2013’s In Gramps’ Shoes opens with Ty (Donald James Parker) praying that his daughter, Amy (Francine Locke), will finally call him. It’s been 20 years since they last spoke. Amy felt that Ty — or “Gramps” as he’s eventually known — was too controlling when she was growing up. He didn’t approve of her music. He didn’t approve of the man she married. When she left home, she went to Tennessee and promised herself that she would never look back.
However, Amy is now in some trouble. Her husband has left her. Her teenage son, Scott (Andrew Wilson Williams), is a slacker who smokes on the porch with his loser friends and who refuses to even consider getting a part-time job to help pay the bills. Her daughter, Sally (Brittany Blades), is a bit more responsible but she’s been reading Harry Potter and that could lead to her becoming a witch. Amy is also nearly broke. She finally swallows her pride and calls Gramps to ask for help.
Soon, Gramps has moved down to Tennessee. At first, Scott and his friends are dismissive of Gramps. But then they watch as Gramps beats Scott in a two-mile race. They watch as Gramps does pull-ups at a local park. They all marvel at how athletic Gramps is. Scott decides that he wants to run just like Gramps. But first, Scott is going to have to work on his attitude and start going to church….
This film has a lot of problems, from the poor ADR to the bad acting to the script that allows certain scenes to drag on without end. This film is nearly two hours long and you will definitely feel every one of those 115 minutes. Even the running scenes are a bit disappointing because no one really looks like they’re in good enough condition to be a track star. Everyone in the film talks about how good Gramps looks but Gramps actually spends the majority of the film looking like he might collapse at any moment.
The main problem with the film is Gramps is a kind of a jerk. From the minute he shows up in Tennessee, he’s giving orders and we can tell why his daughter thought he was too controlling. He moves in and immediately starts to tell Amy how to raise her son. Because Gramps goes to church, he demands that his grandchildren come with him. (Keep in mind, he doesn’t ask them to go to a church. He tells them that they have to come to his church.) He makes it clear that his grandchildren won’t be watching anything fantasy-related (like a Harry Potter movie) as long as he’s around. Gramps isn’t just opinionated. Instead, he comes across as being angry and rather aggressive. And yet, everyone just loves to be around him.
In this film, Parker appears to be playing the same character that he played in Gramps Goes To College. However, there’s a plot development that makes it impossible for this to be a prequel to Gamps Goes To College. At the same time, Gramps first gets his nickname in this film which means that Gramps Goes To College also couldn’t be considered a sequel. It’s not the film’s biggest problem but it is something that bothers a continuity nerd like me.
Despite all of those problems, this film does end with a priceless final line. Is Scott going to go prom with his new girlfriend? Actually, Scott might “lead a protest against Harry Potter …. because it’s what Gramps would have wanted.” The film is almost worth watching just to hear that one line.
Almost.
