Dirty Grandpa (2016)
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A corporate lawyer's life is upended when he is forced to drive his crude, veteran grandfather to Florida for spring break.
The story
Jason Kelly, a corporate lawyer in Atlanta, is tasked with driving his grandfather, a U.S. Army veteran named Richard "Dick" Kelly, to Boca Raton, Florida, because Dick's driver's license is suspended. Despite his apprehension and an upcoming wedding to his controlling fiancée, Meredith, Jason agrees to the trip. Along the way, they encounter Jason's old photography classmate, Shadia, and her friends. Dick, who is far from a typical grandfather, convinces Jason to join them at Daytona Beach, leading to a series of chaotic encounters involving beer chugging, flirting, and unexpected mishaps as the two navigate the wild atmosphere of spring break.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Jason Kelly, a corporate lawyer in Atlanta, drives his grandfather, Lt. Col. Richard "Dick" Kelly, to Boca Raton, Florida, because Dick's license is suspended. During the trip, they meet Jason's old classmate Shadia and her friends Lenore and Bradley. Dick, posing as a professor, convinces Jason to take them to Daytona Beach. After a night of beer chugging where Dick drugs Jason with Xanax, Jason accidentally smokes crack cocaine, steals a motorcycle, and ends up on the beach in a fanny pack. After being arrested and bailed out by Dick, Jason tries to leave him in a nursing home, but Dick reveals he is dying and wants to sleep with Lenore. They engage in a muscle flexing contest and a beer-firing stunt that hospitalizes some friends. After Dick reveals he was a Green Beret, they go to a nightclub where Dick fights men bullying Bradley. Jason bonds with Shadia, but a friend reveals his engagement status. Jason is arrested again for drugs planted by others. Dick reveals his true motive was to stop Jason's wedding. During the rehearsal, Dick hacks a computer to show embarrassing photos of Jason, leading Jason to call off the wedding. Jason and Shadia eventually kiss and Jason joins her on a bus, while Dick reconnects with his son David and marries Lenore, with Jason and Shadia as godparents.
- First release year
- 2016
- Runtime (minutes)
- 102
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Dan Mazer
- Writers
- John Phillips · writer
- Cast and characters
- Robert De Niro · Lt. Col. Richard "Dick" Kelly; Zac Efron · Jason Kelly; Aubrey Plaza · Lenore; Zoey Deutch · Shadia; Julianne Hough · Meredith Goldstein; Dermot Mulroney · David Kelly; Jason Mantzoukas · Pam; Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman · Bradley
- Genres
- comedy; road movie; sex comedy
- Themes
- dysfunctional family; generational gap; rebellion; aging
- Tone and mood
- gross-out; anarchic; sentimental; unfunny
- Premise and plot tags
- road movie; sex comedy; family drama
- Reception
- The film received negative reviews from critics, with several calling it one of the worst movies of all time, primarily due to its gross-out and shock humor. Audiences gave it a 'B' grade on CinemaScore.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 21 · scale: 100 · review count: 27
- Awards and nominations
- Golden Raspberry Awards · Worst Picture · 37th · nomination; Golden Raspberry Awards · Worst Actor · 37th · nomination; Golden Raspberry Awards · Worst Supporting Actress · 37th · nomination; Golden Raspberry Awards · Worst Screenplay · 37th · nomination
- Production trivia
- The script was featured in the 2011 edition of the Black List.; Jeff Bridges and Michael Douglas were considered for the starring role before Robert De Niro.; The first poster was a parody of the poster for Mike Nichols' 1967 film The Graduate.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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