The War with Grandpa is my latest review. It features movie icons Robert De Niro and Christopher Walken. Now is it a pseudo sequel to The Deer Hunter? Uh no. Is it stupid funny? Nope. Is it just stupid? Totally.
Starring a cast of Oscar winners, Oscar nominees, and Emmy winners (De Niro, Walken, Uma Thurman, and Jane Seymour), "Grandpa" is a blind miscalculation as a comedy. It's obvious that everyone had fun making it whereas we as the audience didn't have a lot of fun watching it. Yup, De Niro's stirring turn in 2019's The Irishman seems like a lifetime away from this monstrosity.
The War with Grandpa is directed by SpongeBob monger and Minnesota native Tim Hill. Feeling the need to create slapstick gags out of nowhere and just for the heck of it, Hill molds a puerile film that probably should've never been made ("Grandpa" was released three years after it was shot).
Questions regarding certain scenes in "Grandpa": Why can't De Niro's character keep his pants on (he flashes his son-in-law twice)? Why can't De Niro's character just stay in the attic and fix it up (is it that hard to go downstairs and use the bathroom?)? Finally, why is De Niro's character's snotty grandson such a little punk? I mean if it wasn't for your granddaddy you wouldn't exist dude.
The War with Grandpa has zero buildup and the barest bones of a plot (De Niro's character probably didn't need to move into his daughter's house in the first place). It's about an a 77-year-old man who inhabits his grandson's room with said grandson wanting it back because he thinks it's rightfully his. Chaos and pranks ensue with everyone involved acting mean-spirited, dumbfounded, aloof, and superficial. "Grandpa" is a "war" that's only won if people avoid viewing it.
Written by Jesse Burleson
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