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Aubrey Plaza Is Out Of Control In An Extremely Raunchy, R-Rated Comedy

By Robert Scucci
| Published

Dirty Grandpa 2016

2016’s Dirty Grandpa might actually be the worst attempt at comedy I’ve ever seen, but not for the reasons you’d think. A decent amount of jokes here land in the typical raunchy comedy fashion. Most of the humor hinges on Robert De Niro acting completely out of pocket in a way that would make your boomer parents gasp and say, “I can’t believe the things that are coming out of his mouth!”

De Niro fully commits to Dirty Grandpa’s ridiculous premise. He goes above and beyond. So does Zac Efron. So does Zoey Deutch. So does Aubrey Plaza. So does Jason Mantzoukas. Are you seeing a pattern here? Because it’s the pattern that prevents Dirty Grandpa from being a successful comedy. Everybody is funny, or at the very least trying to be funny at all times. When everything is funny, nothing is.

There’s Not A Single Straight Player In Dirty Grandpa

While I can’t say I was ever truly offended by what happens in Dirty Grandpa, bearing witness to Robert De Niro’s bare dong brushing against Zac Efron’s face wasn’t exactly welcome. I’m sure it was a prosthetic, a stunt wiener if you will, but I digress. I could have done without it, but they’re clearly going for shock value, so I can’t really fault a film for doing what it sets out to do.

The problem with Dirty Grandpa is that there’s not a single person playing it straight. In order for comedy like this to land, you need that balance or it just doesn’t work.

Dirty Grandpa 2016

Here’s the plot. Lieutenant Colonel Richard “Dick” Kelly (Robert De Niro) loses his wife, leaving him widowed. He promised her he’d live life to the fullest if she passed before him, and he sets out to do just that in the most extreme way possible. No sooner than her body is buried, Dick goes on an angry poon hunt, dragging his soon-to-be-married grandson Jason (Zac Efron) along as his wingman on a trip to Boca Raton, Florida.

Jason has his reservations because he has wedding obligations of his own. His fiancée, Meredith (Julianne Hough), pretty much has him whipped, and this last-minute trip with his grandfather doesn’t sit well with her. Not knowing the full extent of Dick’s depraved desires, she lets it happen but keeps constant tabs on Jason to make sure he doesn’t step out of line.

Dirty Grandpa 2016

Spoiler alert: Jason, and Dick, step out of line.

They meet a group of college kids: Jason’s former classmate and crush Shadia (Zoey Deutch), along with her spring break friends, the oversexed Lenore (Aubrey Plaza) and token gay tagalong Bradley (Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman). They plan to reconnect later when Dick learns about Lenore’s fantasy of sleeping with an older man. This works out perfectly for Dick, who, by his estimation, hasn’t gotten laid in nearly 20 years.

Sex, Drugs, And The Forbidden Karaoke 

Dirty Grandpa 2016

No matter where they go in Dirty Grandpa, they’re always within arm’s reach of Pam (Jason Mantzoukas), a local drug dealer who shows up to get everybody wasted. Jason accidentally vapes crack. Lenore aggressively hits on Dick. Meredith FaceTimes Jason at the worst possible moments: naked, covered in drawn-on wieners, hungover, you name it. It’s all so insane that the police officer played by Henry Zebrowski, best known as the most over-the-top host of Last Podcast on the Left, ends up being the most subdued person in the entire movie. The one guy I’ve never seen play it straight is somehow the de facto straight man in Dirty Grandpa.

Robert De Niro asks his new Black friends “if he can say it” before dropping N-bombs during karaoke. Zac Efron gets arrested for exposing himself to a minor. Aubrey Plaza speaks almost entirely in sexually charged euphemisms. It just keeps going.

Dirty Grandpa 2016

I’m not here to say that Dirty Grandpa is terrible because it’s in poor taste. That’s the whole point. That’s not the issue. The problem is there’s too much shtick and not enough character development. There’s no real emotional throughline to carry the story. Everybody is dialed up to 11, and there’s no room to breathe. It feels like they were aiming for Bad Santa but landed closer to Bio-Dome. There’s no depth if you’re only exploring one dimension.

