Jason Krawczyk’s latest film, Don’t Mess With Grandma, marks his return to directing after a gap since his 2015 indie hit He Never Died. This time, he has crafted an action-comedy for Tubi that attempts to combine laughs with some good old-fashioned home-invasion action. While the idea of a muscle-bound hero protecting an elderly woman from bumbling criminals seems like it has potential, the execution ultimately falls flat.
The movie stars Michael Jai White as Jasper, a kind-hearted grandson who gets caught up in a bizarre home invasion scenario at his grandmother’s house. The film plays on the classic action trope of a lone hero fending off invaders, but with a comedic twist. However, despite its light-hearted premise, Don’t Mess With Grandma struggles to maintain its momentum throughout its runtime.
The Setup: Jasper’s Double Duty
The story begins with Jasper, played by Michael Jai White, who works as a Meals on Wheels driver for a service called “Trusted Trays.” He makes regular visits to his grandmother, affectionately known as Granna, played by Jackie Richardson. Granna lives alone, and while she deeply cares for her grandson, she also tends to be quite demanding and stubborn.
Jasper, always the doting grandson, helps Granna around the house whenever she needs it, even when it comes to mundane tasks like fixing her sink. It’s clear from the outset that Jasper is a man who loves his family and would do anything to protect them.
The action kicks off when, during one of Jasper’s routine visits to Granna’s house, a group of masked intruders suddenly breaks into the home. Jasper is sipping rum and attending to Granna’s sink when the chaos begins. These criminals, led by Stan, played by Billy Zane, are far from competent.
Jasper quickly dispatches the initial group of invaders using his military background to neutralize them with ease. However, Stan is not willing to give up so easily. He calls for backup, and soon more crooks are on their way, making Jasper realize that the night is far from over. His mission is now clear: protect Granna at all costs, while also making sure she doesn’t realize her home is under attack.
The Gimmick: Keeping Granna in the Dark
One of the central comedic elements of the movie is Jasper’s desperate attempt to hide the fact that the house is being invaded from Granna. As a loving grandson, he doesn’t want to alarm her or make her feel unsafe in her own home.
This leads to a series of slapstick moments where Jasper has to incapacitate the intruders as quietly as possible. There’s a scene, for example, where he knocks out one of the invaders and humorously tries to shush the unconscious criminal so as not to wake Granna. In another moment, he subtly removes Granna’s hearing aids to ensure she remains unaware of the ongoing chaos.
Jackie Richardson plays Granna as an oblivious yet endearing character. She has little patience for Jasper’s antics, and her nagging adds a layer of humor to the otherwise tense situation.
Throughout the invasion, she continues to make demands of her grandson, completely unaware of the danger just beyond her walls. Her stubbornness and oblivious nature serve as a comedic foil to Jasper’s increasingly frantic efforts to defend the home.
Unfortunately, while this gimmick is amusing at first, it quickly becomes repetitive. The initial novelty of Jasper juggling both the action and his grandmother’s demands wears off, and the movie starts to lose its comedic punch.
What could have been a consistently funny dynamic feels stretched thin over the course of the film. Even Michael Jai White’s immense charisma can’t prevent the humor from falling flat after a while.
Jasper’s Fight Against Inept Criminals
Despite the movie’s comedy, Don’t Mess With Grandma is also meant to be an action film. Jasper, with his decorated military background, is more than capable of taking down the invaders, who are mostly incompetent thugs. The criminals are depicted as buffoons, unable to pose any real threat to Jasper or Granna. Stan, the ringleader, is portrayed as an inept criminal mastermind who struggles to keep his men in line.
Played by Billy Zane, Stan comes off as a bumbling caricature rather than a menacing villain. His appearance, complete with a fake mustache, adds to the absurdity of the character. While the film aims for humor with these cartoonish criminals, it misses the mark by not fully leaning into their ridiculousness or making them threatening enough to generate suspense.
The movie’s action sequences are where it falters the most. Michael Jai White, known for his martial arts prowess and his work in films like Black Dynamite, is an accomplished action star. However, in Don’t Mess With Grandma, the fight scenes lack energy and excitement. The choreography feels slow and lethargic, failing to showcase White’s full range of skills.
The camera work during these scenes often relies on trickery rather than allowing the action to speak for itself. There are moments where White’s abilities shine through, but these are few and far between. The film’s limitations become apparent, particularly in the hand-to-hand combat scenes, which should be the highlight of an action-comedy like this.
