The War with Grandpa
The War with Grandpa
| The War with Grandpa | |
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 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Tim Hill |
| Produced by |
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| Screenplay by |
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| Based on | The War with Grandpa by Robert Kimmel Smith |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Aaron Zigman |
| Cinematography | Greg Gardiner |
| Edited by |
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Production company |
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Release date |
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Running time | 94 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $38 million[1] |
| Box office | $28.5 million[2][3] |
The War with Grandpa is a 2020 American family comedy film directed by Tim Hill, from a screenplay by Tom J. Astle and Matt Ember, based upon the novel of the same name by Robert Kimmel Smith. It stars Robert De Niro and Oakes Fegley, along with Uma Thurman, Rob Riggle, Laura Marano, Cheech Marin, Jane Seymour, and Christopher Walken. The film is about a young boy who works to get his grandfather to move out of his room after he moves in with his family.
Originally filmed in May 2017, The War with Grandpa's release was delayed several times due to photography changes and the closure of The Weinstein Company, the original distributor. The film was eventually released theatrically in the United States on October 9, 2020 by 101 Studios, abroad beginning in August 2020 by Brookdale Studios, and by Universal Pictures internationally. It received generally negative reviews from critics, with the plot and script being criticized, although the humor and cast was praised.
Plot[edit]
After accidentally stealing from a grocery store due to having trouble with the self-checkouts and causing a scene with one of the workers, recently widowed Ed (Robert De Niro) is visited by his daughter Sally Decker (Uma Thurman), who wants him to move in with her family. Ed does not want to leave his house because he built it himself. Sally convinces Ed to move in with her nonetheless, and gives him her son Peter's (Oakes Fegley) bedroom. Peter is not happy about giving his room to his grandfather and being moved to the attic. Ed is welcomed by Sally's husband Arthur (Rob Riggle) and two daughters, Mia (Laura Marano) and Jenny (Poppy Gagnon). During his first day moved in, Ed spends most of his time in his new room, sitting in his chair and looking at the sky, still thinking about his late wife.
Peter then tells his friends Billy (Juliocesar Chavez), Steve (Isaac Kragten) and Emma (T.J. McGibbon) about his grandfather moving in with his family and living in his room. After a miserable first night in his new room, Peter decides to declare war. Ed agrees to war, as long as they follow the agreed upon rules of engagement: they cannot damage other people's belongings and cannot tell the family about this. Peter pulls a series of pranks, including replacing Ed's shaving cream with quick-drying foam and damaging his record player. Ed gets back at Peter with pranks including removing the screws from all of Peter's furniture and rewriting his school report. Ed turns to his friends Danny (Cheech Marin) and Jerry (Christopher Walken) for some advice. Over time, Ed begins to spend time with his granddaughters and son-in-law and learns how to use modern technology, such as self-checkouts and apps.
Sally learns that Mia is dating a boy named Russell (Colin Ford), whom she does not approve of. Ed invites Jerry, Danny, and Diane (Jane Seymour) (a store worker Ed has befriended) to play dodgeball against Peter and his friends. Peter and his friends win the first round, but Ed and his team manage to beat them during the second round. However, during the third round, Danny's jaw is injured; as a result, the game is declared a tie. Later, Peter pushes the button on Ed's emergency call necklace, and Ed picks Peter up from school to take him fishing. The two discover that it is illegal to fish there. Ed then takes Peter to his old house and explains that he left some secrets in the walls.
Ed learns that Peter is being bullied, so he, Danny, and Jerry throw the bully in a dumpster. At Jenny's Christmas-themed birthday party, Peter keeps his promise about not pulling any pranks. Peter rigs up an ejector seat for Ed, who is supposed to be playing the part of Santa that night. Unfortunately, a last-minute change results in Jerry being dressed up as Santa. Throughout the party, Peter and Ed are asked to help out. Instead, they continue to prank each other, including spraying bottles at each other and Peter plugging the cord to the lights as Ed checks them, electrocuting Ed. As a result of their hijinks, they inadvertently reveal their war with each other to everyone. Jerry gets ejected from his chair, resulting in further property damage and injuries to multiple guests. Ed is injured and taken to the hospital.
As punishment, Arthur and Sally place Peter and Mia under "work arrest" for six months. Russell shows up; Sally initially seems angry at him, but instead welcomes him. Sally goes to pick up Ed from the hospital, but learns that he has already checked out and his brother Chuck (Joe Gelchion) has taken him to his old house. Peter decides to make amends, and begs Ed to move back in with the family. The two finally reconcile, as Sally listens. As time passes, Ed and Peter seem to finally be getting along until Ed leaves one day to be with Diane, with whom he is now in a relationship. Peter looks on angrily, declaring a war on both of them as they leave.
