The War with Grandpa Parent Guide

Ed (Robert De Niro) has been independent his whole life and sees no reason to give that up. His daughter Sally (Uma Thurman) has other ideas, and Ed’s increasing inability to fend for himself only increases Sally’s determination to have Ed move in with her family. The only problem with that plan (other than Ed’s stubbornness) is that Sally’s home doesn’t have a guest room. For Ed to have a room, 12-year-old Peter (Oakes Fegley) is going to have to move into the attic. For any kid his age, this would not be a welcome change. Although Peter loves his grandpa, this is a bridge too far. This means war. But as the prank war escalates, both Peter and Ed begin to wonder if it’s time to call a truce…

I have a lot of questions for Robert De Niro about his career choices of late. I understand that actors don’t want to get pigeonholed into a specific role, and De Niro has certainly played enough grizzled gangsters for a lifetime – but why switch to playing crotchety old men in bland comedies? Surely the man could get his pick of roles? Why is he slumming it in the boring family comedy genre? Did he forget his reading glasses when this script passed his desk?

And this is perhaps the most stereotypical boring family comedy you could imagine. You’ve got relationship drama, the hormonal teenage sister, the intensely aggravating younger sibling, the over-the-top slapstick, the grossly underused cast… If you read a vague plot outline, you could probably confuse this for Daddy’s Home 2. This film’s biggest advantage is that it’s almost completely innocuous. You could comfortably watch this with just about anyone, if you don’t mind being lulled into a state of near-comatose boredom by the raw predictability of the plot.

I’m sure your 6 to 12-year-old will get a kick out of the slapstick goofiness of the film, and it does have some positive messages about family and the consequences of our actions. If you don’t mind taking a 90 minute nap, this might be a good choice. Or you can just sit there, as I did, and wonder why on earth Christopher Walken and Uma Thurman are here. This is the definition of a safe bet. You’re not going to be scandalized or horrified – you’re also probably not going to be terribly entertained. Just count your blessings: it gets a lot worse than this. At least this franchise doesn’t have Mel Gibson lurking around.