One notable fight involves Pam, played by Ess Hödlmoser, one of Stan’s henchmen and the only criminal capable of holding her own against Jasper. Their showdown takes place in a bedroom, but even this scene feels constrained. Rather than delivering a thrilling battle, the fight ends up feeling awkward and underwhelming. The action never fully engages the audience, and the potential for exciting choreography is wasted.
Missed Potential: A Lack of Consistency
One of the biggest issues with Don’t Mess With Grandma is its lack of consistency. The film can’t seem to decide whether it wants to be a full-fledged action-comedy or a more heartfelt story about family and protection. It tries to juggle both genres, but ends up falling short in each. The humor is inconsistent, the action is underwhelming, and the emotional beats never quite land.
Jasper’s character is meant to be a blend of toughness and tenderness, and Michael Jai White does his best to balance these two aspects. One moment he’s knocking out bad guys, and the next he’s helping his grandmother with her bath.
The contrast is meant to be humorous, but the film’s pacing makes these moments feel disconnected. The emotional weight of Jasper’s love for his grandmother is present, but it’s never fully dealt in a meaningful way. The film leans too heavily on its action-comedy premise without giving enough attention to character development.
Billy Zane’s portrayal of Stan also feels underutilized. Zane has proven himself capable of playing both serious villains and comedic roles in the past, but here, his performance feels stuck in the middle. He’s not threatening enough to be taken seriously as an antagonist, nor is he absurd enough to be funny. The movie tries to play his character as a mix of the two, but it doesn’t commit fully to either direction, leaving Stan as a forgettable villain.
The Humor: Not Quite Hitting the Mark
Comedy is subjective, and Don’t Mess With Grandma certainly tries to inject humor into its storyline. However, the jokes often fall flat. The film’s lighthearted tone doesn’t have enough bite to make its humor memorable.
Jasper’s enemies are portrayed as bumbling fools, constantly tripping over themselves or failing to complete even the simplest of tasks. While this is meant to be funny, the lack of real danger makes the movie feel repetitive. The criminals are so inept that there’s never any real sense of tension, and the humor becomes stale as the same gags are repeated over and over.
There are moments of genuine humor scattered throughout the film. Evan Stern, who plays one of the criminals, manages to steal a few scenes with his exaggerated, high-pitched voice and absurd outbursts. His character brings a bit of life to the otherwise dull proceedings, offering a few laughs in an otherwise uninspired film.
Rufus the Dog, Granna’s loyal pet, also provides some unexpected comic relief with his violent yet hilarious behavior. These moments, however, are too infrequent to save the movie from its total mediocrity.
A Missed Opportunity for a Clever Home Invasion Twist
At its core, Don’t Mess With Grandma tries to put a new spin on the familiar home invasion trope. Krawczyk clearly had the intention of subverting audience expectations by making the hero a loving grandson rather than a hardened vigilante.
There are even a few clever callbacks to other films in the genre, such as You’re Next. However, the movie fails to push these ideas far enough. Instead of fully embracing the absurdity of its premise, it settles for a formulaic approach. Jasper continues to knock out intruders while Granna remains unaware, but this concept becomes predictable and tiresome as the movie progresses.
Krawczyk’s direction feels too safe, never taking the risks needed to rise the material. The film operates on a flat wavelength, missing the adrenaline spikes or emotional punches that could have made it more engaging. By the time the credits roll, Don’t Mess With Grandma feels like a movie that never fully gets out of first gear. It has moments of potential, but they are ultimately overshadowed by the film’s lack of ambition and creativity.
Final Thoughts
Don’t Mess With Grandma is an indie action-comedy that doesn’t quite live up to its potential. Michael Jai White does his best with the material, and there are a few laughs to be had, but the film is ultimately bogged down by its repetitive plot, uninspired action sequences, and inconsistent humor. The movie’s attempt to blend action with comedy falls flat, and the result is a forgettable film that never fully commits to either genre.
While there are brief flashes of fun and humor, particularly in the performances of the supporting cast and the occasional clever gag, Don’t Mess With Grandma feels like a missed opportunity. With a stronger script and more creative direction, it could have been a more memorable addition to the action-comedy genre. Instead, it ends up as a mildly entertaining but ultimately forgettable movie that doesn’t leave a lasting impression.
