Is Robert De Niro unwell? The release of "Dirty Grandpa" last month suggests that yes, he has forsaken his past accomplishments as a national treasure thespian. It seems the man who once delighted us with culturally significant roles in "Taxi Driver," "Raging Bull," and "Goodfellas" made a choice somewhere along the line. One that would put his acting talent in the grave. But what was that choice?
I just saw "Dirty Grandpa." It was a standard Hollywood spring break plot with a bunch of piss and shit jokes thrown in. And that's cool. But where the hell did Vito Corleone go? Here are a few reasons that might clear the fog.
1. "The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle"
When De Niro took the role of Fearless Leader, he might as well have taken a dump on his Hollywood Walk of Fame star. Here he is paying "homage" to his role as Travis Bickle. It's darkly reminiscent of a man who's demeaning his best work, as if saying, "This is who I am now; I'm a guy with a funny voice." Strangely, the cast includes Jason Alexander, Randy Quaid, Janeane Garofalo, Kel Mitchell, and David Alan Grier. Did "The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle" kill the careers of everyone involved? (cue "The Twilight Zone" theme)
2. Someone told him he was the king of comedy.
Ironic. The "Fockers" franchise, "The Big Wedding," "New Year's Eve," "Last Vegas," and yes, "The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle" formed the malaise and subsequent disappointment behind what De Niro has become. It was probably his agent who saw the opportunity to make millions off these films (with relatively no time investment) and nudged him into them. Joel McHale even made a joke about it during the White House Correspondence Dinner in 2014: "I don't do a De Niro impression, but I do an impression of De Niro's agent: 'He'll do it!'" Spot on.
3. "The talent is in the choices."
Robert De Niro actually said this.
4. He was paid $35,000 for "Taxi Driver" and $20,000,000 for "Little Fockers."
C'est la vie. As is the way of Hollywood, once you get famous for legitimate roles you busted your ass on, your agent approaches you with a brilliant new film written and directed by Tyler Perry. But before you say "no," Mr. De Niro, you NEED to check out the salary! Even the most diligent researcher can't find how much he was paid for doing the Rocky and Bullwinkle flick (cue "The Twilight Zone" music again).
5. He became the straightest of straight men.
Do you remember De Niro in "Limitless" or "Machete?" Neither do I, which is weird considering he plays the main villain in both. Once a method actor who prepared for his daunting roles — he actually became a taxi driver in New York for "Taxi Driver," gained 60 pounds for "Raging Bull," and spending months learning the Sicilian dialect for "The Godfather: Part II" — now it appears there's no method to it at all.
6. Distractions, distractions.
One month before filming "Dirty Grandpa," De Niro and Australian billionaire (and Hillary fan — we'll get to that later) James Packer set up plans to build a $250 million resort on the Caribbean island of Antigua and Barbuda. "Dirty Grandpa" is widely being hailed as the lowest point in his career; he wasn't exactly thinking about wooing the Academy at the time. Coincidentally, he got into serious investing the year after "Goodfellas." Manhattan is littered with prime De Niro real estate. Is this what put his passion for acting on the back burner? Did method acting change to method money-making? No. 4 surely wouldn't refute this.
7. He endorsed Hillary Clinton for president.
Would Jimmy Conway endorse Hillary Clinton for president? Well, if she promised him leeway in making that little investment in the Caribbean succeed, then maybe (De Niro's son is also a major real estate wunderkind in New York; gotta get on the good side of the once-senator of the state).
8. "Righteous Kill" killed all hope for a comeback.
Nothing more needs to be said.
9. He became his character from "Jackie Brown."
Quentin Tarantino had a prophesy. Remember De Niro's part? He played Louis Gara, a once prolific bank robber who went to prison and came out a burnout. Samuel L. Jackson's character, Ordell, gets him back in the game, but he's become an unshaven loser who can't hack it. At this point in 1997, De Niro had all but ruled the gangster genre typecast, but a spat of lackluster films before and after "Jackie Brown" spelled doom. Master of casting Tarantino called it. Two years later he did "The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle (sorry to keep bringing that up, but it's just so bad).
10. Maybe he just entered early retirement.
We could give De Niro the benefit of the doubt. In the '70s and '80s, it's obvious that he wanted to make an impact on the niche of gangster drama. And he did. Perhaps the last couple decades he's been playing roles like he's playing a round of golf, or fishing — you know, things old people do for fun. Like Louis Gara, he called it quits, but remained in the game.
Maybe he was satisfied with his life's work a little too early.