Remember the old Hanna and Barbera cartoons where Jerry keeps beating up Tom, but Tom can’t make a noise so he doesn’t wake Spike the bulldog up? That’s basically the plot of Don’t Mess With Grandma, the new action-comedy from writer-director Jason Krawczyk.
Best known for 2015 unconventional horror-comedy character study He Never Died, Krawczyk has a knack for taking a recognizable name and stripping away all their baggage. In that movie, he turned punk philosopher Henry Rollins into a grouchy immortal who fills his days playing bingo. This time, it’s Michael Jai White, who has spent too much of his career being pigeonholed as a hard-hitting action star. And to be honest, it’s easy to see why. He’s a black belt in multiple disciplines and looks like he’s carved from obsidian and dusted with charisma.
Anyone who’s taken a really deep dive into his filmography, past the straight-to-VOD action flicks and minor parts, knows there’s a lot more to him, but to many viewers he’s “just an action guy.” Krawczyk looked at him and saw something else: a big, funny, affable dork. It’s the kind of part that, superficially, should be a stretch. But White slides into it like a well-worn sleeveless denim jacket with a Dio patch on the back – the metal head’s answer to a comfy sweater – and is clearly having endless, infectious fun.
Anyone expecting that rugged, clean-cut look you expect from White is in the wrong theatre. Instead, Don’t Mess With Grandma (aka Sunset Superman) casts him as JT, a Dio-obsessed elder care worker with a dodgy knee and a soft spot for his Granna (Jackie Richardson). Fortunately, he’s also built like the broad side of a barn, so has short shrift with a gang of home invaders who break into Granna’s house in pursuit of some hidden treasure. However, his dedication to preserving his grumpy grandmother’s well-being extends to not letting this sweet old lady know anything’s happening – a point he quickly makes to the increasingly battered and befuddled burglars.
No one’s bulletproof and no one is really that smart in Don’t Mess With Grandma (premiering at Fantastic Fest ahead of its Nov. 16 release from Tubi). There’s definitely more broken bones and smashed-in faces here than you’d find in the average vintage MGM cartoon short, and there’s a great one-liner about concussions towards the end of the film that really puts everything into context. But there’s also a delightful lightness to the action, with White channeling his martial arts tough guy persona into a much more amenable slapstick style. Usually what happens when an action star tries to play a regular guy is that they stick out like a sore thumb. Instead, JT feels like a genial doofus who happens to have a knockout punch. White is also more than capable of engaging in the film’s signature nervous banter with Canadian comedy veterans like Evan Stern (best known as tweaking skid Roald in Letterkenny – and that series is a definite signpost for the style of comedy here). Indeed, the only person who may be having more fun than White is an excellent Billy Zane, absolutely unrecognizable but oddly perfectly cast as the blowhard head of the gang.
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
Canada, 2024, 81 min.
World Premiere
Wednesday 25, 5:35pm
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This article appears in September 20 • 2024.
