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This one was a pleasant surprise. I was expecting an uber-crappy, third-grade, potty-humor-laden juvenile "comedy" with zero good laughs and mostly embarrassing performances. What I got was almost the polar opposite of that. This movie, while pretty much being a cookie-cutter family comedy, still managed to pull off some pretty good laughs and an unexpected twist or two.
This movie has the expected story arc -- the kid hates Grandpa at the beginning and they come to terms at the end -- but what saves this movie are the writing and the kids' acting. You don't wind up hating most of the kids in the movie, as is the case with almost every other kid-centric movie. The ending scene is a little over the top -- par for the course in a movie like this -- but the 80 minutes up to that are quite enjoyable. DeNiro, who has been a foul mouthed palooka in real life lately, gives a charming performance and the two girls, who play the older and younger sisters to the war-mongering kid, both take turns stealing the show.
Don't come in expecting anything profound, to be sure, but it is a good way to take the kids out of the quarantine for a while.
3.5 stars out of 5.
This movie has the expected story arc -- the kid hates Grandpa at the beginning and they come to terms at the end -- but what saves this movie are the writing and the kids' acting. You don't wind up hating most of the kids in the movie, as is the case with almost every other kid-centric movie. The ending scene is a little over the top -- par for the course in a movie like this -- but the 80 minutes up to that are quite enjoyable. DeNiro, who has been a foul mouthed palooka in real life lately, gives a charming performance and the two girls, who play the older and younger sisters to the war-mongering kid, both take turns stealing the show.
Don't come in expecting anything profound, to be sure, but it is a good way to take the kids out of the quarantine for a while.
3.5 stars out of 5.
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