Dirty Grandpa

DIRTY GRANDPA (15)

D: Dan Mazer

Lionsgate/QED (Bill Block, Michael Simkin, Jason Barrett & Barry Josephson)

USA 🇺🇸 2016

102 mins

Comedy

W: John Phillips

DP: Eric Alan Edwards

Ed: Anne McCabe

Mus: Michael Andrews

Zac Efron (Jason Kelly), Robert DeNiro (Dick Kelly), Zoey Deutch (Shadia), Aubrey Plaza (Lenore), Dermot Mulroney (David Kelly), Julianne Hough (Meredith Goldstein)

Is this honestly what comedy has become in the 21st century, or will Robert DeNiro simply take on any old role now if it pays enough?

It's never a good start when you're introduced to a film's main character with him masturbating furiously while watching pornography and this scene sets the tone for Dirty Grandpa, full of puerile jokes which miss more than they hit.

In the days building up to his wedding, a young lawyer goes on a road trip with his grandfather, who convinces his grandson to take a detour to where the college kids are having spring break, so the old man can fuck a teenager. Classy.

It's an actual embarrassment that a fine actor like Robert DeNiro has to degrade his career with films like this, although without him the film could probably be even worse.

The seedy plot does make some attempt to redeem itself before the ending, but gives up on that and goes straight for the jugular of lowbrow humour. Wrong on too many levels.

3/10