Cast[edit]
- Robert De Niro as Ed, Mia, Jenny and Peter's grandfather, Sally’s father and Chuck’s brother.
- Oakes Fegley as Peter Decker, Ed's grandson, Chuck’s grandnephew, Sally and Arthur’s son and Mia and Jenny’s brother.
- Uma Thurman as Sally Decker, Ed's daughter, Mia, Jenny and Peter's mother, Chuck’s niece and Arthur’s wife.
- Rob Riggle as Arthur Decker, Mia, Jenny and Peter's father and Sally’s husband.
- Laura Marano as Mia Decker, Ed's older granddaughter, Arthur and Sally’s daughter, Chuck’s grandniece and Jenny and Peter's older sister.
- Poppy Gagnon as Jenny, Ed's younger granddaughter, Arthur and Sally’s daughter, Chuck’s grandniece and Mia and Peter's younger sister.
- Cheech Marin as Danny, one of Ed's two friends.
- Christopher Walken as Jerry, one of Ed's two friends.
- Jane Seymour as Diane, who befriends Ed, Jerry and Danny.
- Juliocesar Chavez as Billy, one of Peter's friends.
- Isaac Kragten as Steve, one of Peter's friends.
- T.J. McGibbon as Emma, one of Peter's friends.
- Colin Ford as Russell, Mia's boyfriend.
- Joe Gelchion as Chuck, Ed's brother, Sally’s uncle and Mia, Jenny and Peter’s granduncle.
- Faizon Love[4] as David, a Store Manager.
- Kendrick Cross as Insurance Adjuster.
- Drew Scheid as the 8th Grade Monster.
Production[edit]
In 2013, producer Marvin Peart's eight-year old son Tre brought the book to his father's attention.[1] After acquiring the rights, principal photography on the film began on May 2, 2017, in Atlanta, Georgia, where it shot for six weeks.[5][6]
Release[edit]
The War with Grandpa was initially scheduled to be released by The Weinstein Company's Dimension Films on April 21, 2017, which was later pushed back to October 20, 2017, due to principal photography location changes.[7][8] In August 2017 the film was again delayed, this time to February 23, 2018.[6]
In January 2018, less than a month before its intended release, the film was pulled from the release schedule.[9] In March 2018, it was announced The Weinstein Company would no longer distribute the film,[10] and its rights were reclaimed by the producers for $2.5 million.[11] In June 2020, 101 Studios acquired distribution rights to the film and set it for a September 18, 2020 release; it was later pushed back to October 9.[12] The studio spent an estimated $24 million promoting the film.[13]
Reception[edit]
Box office[edit]
As of December 14, 2020, The War with Grandpa has grossed $18 million in the United States and Canada, and $10.5 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $28.5 million.[2][3]
In the U.S., the film made $1.1 million from 2,250 theaters on its first day of release. It went on to debut to $3.6 million, becoming the first film to top Tenet at the box office.[13][14] In its second weekend the film grossed $2.5 million, finishing second behind newcomer Honest Thief,[15] and then made $1.9 million in its third weekend[16] and $1.1 million in its fourth.[17] After six weeks the film stood at $15.5 million domestically, with industry insiders estimating the film could leg out to $20 million.[18]
Critical response[edit]
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 28% based on 106 reviews, with an average rating of 4.3/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Fitfully funny but mostly misguided, The War with Grandpa will leave audiences with a handful of chuckles -- and a lot of questions about what this talented cast was thinking."[19] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 34 out of 100, based on 23 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews."[20] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.[14]
On RogerEbert.com, Christy Lemire gave the film one out of four stars, calling it "a straining comedy featuring the wildly overqualified Robert De Niro, Uma Thurman, Christopher Walken, Cheech Marin and Jane Seymour."[21] Jude Dry of IndieWire gave the film a "D+" and wrote: "...the killer cast is sorely wasted on an utterly inane script about a spoiled kid who inexplicably decides he hates his very nice grandpa for moving into his room. Based on the popular kids' book by Robert Kimmel Smith, The War with Grandpa is a sluggish hodgepodge of slapstick humor that barely holds together its illogically motivated plot."[22]
Peter Travers, reviewing the film for ABC News, wrote: "It's an individual choice whether or not to risk bringing children to theaters to see The War with Grandpa... But if you take the plunge and keep your expectations low, you could do worse than watching De Niro and company shake their sillies out."[23]
My Brother, My Brother and Me reaction[edit]
The film received an unexpected publicity boost[citation needed] when advice podcast My Brother, My Brother and Me discussed The War with Grandpa on their 528th episode in September 2020.[24] In the episode, the film is brought up initially as banter before getting into the regular structure of an episode. The discussion continued for so long, however, that it took up an entire episode.[25]
Sequel[edit]
In November 2020, producer Marvin Peart announced his intentions for a sequel, titled The World War with Grandpa.[1]
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