Zac Efron goes across country on a journey of bonding with Robert De Niro, his “Dirty Grandpa”. The movie is directed by Dan Mazer, and surrounds Jason Kelly (Zac Efron), a light-hearted, no risk youth who is one week away from marrying his boss’s super controlling daughter Meredith (Julianne Hough), putting him on the fast track for a partnership at the law firm. However, when the straight-laced Jason is tricked into driving his foul-mouthed grandfather, Dick (Robert De Niro) to Daytona for spring break, his pending nuptials are suddenly placed in jeopardy. Between riotous frat parties, bar fights, and an epic night of karaoke, Dick is on a quest to live his life to the fullest and bring Jason along for the ride. Suddenly, two guys heading in different directions, casting many of their life’s biggest choices to the spotlight. Ultimately, on the wildest journey of their lives, Grandpa and his uptight grandson discover they can learn from one another and form the bond they never had.

“Dirty Grandpa” gets its kicks for comedy in a crude and vulgar fashion that never relents as the script goes on. As far as material goes, it is a little too raunchy for my kind of humor, but I can certainly see the appeal in it. The movie did manage a couple of laughs from me, and those were the times when the humor felt very honest. Something that the film struggles with is its inability to tell an intriguingly original story while directing laughs that feel like it’s Improv night at the local comedy club. The material in the film tries too hard, often searching for a punchline that falls flat because the setup is entirely too long. Because of this, the movie’s second act drags along the side of setups that you can see coming from a mile away, and that says a lot for a movie that barely reaches an hour and a half. The story also distances itself from reality by feeling like one of those films where reality doesn’t set in. Zac Efron’s character goes through a night of brutal binge drinking and drug taking, but wakes up the next morning with nothing more than cloudy eyes, with no sight of a hangover in the distance. Things just kind of happen, and these bits serve as a distraction from the real story that the trailer looked like it was originally interested in telling.

The movie leaves little room for shocks and surprises among a plot that is every bit as narrow as it is disgusting. I myself am not among the people who are offended easily in films, but “Dirty Grandpa” lived up to its name by hanging its fedora on racist and homophobic jokes that just don’t fit into the scheme here. De Niro himself makes fun of a gay character within the first half hour of the movie, but then turns it all around to become this justice system for beating up a man who made fun of the same character he did. The movie contradicts itself to the very rules writer John Phillips set for himself and his characters. This is John’s first screenplay, and lets just say he didn’t hit a home run, base hit, or hit by a pitch on his first at bat.

As for the performances, They offered little in the way of saving grace, but there are a couple of things to cherish here. Efron plays an enjoyable straight man playing opposite to De Niro’s vulgar schtick. Zac continues to display fine comedic talent while accepting roles that feel like anything other than a typecast. It’s been quite surprising to see the kid who played in “High School Musical” break free of that character and invest body and heart for every laugh he seeks. De Niro will manage to garner some laughs from people only familiar with his roles in films over the last twenty years. Lately, he has played nothing more than a stern tough guy with a soft heart inside, so his role as the disgusting old pervert will throw a 360 role on whatever perception you have him as. My problem with his performance is that it often at times feels too forced. His material feels like it was written by a juvenile teenager, and it just doesn’t mix well with De Niro’s image for personality. The luster of his unexpected turn last for about the opening twenty minutes of the film and that is mostly because of the undeniable chemistry between he and Efron. Their timing to work off of one another pushes this film and its seedy material further than it probably should, and that made a lot of parts in this movie for me a little more tolerable. Aubrey Plaza plays the young seductress who is thirsty for all that De Niro can give her, and her monotonous sells do garner some laughingly appalling reactions from the audience, but she (Like De Niro) is also kind of one-note for the movie. It gets old fast, and left me asking “What else ya got?”

Overall, “Dirty Grandpa” offers very little in the way of heartfelt undertones against a cloud of twisted behavior. The movie gave me some laughs, but ultimately failed in its attempt to convince me that any of these characters will be better off by film’s end. This comedy (like its title character) ages fast, and Mazar’s latest effort needs its dirty diaper changed for the smell of immature comedy.

3/10