The War with Grandpa
Diamond Films | Release Date: October 9, 2020 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
34
METASCORE
Generally unfavorable reviews based on 23 Critic Reviews
Positive:
0
Mixed:
12
Negative:
11
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
CNNBrian LowryOct 9, 2020
Whenever and wherever kids do see it, they're apt to enjoy it, while the theme reminds the adults in their lives that the differences and that come between families -- from politics to something as frivolous as a kid's bedroom -- finally aren't as significant as the deeper bonds that they share. Read full review
60
TheWrapAlonso DuraldeOct 9, 2020
There are some random chuckles along the way . . . . For the most part, though, The War with Grandpa seems like the sort of brightly-lit disposable family comedy that fills the Disney Channel schedule, only with an insanely overqualified cast. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckOct 8, 2020
The War with Grandpa will probably prove riotously funny to small fry while providing some compensations to adults with its supremely overqualified cast. Read full review
50
New York PostJohnny OleksinskiOct 9, 2020
“Grandpa” is, at least, not as moronic as much of De Niro’s recent résumé. But that’s a low, low bar. Read full review
50
New York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriOct 9, 2020
The amiably bland family comedy The War With Grandpa genuinely surprises with how un-special it is. It’s the kind of film that seems to vanish from the mind even as you’re watching it. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeTy BurrOct 9, 2020
Not that terrible, but dispiritingly generic — the kind of off-brand, cable-ready product that functions as advertised but could have been cast with anybody other than some of the most unique and celebrated performers of their generations. Read full review
50
Movie NationRoger MooreOct 9, 2020
The War with Grandpa can feel old fashioned. It’s too mild-mannered for our Pg-13-and-up era. But little kids — VERY little kids — will chuckle at the pranks. Read full review
50
The New York TimesGlenn KennyOct 8, 2020
De Niro is game throughout, and sometimes amusing in that way he can be. But Walken is the funniest performer here. Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloOct 8, 2020
There’s a pleasing kernel of genuine warmth glowing at the heart of this movie, but it’s been heavily insulated—almost buried—by juvenile silliness. One could argue that this merely echoes the family dynamic, but your tolerance for buffoonery will still need to be quite high. Read full review
50
Original-CinLiam LaceyOct 8, 2020
In theory, it should be possible to have a comedy about a competition between an elderly man and a child to injure and humiliate each other, but it would need to be substantially sharper than The War with Grandpa to make the case. Read full review
40
ABC NewsPeter TraversOct 11, 2020
Despite the efforts of an A-list cast led by Robert De Niro, this so-called family entertainment is barely passable piffle. Read full review
40
The GuardianBenjamin LeeOct 9, 2020
It’s a very minor victory to report that rather than being bad, it’s merely bland, an adequate milquetoast time-waster for a very young and very undiscerning audience. Read full review
38
Slant MagazineDan RubinsOct 9, 2020
Only when left to their own devices do the film’s stars enter the less manic, more heartfelt realm of the book. Read full review
37
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanOct 9, 2020
In lieu of genuine high jinks, a series of escalating slapstick pranks ensues between Peter and Ed, including mishaps with a drone, a snake and a human corpse. None of them is especially amusing. Read full review
33
The PlaylistAsher LubertoOct 12, 2020
Bright spots are found in the supporting cast, though the less said about Faizon Love‘s portrayal of a black belt grocery clerk, the better. Walken is legitimately great as an old guy trying to be hip, a sort of exaggerated version of what Thurman is doing as the cool but protective mom. They just aren’t enough to pull The War With Grandpa and De Niro out of the gutter. Read full review
33
IndieWireJude DryOct 8, 2020
The War With Grandpa is a sluggish hodgepodge of slapstick humor that barely holds together its illogically motivated plot. Read full review
30
Austin ChronicleSteve DavisOct 9, 2020
The ho-hum practical jokes the two inflict upon the other can be described as Home Alone lite: No concussion-inducing swinging paint cans or burn-inducing doorknobs inspired by Looney Tunes violence here. Which, of course, takes all the fun out of it. Read full review
30
VarietyOwen GleibermanOct 8, 2020
The combat is neither funny nor intense. The War with Grandpa is like “Home Alone” replayed as a tit-for-tat battle of logistical booby traps that never rises above the innocuous slapstick benign. Read full review
30
Los Angeles TimesMichael OrdoñaOct 8, 2020
The “pranks” just aren’t funny. The whole premise isn’t funny. Read full review
25
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliOct 9, 2020
Chock-full of unfunny humor, bland characters with nonsensical motivations, and tedious subplots, the entire endeavor might have been shelved if not for the participation of De Niro, Uma Thurman, Cheech Marin, Jane Seymour, and Christopher Walken. A cast like that doesn’t get swept under the rug or sent direct-to-video. Read full review
25
RogerEbert.comChristy LemireOct 9, 2020
No one needs a paycheck this badly. This goes far beyond the one-for-me, one-for-them theory of role choices. Read full review
20
Rolling StoneDavid FearOct 15, 2020
It’s 94 minutes that you won’t remember seconds after its over. You could always just throw down the white flag before shots are fired and save yourself the trouble. Read full review
0
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleOct 9, 2020
When the books are written, The War With Grandpa — the first family film to hit theaters since the pandemic — will have a special place in De Niro’s vast and varied cinematic legacy as the absolute worst movie he ever made. Read full review
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