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Starring: Robert De Niro, Uma Thurman, Christopher Walken
Director: Tim Hill
Running Time: 94 mins
The War With Grandpa is an American film about a young boy who launches a war of pranks with his grandpa after he is moved out of his room up to his attic to make way for his grandad.
It’s easy to point at films like this and criticise them for squandering the legendary talents of an A-list cast, featuring the likes of Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, Uma Thurman and more. Objectively, The War With Grandpa isn’t great, but it seems a little unfair to point fingers at it for not being an all-time classic.
Certainly, just because it’s a kids’ movie doesn’t mean it should get a free pass for not being amazing. There are so many great family movies out there which prove the genre doesn’t have to be superficial and childish antics like this movie is so reliant on.
However, The War With Grandpa is thoroughly harmless, and it’s a film made for kids to enjoy, without being too focused on using the acting talents of its impressive cast to the full.
You might wonder why all-time greats like Robert De Niro would even take a role like this on, but it’s likely that this is a kind of movie that De Niro wants to make for his own family, including his younger grandchildren who won’t really want to watch the grittier likes of his most famous starring roles.
When you realise that, films like The War With Grandpa do seem all the more sweet. The fact of the matter is that this film isn’t particularly hilarious or funny for viewers above a young age, but there’s a nice bit of heart behind it, with its leading actors given really sweet performances that will certainly put a smile on the faces of those closest to them.
There really isn’t much to say about The War With Grandpa from an objective standpoint apart from the fact that it’s not overly funny, and certainly doesn’t use the talent of its stars to full potential. But in the end, that’s not what the film is there for, and I’m sure young kids will have a lovely time watching the movie. So, that’s why I’m giving it a 6.4 overall.
