Movie Review: Dirty Grandpa Re-Instates De Niro’s Comedic Side

When you think of Robert De Niro, what comes to mind?

Is it his two Oscar wins? What about his two Golden Globes that sit on his shelf at home?

Maybe your first thought is his famed role in Meet the Fockers where he plays the most terrifying, father-in-law to Ben Stiller’s character Greg Focker. It’s one of the first roles that come to mind when you think of De Niro.

In walks, Dirty Grandpa, set to open this Friday. 

There’s no surprise he made the perfect grandparent to Zac Efron, the High School beauty that continues to pursue his acting career despite a few mishaps along the way (“We Are Your Friends” counted as one of the worst-openings to ever exist).

The beginning of the movie starts with the death of Brooke Kelly (played by Catherine Dyer), the grandma to Jason (Efron) and wife to Dick (De Niro). Upon the first scene, the audience can tell Jason is a pretentious lawyer with a psycho, crazy fiance (Julianne Hough) who controls his every move.

Jason’s outfit particularly gain a laugh or two as he sports the preppiest of Vineyard Vines and Brooks Brothers.

As the movie goes on, Dick believes the best way to cope with his wife’s passing is to have sex with as many women as possible; he claims it was her dying wish for him to move on.

Dick enlists Jason to drive him from the funeral to his home, but after a pit stop at a diner and encounter with two beautiful girls (one who Jason had a photography class with back in the day) and a gay partner in crime, grandma and grandson follow them to Daytona Beach, Florida and enjoy all the festivities every college student hopes to relish in: Spring Break.

Drama, continues on with frat parties, drugs, fights, karaoke (no surprise that Efron sings a bunch), etc. Dick hopes that his grandson will live life to its fullest and that he’ll understand happiness can’t be bought.

The movie ends with a sex scene (Aubrey Plaza is officially a babe) and Jason pursues his old college flame.

I left with a smile, which is more than I can say for the recent array of comedies that flooded the theater (I didn’t LOVE Trainwreck, but it seems that everyone can’t stop raving about HOW funny it is). De Niro earns props for his acting skills; no one can compete with how funny he is at that age.

Efron needs to rid himself of his drug habits completely, we can see it all over his face.