Disclaimer: If you can’t stand vulgarity, nudity or college-aged humor, “Dirty Grandpa” is not for you.
I sat behind a row of adults slightly older than my parents and watched them walk out early. Whether that was caused by my obnoxious laugh or the actual movie, I’m not sure. It was most likely a combination of both with an emphasis on the later.
This movie used the “dirty old man” tactic and crude humor. It likely will not be nominated for an Oscar, but this film will have you laughing until you can’t breathe and on occasion quoting from time to time.
If one reads other reviews, the majority are negative. This is most likely due to the age of the reviewer as well as what they expected from the film. Go into it with an open, but dirty mind. Think “Spring Breakers” but with an old man and a much lighter sense of humor.
As for the cast, they couldn’t have picked a more spot on group of actors for this film. Robert De Niro was the perfect perverted grandfather, who’s ready to get back out there with the ladies. Due to De Niro’s character’s line of work, he was not around often enough for his son, which left them with a shaky relationship.
De Niro’s character makes a point to have a better relationship with his grandson in order to make up for being a lousy father.
Zac Efron plays a young lawyer who followed in his dad’s footsteps, rather than following his passion in life. Efron is set to marry Julianne Hough’s character, a rather overbearing and stressed out bride to be.
Aubrey Plaza portrays a college student with a fetish for older men, while Jason Mantzoukas plays a drug dealer.
The majority of the film takes place in Florida during spring break. As you’d expect, there is a surplus of drugs, alcohol and parties. You can also expect to see Efron dancing around nearly naked with only his “man parts” being covered by a wasp puppet.
The humor in this film was original. At no point will you find yourself saying, “not this again” or “that’s been overused.” “Dirty Grandpa” was fresh, vulgar and worth the $11 movie ticket. A majority of the humor in this film was either sexual or at Efron’s expense. This kind of humor was perfect for college students and post-grads. A majority of the notably humorous parts of the movie were plot twists. The cast and crew did a great job of keeping the audience engaged in the current scene while setting it up for a hilarious and well-thought-out scene to follow. Do yourself a favor and don’t leave right after the movie ends.; there is a surprise one won’t want to miss during the ending credits.
This film was certainly meant for a specific target audience, roughly 18 through 30 years of age. The film seems like it was a lot of fun to be a part of and that’s probably why these huge actors chose to be in it. It was nice to watch a film that rivaled the humor of “American Pie” and got it right. If you are easily offended, this film is not for you. If you’re a twenty-something with some spare time and a dirty mind, you’ll love it. At the end of the day this is just another Hollywood film meant to be enjoyed, after all. Also, for $11, you get to see Zac Efron’s butt and that alone should make this movie a priority.