Critics Dump on 'Dirty Grandpa': 8 Worst Reviews, So Far

Lionsgate

“Dirty Grandpa” critics have a few more unflattering adjectives to describe Robert De Niro‘s latest comedy: “awful,” “progressively unwatchable,” “desperately unfunny” and “depressing.”

The new raunchy R-rated comedy co-starring Zac Efron currently has a dismal nine percent approval rating from critics counted on Rotten Tomatoes, with only two critics writing positive reviews at the time of this publishing.

And even the positive reviews aren’t all that positive. Julian Roman from Black Film wrote, “Imagine the most crass teen sex comedy redux with a more perverted old man. It’s a barrel of laughs, just the bottom of the barrel.”

Also Read: 'Dirty Grandpa' Review: Robert De Niro, Zac Efron Comedy More Interested in Gross-Outs Than Jokes

Matt Pais from Red Eye also pseudo-praised the film when he wrote, “Through it all, though, is a mix of laughs and guffaws and snorts that neither makes you proud of yourself nor makes you regret giving this fluff a shot.”

After that, things get ugly. Here are eight of the worst reviews available at the moment.

Inkoo Kang of TheWrap:

“Many of the gags land close enough to entertainment that I kept anticipating the next one to work. But by the time Aubrey Plaza‘s college-student character urges De Niro’s septuagenarian to ‘tsunami on [her] face’ — you know, from his penis — I lost all hope.”

Also Read: Zac Efron's 'Dirty Grandpa' Laughs Its Way to $660,000 at Thursday Box Office

Glenn Kenny of RogerEbert.com:

“The fact that the relentless barrage of this humor is occasionally punctuated with pointedly insincere homilies wherein ‘dirty’ grandpa De Niro tries to encourage sellout grandson Efron to Follow His Dreams just makes the whole thing that more depressing.”

Daniel M. Kimmel of New England Movies Weekly:

“The distributors of this cinematic crime is Lionsgate. Aware of just how awful the film is and yet wanting to fleece the public nonetheless, they demanded that film critics attending an advance screening agree to an embargo. That’s not unusual except for this: public showings begin Thursday night. The embargo for print reviews (although not online reviews) is Saturday, which just happens to be lowest circulation paper of the week.”

David Nusair of Reel Film Reviews:

“Robert De Niro‘s efforts to completely obliterate his once-sterling cinematic reputation continue with ‘Dirty Grandpa,’ as the progressively unwatchable movie forces the venerable actor into one cringe-worthy and desperately unfunny scenario after another.”

Also Read: Zac Efron Gives Ellen DeGeneres Lap Dance, Twerks in Round of Heads Up!

Peter Howell of The Toronto Star:

“It’s as if director Dan Mazer, who shared writing credits for Sacha Baron Cohen‘s ‘Borat’ and ‘Brüno,’ and screenwriter John Phillips (the upcoming ‘Bad Santa 2’) were playing a game of ‘bet you De Niro won’t do this!'”

Kate Taylor of Globe and Mail:

“It’s the direction, not the script, that really kills the picture, as Mazer limps along from the chugging contest to the half-naked conga line to the car chase without ever raising the laughs he needs from the comic set pieces or the tension he needs from the dramatic developments.”

Mike Ryan of Uproxx:

“Robert De Niro masturbating in a reclining chair is, along with all of ‘Dirty Grandpa,’ a punishment. It’s representing the punishment we all deserve for society’s masturbational ills. I just know that’s what director Dan Mazer is trying to tell us, because, otherwise, no filmmaker could be this cruel.”

Also Read: Can 'The Revenant' Beat Back 3 Newcomers to Finally Top Box Office?

Stephen Whitty of the Newark Star-Ledger:

“Instead of developing anything in any interesting way, the movie just keeps repeating the same gags – mostly De Niro saying something filthy or Efron getting arrested. Most of the people they meet – crooked cops, stupid jocks, a crazed drug dealer, gangstas – wouldn’t qualify for a ‘Saturday Night Live’ sketch.”

The Evolution of Zac Efron: From 'High School Musical' to 'Greatest Showman' Stud (Photos)

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Zachary David Alexander Efron was born on October 18, 1987 in San Luis Obispo, California, to humble beginnings: His father and mother both worked at the same power plant.
Efron caught the acting bug early, appearing in plays and taking singing lessons at age 11. Here he's sporting some sick frosted tips.
Here's a photo of a young Zac Efron channeling his inner Justin Guarini.
Efron's baby blues, boyish looks and acting-singing chops caught the attention of Hollywood casting agents.
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In his early teens, Efron started landing major guest TV roles on shows such as "ER" and "Firefly" then series regular role on The WB's "Summerland."
YouTube
Efron got his big break with the role of Troy Bolton, the popular basketball team captain on Disney Channel's "High School Musical." The role cemented his status as a bona fide teen idol and led to two hit sequels on the Disney Channel.
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Here's Zac with his "High School Musical" castmates during their Disney heyday. Whatever happened to Corbin Bleu, anyway?
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"HSM" paved the way for more song-and-dance roles, including 2007's remake of "Hairspray." But fearing the dreaded typecasting, Efron backed out of the lead role in a "Footloose" remake.
New Line Cinema
Efron's Rolling Stone cover sparked a frenzy in 2007, and signaled his arrival as a chiseled leading man.
Rolling Stone
Determined to shed his squeaky clean image in three "HSM" TV movies, Efron began taking more serious younger leading-man roles, including 2010's mystical romantic drama "Charlie St. Cloud."
In 2012's Nicholas Sparks adaptation "The Lucky One," he played a former soldier suffering from PTSD who woos a pre-"Orange Is the New Black" Taylor Schilling.
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In Lee Daniels' "The Paperboy," Efron had a memorable scene in which his character is stung by a jellyfish and Nicole Kidman pees on his face to relieve the sting.
In January 2014, Efron opened up about his battle with substance abuse in an interview with Savanna Guthrie of "Today" following a stint in rehab. "I'm in the best place I've ever been in. I've never been this happy before."
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Efron posted this picture of himself at Macchu Picchu in September 2013.
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A sketchy incident on March 27, 2014 raised eyebrows over Efron's sobriety. Efron got punched in the face during an altercation with a homeless man in downtown L.A.'s Skid Row.
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In Janary 2014, Efron starred in "bromantic" comedy "That Awkward Moment," a departure from his usual dramatic fare.
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At the MTV Movie Awards in April 2014, singer Rita Ora ambushed Efron (while he accepted the award for "Best Shirtless Performance," naturally) and ripped off Efron's shirt.
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In the 2014 hit raunchy comedy "Neighbors," Efron played the leader of a fraternity that goes to war with a married couple played by Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne.
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2015's "We Are Your Friends" debuted with one of the worst opening weekends of all time, but would eventually earn over $10 million worldwide on a $2 million budget.
Warner Bros.
In January 2016, Efron starred with screen legend Robert De Niro for the R-rated comedy "Dirty Grandpa," continuing his comedy kick.
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Efron reunited with Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne for "Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising" in May 2016.
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In 2016's "Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates," Efron and Adam Devine played rowdy brothers who get their comeuppance when the meet even rowdier pals (Anna Kendrick and Aubrey Plaza) who fake being prim to score a free trip to the guys' sister's wedding.
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Efron teamed up with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson for "Baywatch," a big-screen adaptation of the worldwide television hit that again puts the young star's buff body on full display.
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Efron went acrobatic in 2017's "The Greatest Showman," as a partner of P.T. Barnum who woos a trapeze artist (Zendaya).
Fox