Review by John M Delia, Jr.
What would a kid do when their home is invaded and they are banished to the attic? Their whole world has now been shattered and where they have ended up is just plain mean. Would they just take it and live in an environment that might make them feel unwanted or maybe even shammed. Now with all these mixed feelings going on, should they just declare war on this invader, even if it is their Grandpa?
Sally Decker (Uma Thurman) has many responsibilities, but the one that is most concerning to her is her father Ed (Robert De Niro). After the death of his wife a year ago, Ed hasn’t really thrived very well. To the point that his daughter, Sally has been having to check up on him way too often. It gets to the point that she decides to push her dad to move in with her and the family. Reluctantly, Ed decides that this might be the right thing to do since life on his own is just not going as well as he planned.
This is where the real story begins; With Grandpa now moving in, what room does he get? Sally’s son Peter’s (Oakes Fegley), is the only logical selection, banishing him to the old dusty and spooky attic. So what should Peter do? Well his friends at school feel he should confront his grandfather and declare his rights back to his room. Peter does just that and things get wild from this point on as he declares war on Grandpa.
Director Tom Hill pulls together a funny but entertaining look at a kid’s view of how they perceive when family comes to take over their world. Tom is able to create this masterpiece with this all-star cast of, Robert De Niro, Uma Thurman, Rob Riggle, Oakes Fegley, Laura Marano, Cheech Marin, Jane Seymour, Christopher Walken, and Faizon Love that allows him to find many ways to make us all laugh throughout this funny and hilarious production. Creating the correct setting and putting together the situations that make this story come alive is where Hill wins over the audience.
These characters find comical and obscure ways to handle their differences by starting a war to remember, Grandson versus Grandpa. All the practical jokes and tricks you can think of are pulled off in this hysterical comedy. Both Robert De Niro and Oakes Fegley go overboard when they find ways to prank the other. Even if sometimes they pull some off on others unknowingly.
Final Comment: I based my grade on the spectacular comedy and the entertaining storyline.
4 out of 5 Stars
Additional Film Information
Cast: Robert De Niro, Uma Thurman, Rob Riggle, Oaks Fegley, Laura Marano, Cheech Marin, Jane Seymour, Christopher Walken, and Faizon Love.
Directed by: Tom Hill
Genre: Comedy, Drama, and Family.
MPAA Rating: Rated PG for rude humor, language, and some thematic elements
Running Time: 1 hour and 34 minutes
Release Date: Â October 9, 2020
Distributed By: 101 Studios
Release In: Standard and Dolby Digital.