There are some great stand-alone moments in Dirty Grandpa, and it thrives on offending your sensibilities. But without any substance, the humor wears thin fast, which is a shame because everybody clearly understood the assignment.

Dirty Grandpa is currently streaming on Hulu.

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NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for March 25, 2026

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is for people who like sneakers.

As we’ve shared in previous hints stories, this is a version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.

Like the original Connections, the game is all about finding the “common threads between words.” And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier — so we’ve served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today’s puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for the latest Connections solution. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO:

Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

What is Connections: Sports Edition?

The NYT‘s latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication’s sports coverage. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there’s only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake — players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

SEE ALSO:

Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL.

Here’s a hint for today’s Connections: Sports Edition categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

Here are today’s Connections: Sports Edition categories

Need a little extra help? Today’s connections fall into the following categories:

Looking for Wordle today? Here’s the answer to today’s Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today’s puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today’s Connections: Sports Edition #548 is…

What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?

  • Games Played on a Table – AIR HOCKEY, FOOSBALL, POOL, SNOOKER

  • Nike Shoes – AIR FORCE 1, BLAZER, PEGASUS, SHOX

  • Giants Greats – BONDS, MAYS, OTT, POSEY

  • NBA___ – ALL-STAR, CUP, DRAFT, FINALS

Don’t feel down if you didn’t manage to guess it this time. There will be new sports Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we’ll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today’s Strands.

If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Connections.


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NYT Pips hints, answers for March 25, 2026

Welcome to your guide to Pips, the latest game in the New York Times catalogue.

Released in August 2025, the Pips puts a unique spin on dominoes, creating a fun single-player experience that could become your next daily gaming habit.

Currently, if you’re stuck, the game only offers to reveal the entire puzzle, forcing you to move onto the next difficulty level and start over. However, we have you covered! Below are piecemeal answers that will serve as hints so that you can find your way through each difficulty level.

How to play Pips

If you’ve ever played dominoes, you’ll have a passing familiarity for how Pips is played. As we’ve shared in our previous hints stories for Pips, the tiles, like dominoes, are placed vertically or horizontally and connect with each other. The main difference between a traditional game of dominoes and Pips is the color-coded conditions you have to address. The touching tiles don’t necessarily have to match.

SEE ALSO:

Wordle today: Answer, hints for March 25, 2026

The conditions you have to meet are specific to the color-coded spaces. For example, if it provides a single number, every side of a tile in that space must add up to the number provided. It is possible – and common – for only half a tile to be within a color-coded space.

Here are common examples you’ll run into across the difficulty levels:

  • Number: All the pips in this space must add up to the number.

  • Equal: Every domino half in this space must be the same number of pips.

  • Not Equal: Every domino half in this space must have a completely different number of pips.

  • Less than: Every domino half in this space must add up to less than the number.

  • Greater than: Every domino half in this space must add up to more than the number.

If an area does not have any color coding, it means there are no conditions on the portions of dominoes within those spaces.

SEE ALSO:

NYT Strands hints, answers for March 25, 2026

Easy difficulty hints, answers for March 25 Pips

Equal (2): Everything in this space must be equal to 2. The answer is 2-2, placed horizontally; 2-5, placed horizontally.

Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 2-5, placed horizontally.

Number (6): Everything in this space must add up to 6. The answer is 6-3, placed vertically.

Number (14): Everything in this space must add up to 14. The answer is 5-5, placed horizontally; 4-4, placed horizontally.

Equal (4): Everything in this space must be equal to 4. The answer is 0-4, placed vertically; 4-4, placed horizontally.

Medium difficulty hints, answers for March 25 Pips

Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 2-6, placed horizontally.

Equal (6): Everything in this space must be equal to 6. The answer is 2-6, placed horizontally; 5-6, placed horizontally; 6-1, placed horizontally.

Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 5-0, placed vertically.

Equal (5): Everything in this space must be equal to 5. The answer is 5-0, placed vertically; 5-6, placed horizontally; 5-3, placed vertically.

Equal (1): Everything in this orange space must be equal to 1. The answer is 6-1, placed horizontally; 3-1, placed horizontally.

Equal (3): Everything in this space must be equal to 5. The answer is 5-3, placed vertically; 3-3, placed horizontally; 3-1, placed horizontally.

Number (1): Everything in this space must add up to 1. The answer is 1-0, placed horizontally.

Hard difficulty hints, answers for March 25 Pips

Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 4-0, placed vertically; 1-2, placed horizontally.

Number (8): Everything in this space must add up to 8. The answer is 1-2, placed horizontally; 6-6, placed horizontally.

Equal (0): Everything in this space must be equal to 0. The answer is 4-0, placed vertically; 0-6, placed vertically; 0-2, placed horizontally.

Less than (3): Everything in this space must be less than 3. The answer is 0-2, placed horizontally.

Number (7): Everything in this space must add up to 7. The answer is 6-6, placed horizontally; 1-3, placed vertically.

Equal (6): Everything in this space must be equal to 6. The answer is 0-3, placed vertically; 6-5, placed vertically; 6-4, placed horizontally.

Greater than (3): Everything in this space must be greater than 3. The answer is 6-4, placed horizontally.

Number (6): Everything in this space must add up to 6. The answer is -3, placed vertically; 3-0, placed vertically.

Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 6-5, placed vertically.

Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 0-5, placed horizontally.

Equal (5): Everything in this space must be equal to 5. The answer is 0-5, placed horizontally; 5-5, placed horizontally.

Number (6): Everything in this space must add up to 6. The answer is 3-0, placed vertically; 4-2, placed vertically.

If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

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We found the best MacBook deals during Amazons Big Spring Sale — including the MacBook Neo

Amazon’s third annual Big Spring Sale runs from March 25 to 31, and the opening day of the sale already features deals on must-have tech — including flagship Apple products. Apple just refreshed and expanded its MacBook lineup earlier this month, and some of the new Apple laptops are already on sale.

The colorful new MacBook Neo with Touch ID is a whopping — wait for it — $9 off. (Don’t forget about the Apple Store’s $100 education discount.) Of course, there are better deals to be had.

Amazon’s biggest discount thus far is going to a 15-inch M4 model with 24GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, which is now $300 off — its lowest price ever. You can also score 13-inch M4 MacBook Airs starting at $899. Remember: Apple has discontinued the M4 MacBooks, so once supplies dry up, they’ll only be available on the refurbished market.

SEE ALSO:

Amazon’s Big Spring Sale is back: The best deals already live on Apple, robot vacuums, headphones, and more

The brand-new M5 MacBook Airs and M5 Pro/Max MacBook Pros are all $50 off for the Big Spring Sale, and that’s probably going to be as cheap as they get for now. (The then-new M4 models got the same discount last year.) Look for better deals in a couple of months come Prime Day.

This is just day one of the Big Spring Sale, and Mashable will be keeping track of all the latest MacBook price drops. Check back to be the first to know about the top Apple deals.

Note: Deals marked with a 🔥 have dropped to a record-low price.

Best MacBook Air deal

$949
at Amazon

$1,199
Save $250

 

Why we like it

The 13-inch M4 MacBook Air may be a last-gen laptop, but it’s still an incredibly capable ultraportable, now $250 off for its lowest-ever price. It’s faster than much pricier Windows laptops, and it has the same 12MP Center Stage webcam, Liquid Retina display, and 18-hour battery life as its new M5 counterpart. This particular model is also well future-proofed amid the ongoing RAM crunch — thanks, AI.

Read Mashable’s full review of the Apple MacBook Air (M4).

MacBook Neo deals

More MacBook Air deals

MacBook Pro deals

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