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Parents' Guide to

Dirty Grandpa

By S. Jhoanna Robledo, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Vulgar but occasionally funny comedy gets pretty offensive.

Movie R 2016 102 minutes
Dirty Grandpa Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 17+

Based on 12 parent reviews

Em8lBro
Em8lBro Parent of 2, 3 and 4-year-old
May 31, 2022
age 10+

U can learn about the things u will do when ur an adult

This is such a goddamn nice movie everbody should watch it
V S.
V S. Adult
June 25, 2023
age 18+

Pedo & Perv

A grandfather wanting to f*** a college girl. The grandfather sharing a bed with the grandson, gets naked then when the grandson wakes up, the grandfather whispers his grandsons name and puts his naked d*** in his face. Pedophilia anyone? Wtf… The grandpa also suggests the grandson cheat on his fiancé to live a little. The fiancée is an unpleasant piece of work and it’s good how he ends up, but c’mon. How is this movie educational other than sexually messed up with the pedo vibes throughout. Oh but, that’s great that it contradicts itself and promotes decades of monogamy only to result in extreme sexual dissatisfaction from it… Then the toddler wanting to “stroke the bee”… Sick and perverted. Really messed up this movie is.
See all 12 parent reviews

What's the Story?

It's a week before Jason's (Zac Efron) wedding, and unfortunately his grandmother has passed away -- prompting his grandfather, Dick (Robert DeNiro), to fixate on a strange odyssey: He wants to drive to Florida (from Atlanta), ostensibly see a friend. But really he just wants to find someone to sleep with after years of celibacy. And Dick has another motive too: He can't help but notice that his once-adventurous grandson has become a corporate drone in need of finding his true self.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (12 ):
Kids say (21 ):

DIRTY GRANDPA is bold and in-your-face lascivious, which is almost admirable, but it tries too hard to find laughter in mostly offensive material that's also dated and predictable. Have we time-traveled back to the 1980s, when movies like Porky's reigned supreme? Were it not for the chemistry between DeNiro and Efron -- and Efron's general likability -- this movie would be a total no. It's a very thin line between irreverent and offensive, and Dirty Grandpa leans more toward the latter. (That said, it is refreshing it is to see DeNiro play another retiree who has some actual fire.)

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about Dirty Grandpa's brand of humor. It relies on crass, sexually tinged humor for its laughs; do you think it crosses the line? Who decides where that line falls?

  • How does the movie portray drinking and drug use? Are there any realistic consequences? Why does that matter?

  • What do you think of the way the movie depicts Spring Break? How does it compare to other takes on this "rite of passage"? How accurate do you think it is?

  • Is the relationship between Dick and Jason believable? Are either of them intended to be role models?

Movie Details

  • In theaters: January 22, 2016
  • On DVD or streaming: May 17, 2016
  • Cast: Robert De Niro , Zac Efron , Julianne Hough
  • Director: Dan Mazer
  • Inclusion Information: Female actors
  • Studio: Lionsgate
  • Genre: Comedy
  • Run time: 102 minutes
  • MPAA rating: R
  • MPAA explanation: crude sexual content throughout, graphic nudity, and for language and drug use
  • Last updated: September 23, 2023

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