UNDERCOVER GRANDPA
Canada, 2017, 94 minutes, Colour.
James Caan, Dylan Everett, Greta Onieogou, Jesse Bostick, Kenneth Welsh, Paul Sorvino, Laurence Dane, Louis Gossett Jr, Jessica Walter.
Directed by Eric Canuel.
As the song says, they’re either too young or too old! This is particularly relevant for the impact of this film. Older audiences identified with the comic characters and enjoyed the film. Younger audiences identified with the younger characters and the adventure. Some of the comments from those in between were highly dismissive as if the film were intended for an adult audience.
In one way, this is like a computer game plot. It is highly unrealistic – but made momentarily plausible given the characters and their backgrounds. Anyone who expected this to be realistic story does not understand fantasies.
Jake (Dylan Everett) is an ordinary teenager, likes sketching one of the girls in class, Angie, Greta Onieogou, – and she agrees to go out on a date with him. In the meantime, Jake has forgotten that the evening meal is the monthly visit from his grandfather, ex-military man, who lives in a retirement village. His grandfather is full of tall stories. He is played genially by James Caan.
The film gets the opportunity to show that grandpa was not entirely wrong. The girlfriend is abducted, a central European dictator has been attacked in public but has engineered this for his own escape. Grandpa goes to the authorities, especially the officer in charge, Jessica Walter, with whom he had a past relationship. She dismisses the story. However, she gets information from 911 that it is true.
Grandpa goes to visit his old military friends, a group of eccentric, highly eccentric experts who are in their mid-70s and living in the past. They include Kenneth Welsh, Louis Gossett Jr, Lawrence Dane, Paul Sorvino.
The film shows the group drawing on their abilities, their past resources, using their military skills to little avail, grandpa however saving the day.
It is all very likeable and enjoyable if taken as a PG rated blend of The Dirty Dozen and Going in Style.
1. The target audience? The old? Identifying with the characters? The young and their identifying?
2. The city, school, sports, classes, student meeting, home, meals, the party? Ordinary life? The musical score?
3. Jake and his story, his parents, grandpa coming to the meals and telling the seemingly exaggerated stories? Jake at school, sketching Angie, the reaction of the teacher, friendship with Wendell? And she agreeing to go on a date? The anxiety of the meal? Taking grandpa home? The phone call, and his disappearance?
4. Grandpa, all his stories, inventing all kinds of things including KFC, not getting royalties? His hypothesis about Angie? Going to the authorities, encountering Maddie, their past relationship? Her not believing him? The 911 call? As stealing her phone? Maddie and the authorities about the attempted assassination? Her wanting grandpa to solve everything, his getting out, with Jake?
5. The truth about the abduction, Angie witnessing the shootings, going into the plant?
6. Grandpa, going to see his old friends, Harry and his wireless setup, old-fashioned, but Wendell able to use it? Wolf, the priest, the woman in the house, weapons? Mother, past operations and ingenuity? Giovanni, weapons? The group in their mid-70s?
7. The operation, each with their own task, the failure and then being caught? Grandpa, his ingenuity, infiltration, confrontations? The international war criminal and his having studied grandpa’s work, admiration for him?
8. Angie, using her skills, Jake meeting up with her, getting out of traps?
9. The old men and using their skills surprisingly? Grandpa and the final confrontation? Jake and Angie and their success?
10. Maddie arriving, confident that grandpa would solve everything? The pretence that he was dead, he and Maddie going to Mexico, cover?
11. Enjoyable make-believe?
