Zac Efron Helps Robert De Niro Rediscover His Mojo In Dirty Grandpa Trailer

Following up on yesterday’s teaser image of Zac Efron and Robert De Niro kicking back in a flashy pink Mini Cooper, Lionsgate has debuted the maiden trailer for its new coming-out-of-age comedy Dirty Grandpa.

Using the interplay between the two leads to anchor the on-screen pizazz, Dan Mazer’s (I Give it a Year) feature follows Efron’s uptight, soon-to-be-married man who begrudgingly agrees to drive his newly-widowed grandfather (De Niro) up to Spring Break. Dusting off the cobwebs, Dirty Grandpa plays it straight and narrow by having the actor engage in the kind of party stunts and unprotected sex one would expect from a stereotypical teenage boy, not an actor whose career continues to baffle rather than amaze.

Indeed, playing a grouchy old man is hardly anything new for De Niro, and it’s unlikely that Dirty Grandpa will help Efron bounce back from the box office flop of We Are Your Friends either. Without the star power of De Niro, Efron and Aubrey Plaza attached to Lionsgate’s raunchy comedy, the picture would likely pass by undetected, but their inclusion lends it a sliver of hope – even if it is just a sliver.

Julianne Hough, Aubrey Plaza, Dermot Mulroney, Zoey Deutch, Jason Mantzoukas, Adam Pally and Henry Zebrowski round out the cast for the flick. Dan Mazer’s Dirty Grandpa opens on January 22, 2016.