven't laughed a single time during the film, except one moment in the middle of the closing credits. Instead, it ends up just being offensive. Making fun of Jews with a swastika made of penises? Seriously?

However, the major reason this film doesn't work probably is the plot. Paper thin and not engaging at all, it is obvious from the very beginning where the story is going. There is really nothing that gives you a reason to keep watching the film. And it's quite a shame because, even though, the storyline sounds pretty dumb, something good could have come out of it.

Is there anything good? Of course there is. If you are a straight guy, you'll probably love - maybe too much - Aubrey Plaza's nymphomaniac character. If you are a woman or a gay man, you will definitely enjoy those scenes with an almost naked Zac Efron. Eye-candy at its best. And the music isn't bad. But that's it.

To top the awful script there is the cast, the leading duo actually, Robert De Niro and Zac Efron, both casted only to appeal a large audience. I'm wondering what on earth was De Niro thinking when he agreed to do this thing. I admit that his films haven't been great lately, but this one tops them all. And this is probably Efron's worst film as well. He pretty much has the same expression throughout the whole film, the same expression only someone feeling completely uncomfortable would have.