Dirty Grandpa

I’ve got one for you; a young man about to be married is tricked by his recently bereaved grandpa to take him to Daytona Beach in search of debauchery. That’s it, there’s really nothing more to the story. Despite the predictable flaws in this endeavor, the mile-a-minute barbs and seeing Robert De Niro in a raunchy comedy element keeps this film afloat just enough to be slightly, if not embarrassingly enjoyable.

Frequent Sacha Baron Cohen collaborator, director Dan Mazer (“Borat”, “Bruno”, “Da Ali G Show”) is no stranger to pushing the envelope of acceptable cinematic comedy, and he doesn’t hold much back here with some of the dirtiest potty humor I’ve seen recently. It seems that everything out of everyone’s mouth contains at least one F-bomb, but after the shock and numbness wears off, and behind the gratuitous references to body fluids, sexual acts, and obvious sight gags (Mazer loves full-frontal male nudity), watching De Niro spout endless streams of insults becomes somewhat endearing.

Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing about this film that I would recommend for a night of family-friendly entertainment, but there are some redeeming qualities that are appreciable. Comedic delivery is strong considering the content. For instance, Aubrey Plaza’s character, Lenore has extremely unlikely chemistry with De Niro’s Dick Kelly. It works like magic as they share enough raunchy flirtation throughout the film that it would make Santa Claus blush (because his cheeks are already red, get it?).

The supporting cast is great. Jason Mantzoukas (“The League”) plays the Floridian drug dealing crazy tag-along who seems to show up everywhere. It’s ridiculous, but despite his typical flamboyant spouting, it adds a little more spice to an already nearly intolerable dish. One of my current favorite up-and-coming comedians, Adam Palley (“The Mindy Project”) is the lewd cousin Nick, played with great timing and delivery. Dermot Mulroney rounds out the notable supporting characters as the bridge between grandpa and grandson with one scene-stealing moment with some great makeup work on his face.

Zach Efron is the central character of the film, Jason. He is living an uptight life that seems scripted and boring as a corporate lawyer. He is betrothed to Meredith (Julianne Hough), a demanding woman channeling what has been dubbed the “frigid fiancée” in recent films. She is controlling, demanding, and high maintenance, and there is only a week until the wedding! You can see where this goes. Efron is a good actor with a very bright future. His selection of film is sometimes questionable, but he has the classic good looks, comic chops, and body (shown off shirtless often, pantsless sometimes) that will keep him in the business for a long time. His next two films will display his physique as well as he reprises his frat boy in “Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising” and the big screen adaptation of “Baywatch”. I know what you’re thinking, perhaps a waste of talent. I agree, but he’s got a great body and he’s showing it off. Hollywood has had a gender bias for long enough in its treatment of young women. Zach in many ways is supporting feminism through his role selection, but I will say this; he will take on some serious roles as he breaches his 30’s, and he will gain critical acclaim on top of his financial gains before his career is over. The kid can act, and he’s having fun right now.

Robert De Niro steals the show in a role that nobody else could have pulled off with the same combination of shock and awe. He’s relaxed in his old age, and after coasting through this year’s “The Intern”, he seems to be having fun, and may have opened up a new niche for himself.

“Dirty Grandpa” is not a good film. It has a lame plot, shallow characters, and is offensive. That said, I l ashamedly laughed out loud a few times and have to respect some of the lowbrow humor. There is some entertainment to be found, but don’t see this with your grandfather. 5/10.