It sounds like Tubi has their hands on an action-comedy gem, as Black Dynamite and Blood and Bone star Michael Jai White returns to the genre in Don’t Mess With Grandma. The movie has now debuted at Fantastic Fest and the first reviews hail Don’t Mess With Grandma (which was formerly titled Sunset Superman) as the perfect twist on the home invasion movie, with White proving once again that he is the unsung hero of action movies.
We begin with Cody Hamman of JoBlo, who awarded the action comedy a stellar score of 8/10, calling Don’t Mess With Grandmaone of White’s best.
“Krawczyk may not be fond of the title Don’t Mess with Grandma, but if all goes well, this is a title we’ll be hearing action and comedy fans mention frequently in the future, because the movie is a blast to watch and deserves to be referenced and recommended. Michael Jai White has starred in a lot of action movies over the years, and this is one of his best, with J.T. being one of the best characters he has ever played.”
Next up is Trace Thurman Bloody Disgusting, and while they found a few more issues with the movie, they heaped praise on White saying, “watching Grandma reminds one of not only how talented he is, but also how Hollywood has underutilized him for years.”
“This means that the success of the film relies solely on its effectiveness as a comedy, and Grandma earns solid marks in that department. It is at its funniest during Jasper’s dialogue-driven interactions with Stan’s crew, who shoot out as many social niceties as they do bullets.”
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Richard Whittaker of The Austin Chronicle, meanwhile, commended director Jason Krawczyk for finding the “funny side” of home invasion horror movies such as You’re Next and Green Room.
“But these aren’t just jokes to keep the actors entertained. Krawczyk understands home invasion and sealed-bottle siege movies, but isn’t interested in lampooning their conventions – rather, he’s finding the funny side of them. Clear nods to modern classics like You’re Next and Green Room add sparkle but never feel like intrusive Easter eggs. And even if you don’t get the reference, you’ll still have a rollicking good time, and a newfound appreciation for Dio. Rock on.”
Don’t Mess With Grandma Is the Perfect Vehicle for Michael Jai White
Critic Karina “ScreamQueen” Adelgaard of Heaven of Horror could not get enough of seeing White do what he does best…while trying his hardest not to hurt anyone.
“This is a comedy and action hybrid first, but with the violence comes blood (a lot of it!) that makes everything darker. Michael Jai White is perfect in the lead role as a charming protector, who doesn’t want to harm. But he can. And will, if need be.”
Finally, Brian of The Horror Guys sums up Don’t Mess With Grandma with the sort of sentence that will have action and Michael Jai White fans salivating.
“It’s a very serious, terrifying home invasion film. OK, well maybe not so serious. The writer said he wrote this specifically to see “Michael Jai White punch as many people as possible in 80 minutes.””
Written and directed by Jason Krawczyk (He Never Died), Don’t Mess With Grandma stars Michael Jai White (Spawn, One More Shot) as a devoted grandson who, while trying to fix his grandmother’s leaky sink and persuade her to move into a retirement home, finds himself facing off with masked home invaders. Of course, White is no ordinary man, and fights hard to keep the invaders at bay…and his grandma oblivious. The rest of the cast includes Jackie Richardson (Catwalk, Reacher), Billy Zane (Titanic, The Boys), Miles Faber (Zombies), and Ess Hödlmoser (The Boys).
Don’t Mess With Grandma
premiered at Fantastic Fest and is
coming soon to Tubi
. You can check out a few more reactions to
Don’t Mess With Grandma
below.