DIRTY GRANDPA

The aptly named Dick (Robert De Niro) takes his grandson Jason (Zac Efron) away from his control-freak fiancé (Zoey Deutch) for the weekend, aiming to get laid in the land of Spring Break.

True to formula, amid crass humour and the odd attempt at poignancy, Dick will probably be a hit with the kids and Jason will probably find true love. Apart from the strangely hypnotic banter Dick shares with college girl Lenore (Aubrey Plaza), there is little of interest in this road movie meets Rodney Dangerfield’s Back To School.

De Niro has shown a talent for self-parody in recent years; The Intern showed he could do it with a touch of class. What this movie shows is more than most of us would like to see. Just how bad is Dirty Grandpa? At the screening I attended, some guy had his phone out most of the time and I didn’t even care. (CCov)

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BY CRAIG COVENTRY