Dirty Grandpa

Robert De Niro plays a recently bereaved widower who cajoles his uptight lawyer grandson, Jason (Zac Efron), into driving him from Atlanta to Boca Raton. It's the week before Jason is scheduled to marry obsessively-controlling Meredith (Julianne Hough), but he reluctantly agrees. As soon as they hit the road, Grandpa confesses that he's been celibate for 15 years and is determined to rectify that. Before long, they meet up with three college students. Shadia (Zoey Deutch) knew Jason from photography class and Lenore (Aubrey Plaza) has a yen for older men, meaning Grandpa's “in like Flynn,” as they used to say, referring to Errol Flynn's legendary prowess with women. Bradley (Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman), their gay African-American friend, becomes the target of Grandpa's racist, homophobic insults. After a brief visit with Grandpa's old Army buddy (Danny Glover), they arrive in Daytona Beach, where Jason inadvertently smokes crack and collapses on the beach—naked except for a plush toy on his genitals and penises shaped like a Nazi swastika inked on his forehead. Dermot Mulrony costars as Jason's father, Adam Pally plays his idiotic cousin, and Jason Mantzoukas is a zany drug dealer, working alongside a couple of complicit, corrupt Florida cops (Henry Zebrowski, Mo Collins). Screenwriter John M. Phillips, who writes skits for Sacha Baron Cohen, serves up relentlessly filthy vulgarity that is sketch-style directed by Dan Mazer. A definite low point in Oscar-winner De Niro's career, this is not recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by director Dan Mazer, writer John Phillips, and producer Michael Simkin, “The Filthy Truth” making-of featurette (10 min.), a “Daytona Heat” behind-the-scenes segment (4 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are the production featurettes “I Got Nothin’ to Hide: A Look at Daytona’s Most Vibrant Drug Dealer” (6 min.) and “Lessons in Seduction” (3 min.), a gag reel (2 min.), and bonus DVD, digital, and UltraViolet copies of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a bottom-of-the-barrel comedy.] (S. Granger)