The War with Grandpa is the upcoming family comedy that was originally supposed to be released in 2018 but delayed due to various issues, including getting caught up in the fallout surrounding someone that rhymes with “Swinestein” and the dissolution of his production company. It’s directed by Tim Hill (SpongeBob SquarePants), with the script by Tom J. Astle and Matt Ember (the writing duo behind Get Smart and Failure to Launch), and is based on the 1984 children’s book of the same name by the late Robert Kimmel Smith, who passed away earlier this year.
It features a stellar cast headlined by all of Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, Jane Seymour, Cheech Marin, Uma Thurman, and Rob Riggle. Appearing alongside them are Oakes Fegley, Laura Marano, T. J. McGibbon, and Colin Ford.
The official plot synopsis is as follows:
Sixth-grader Peter (Oakes Fegley) is pretty much your average kid-he likes gaming, hanging with his friends and his beloved pair of Air Jordans. But when his recently widowed grandfather Ed (Robert De Niro) moves in with Peter’s family, the boy is forced to give up his most prized possession of all, his bedroom. Unwilling to let such an injustice stand, Peter devises a series of increasingly elaborate pranks to drive out the interloper, but Grandpa Ed won’t go without a fight. Soon, the friendly combatants are engaged in an all-out war with side-splitting consequences.
Let’s take a look:
Well, it’s a family comedy alright. More specifically, it’s for the younger members of the family – and if you’re the older member watching it with them you’re going to have to suffer through it. The humour is childish and simplistic – De Niro waking up to a hobby horse in his bed instead of the snake would’ve been a million times smarter given the Godfather-inspired music – and a superb cast is completely wasted with terrible writing.
What do you think?
The War with Grandpa is due for release in US theatres on 9 October.
Last Updated: August 14, 2020
