DIRTY GRANDPA (2016) Review
Directed by Dan Mazer
Dirty Grandpa has a lot of problems and exposing Zac Efron’s body isn’t one of those. You could wish that it could be at least funny but it hardly is and though it tries, it only resorts to cliches once everything seems to be not moving. The film is all over the place, insensitive and most of all pointless. While it tries to be sentimental at times, it quickly shrugs of the idea of actually having something personal or meaningful to offer. Yes, Zac Efron has a well-toned body and a charm that got him admirers from different parts of the globe and yes, Robert De Niro is a good actor that doesn’t look that old to be rocking the wheelchair or a staff. The both has their pros in terms of bringing something to the cinema, and while there past works are evident to their fame and capabilities, it’s still up to the material if it’s a good or bad film. Unfortunately, Dirty Grandpa is anywhere near a good material.
While there are other films that goes the same way with Dirty Grandpa, they seem to know what they’re doing. That they treat their films as satire and make it work with ideas that will make the film funnier. Dirty Grandpa on the other hand tries to be like those films but fails miserably because the film doesn’t have a core story which it can go back whenever things go worse. Dirty Grandpa only throws in how an old widower gets to be outrageously out of control when it comes to his urges. It’s formulaic, actually. Efron plays the nerd or good boy that needs to loosen up while De Niro plays the too loosen guy that needs help. While the dynamics is obvious, how they treated the characters are too much. They are too cliched, too insensitive and most of the time doesn’t learn from what has happened in their journey.
It’s really sad that these two made something like Dirty Grandpa. It’s a torture watching something and not getting anything from it, unless you count Zac Efron’s almost naked body.
1 OUT OF 5 STARS
“Dirty Grandpa” is now showing in Philippine cinemas from Pioneer Films. Rated R-16 and R-18 by the MTRCB.