In general I will finish watching every movie I press play on. That sometimes mean I will have a heard time to keep watching, but also that for some movies I will watch them at slightly higher speeds. Lately I’ve been questioning myself why I force myself to finish each movie I start. I think it is because I’m able to give my opinion about a film (because a movie might become better later on), but is that the real reason? Or does it simply give my some kind of satisfaction to be able to say I’ve finished it and add it to the number of movies I watched as some sort of reward? Isn’t it better to spend my time on a good movie which I actually enjoy? Sometimes it can be fun writing a review of a horrible film, because it allows you to air your frustration. Still, Dirty Grandpa almost managed to get me to stop it before it ended.
Robert de Niro hasn’t played any impressive roles for a while and with an actor of his stature that sometimes is painful to see. Of course that is because as a movie lover I expect a specific performance of him in good movies. To him though it is his job and why should he care what type of role he is playing when it means he is getting paid (a lot)? Still the tension between my expectations and what he has been doing has gotten to a point where I’ve grown frustrated and disappointed by him. And this was the film which took it too far.
Considering its title Dirty Grandpa doesn’t need much explanation. De Niro is Dick Kelly, whose wife has just passed away. He asks his grandson Jason (Zac Effron) to drive him to Florida. Jason isn’t really looking forward to doing so as he’s about to be married, but does end up helping. It quickly becomes clear that his grandfather only has one goal: to get laid as soon as possible. The two end up in various situations which are supposed to be funny.
The point at which I wanted to turn this movie off came pretty quick. Because the image of a naked 74-year Robert de Niro pleasuring himself was revolting and didn’t manage to make me laugh. It actually is an all time low in his career and really hurts his status. I did decide to keep watching the rest, but should have known better. It stays at that low-level and everything in the film revolves about sex, with Efron doing nothing but acting very shocked to what he witnesses. There probably is an audience for this type of film, but I’m not it. Maybe I should start not finishing movies when I have the feeling they are bad.
Oy vey to this movie. Both these actors are better than this; I’m not sure why either signed on. Props to you for sitting through it!