Film
Dirty Grandpa
- Comedy
- Light-hearted
- Relentless
A road comedy where Robert De Niro plays a recently widowed retiree who drags his uptight grandson (Zac Efron) to spring break in Florida. It's broad, loud, and committed to the bit—a film about breaking free from obligation that swings for the fences with every joke. For people who want to turn their brain off and laugh at chaos.
If you liked this
The Hangover2009
A road-trip comedy that respects its premise and builds genuine laughs from character momentum. The central trio has real chemistry, and it escalates brilliantly from setup to absurdity without losing the plot.
But It's been imitated a thousand times since, so the surprises have worn smooth. Some of the humor lands harder than others depending on your tolerance for hangover-movie tropes.

Old School2003
Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly as 30-something men reclaiming youth. It's constructed from pure comic energy and momentum, with characters who commit fully to ridiculous situations without winking.
But Relies on a particular brand of shock humor that can feel dated now. The emotional core is thin—you're here for the mayhem, not the meaning.

Wedding Crashers2005
Two con-men at a wedding, escalating chaos, genuine warmth underneath. It balances broad comedy with moments of character work, and the supporting cast (Christopher Walken, Rachel McAdams) elevates everything.
But The second half sags when it pivots toward sentimentality. Some of the sexual humor hasn't aged particularly well.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Dirty Grandpa
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
The Mule2018
Both films use De Niro as an aging man breaking free from constraint, but one finds liberation in chaos and one in tragedy. They're opposite mirrors of the same impulse.
De Niro plays an aging Korean War veteran drawn into drug trafficking for the cartel. It's a serious film about mortality, regret, and an old man finding vitality through dangerous choices. Same actor, entirely different register—this is what happens when the grandfather stops joking.
But It's slow and meditative where Dirty Grandpa is frenetic. If you want De Niro to keep playing the wisecracking old man, this film will feel like a betrayal.

More like this (8)
Forgetting Sarah Marshall2008
A romantic comedy that's funny without being mean. Jason Segel as a heartbroken man at a Hawaiian resort; the ensemble work is sharp, the script is genuinely clever, and it cares about its characters.
But If you find Segel's particular brand of vulnerable humor grating, this won't convert you. Uneven tonal shifts between comedy and melodrama.

DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story2004
Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller in a sports-parody that commits absurdly to its premise. The humor is silly but constructed with precision, and the film knows exactly what it is.
But The gags rely on you finding repetition funny. Some of the supporting jokes are juvenile without being clever, just juvenile.

I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry2007
Adam Sandler and Kevin James as firefighters pretending to be a couple. It's earnest underneath the joke, surprisingly warm about friendship, and doesn't cynically mock its premise.
But The comedy is very broad and depends on bathroom-humor timing. Dated sensibility about the subject matter it's handling.

Due Date2010
Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis on a cross-country road trip. The chemistry is electric, the escalations are absurd, and it's structured like a machine designed to generate argument-based comedy.
But The plot is thin scaffolding for set pieces. Some people find Galifianakis's whimsy insufferable rather than endearing.

Horrible Bosses2011
Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, and Jason Sudeikis plotting against their terrible managers. It's a well-oiled ensemble comedy with strong character work and a supporting cast (Kevin Spacey, Colin Farrell) that steals every scene.
But The premise doesn't quite land the way it thinks it does. The pacing sometimes favors setup over payoff.

Get Hard2015
Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart: a white-collar criminal prepares for prison with the help of a car-wash owner. It's absurdist, committed, and both leads throw themselves fully into the chaos.
But The humor is very uneven and sometimes lazy. The premise contains dated assumptions that the film doesn't interrogate.

Sing Street2016
Both are road-adjacent comedies about breaking free from expected life paths. Sing Street does it through music and self-discovery; Dirty Grandpa through chaos and permission. One is earnest, one is anarchic, but both are about saying yes to the unexpected.
A Dublin teenager starts a band to impress a girl in 1980s Ireland. It's genuinely joyful—about young people making art, taking risks, and finding themselves through music. The tone is buoyant and sincere without a trace of cynicism.
But Some viewers find it aggressively upbeat. If you're allergic to optimism about youth and creativity, this will feel saccharine.

Jackass Forever2022
Both follow aging men insisting on behaving like they're still young, but Jackass treats that impulse with surprising tenderness. It's what Dirty Grandpa's premise could become if you took the emotion seriously.
The Jackass crew, now in their 50s, doing ridiculous stunts and pranks. It's honestly moving—a film about friendship, aging, mortality, and refusing to grow up. The chaos serves real emotional stakes underneath the laughter.
But If you find bodily humor disgusting, this will test your limits. The stunts are genuinely dangerous and sometimes cringe-inducing in ways that aren't funny.

People
Cast
Robert De NiroDick Kelly
Zac EfronJason Kelly
Aubrey PlazaLenore
Zoey DeutchShadia
Julianne HoughMeredith Goldstein
Dermot MulroneyDavid Kelly
Adam PallyCousin Nick
Brandon Mychal SmithTyrone
Mo CollinsOfficer Finch
Henry ZebrowskiOfficer Reiter
Danny GloverStinky
Jason MantzoukasTan Pam
Directing
- Dan MazerDirector
- Josh KingFirst Assistant Director
- Diane DurantScript Supervisor
- Matthew GoodwinSecond Assistant Director
Writing
- John PhillipsScreenplay
Production
- Amanda MackeyCasting
- Cathy Sandrich GelfondCasting
- Anton LessineExecutive Producer
- John FriedbergExecutive Producer
- John PhillipsExecutive Producer
- Michael FlynnExecutive Producer
- Sasha ShapiroExecutive Producer
- Barry JosephsonProducer
- Bill BlockProducer
- Jason BarrettProducer
- Michael SimkinProducer
- Michael FlynnUnit Production Manager