Tired of being pushed around, a quiet boy asks the one person he trusts for help, his grandpa. But what his grandpa teaches him isn’t just how to fight back… it’s how to stand tall.

‘SPOILER ALERT’

A young boy named Peter walks into school with his friends. A large sign welcomes them to 6th grade but adds a sense of fear to the new 6th graders. Peter’s gut tells him he’s about to have a terrible school year. This gut feeling turns out to be true as a bully suddenly grabs his backpack and throws it in a garbage can like a basketball. He watches as the bully high-fives his friend and walks away.

He doesn’t seem surprised that this happened and goes to retrieve his bag while the lunch bell goes off. No one likes their grade because they’re the youngest in the school and generally the easiest to pick on. Billy believes he’s going to have a great school year because he’s growing a beard. His friends examine his face and break the news that he, in fact, isn’t growing one.

The young friends go to their class for the first period when Peter lets them know that his granddad stole his room. They all wonder when his granddad came to live with them, and he says it happened after he robbed a supermarket.

Some days ago, Ed, Peter’s granddad, walked around a grocery store and picked various items. He searched for the attendant so he could check out, but her station was closed. A store manager stood before him with a strange smile on his face and said they’ve upgraded to self-checkout. Ed asked if the prices of goods would become any lower as he’d be the one doing all the work instead of a physical attendant.

Not being a fan of modern-day technology, Ed failed to properly use the self-checkout and tried leaving the store with the goods he hadn’t paid for. The manager rushed to stop him but suddenly got attacked. Several senior citizens saw what was happening and rushed to assist Ed as they believed he was being harassed by the manager. Some people were generally unhappy with the store’s new policy and took their frustration out on the manager.

Later that day, Sally, Ed’s daughter, and Peter’s mother arrive at Ed’s house and ask him questions about the recent events. It doesn’t take long for her to realize that he’s still driving even though he lost his license.

Sally helps herself into the house and gets into an argument with Ed. She pours out her frustration regarding his behavior and tries suggesting he move to a retirement home. This suggestion doesn’t sit well with Ed, as he points out how he’d rather die in the house he built than be shipped off to a retirement home. His point doesn’t change Sally’s mind as she asks Ed to move into her home.

Ed sees it as a bad idea, but Sally convinces him by saying they can miss his deceased wife and her mother together. Ed agrees but wonders where he’ll sleep. That’s where the trouble begins as Arthur, Sally’s husband and Peter’s dad, breaks the news to Peter that his grandpa is going to stay in his room and he’ll have to move to the attic.

Peter is frustrated by this news and is mostly upset because he doesn’t get a say in his parents’ decision. Sally lets him know that Ed can’t stay in the attic as it doesn’t have a bathroom and the stairs will be a problem. Arthur assures him that he’s going to love his new room once they’re done renovating it, but Peter isn’t having any of their explanations.

Not long after, Ed arrives, and Sally helps him with his luggage. Peter’s younger sister, Jenny, dances around in excitement, while his older sister, Mia, is unbothered by his arrival. Everyone except Peter then goes outside to welcome Ed, and he ignores them when they call out to him. The kids help Ed with his luggage, and Ed takes his time walking into his new home.

As Ed settles into his new room, Peter knocks on the door and hugs his granddad. He asks about the room and walks around while making comments that tag Ed as an infiltrator. Ed apologizes as he didn’t intend to take what belonged to Peter.

Back in school, Peter’s friends feel bad for him as he talks about how he doesn’t even have a right to complain about what’s happening. Billy, who claims he won’t be as tolerant as Peter, comes up with a wild plan. He suggests that Peter goes to war with Ed to reclaim what’s rightfully his.

Meanwhile, Ed puts some music on and loses himself in the thought of his deceased wife while staring at the sunset. Jenny excitedly skips into the room and asks if he wants to play a game. Ed isn’t interested in playing games or watching movies, and he promises to have fun with her the following day.

Wondering what’s wrong with her granddad, Jenny goes to Sally and asks why all he does is stare out the window and listen to music. Sally explains that Ed still misses his deceased wife and thinks about her a lot. Jenny understands and runs along to find fun elsewhere.

Meanwhile, Peter returns home from school and walks to his new room in frustration. The scary attic lives up to its reputation as a bat startles him by flying around. Peter tries running away but almost gives himself a concussion by running head-first into a piece of wood. As if that wasn’t enough, a rat crawls around and begins nibbling on the wire that powers Peter’s lightbulb, causing it to go out while he’s studying.

Realizing he has no other choice than to reclaim what’s rightfully his, Peter sends Ed a declaration of war and gives him twenty-four hours to return his bedroom. Ed reads the letter and doesn’t seem interested in participating in Peter’s war.

The following morning, Ed talks to his old friend Jerry over the phone and tries to avoid physically meeting up with him. Sally notices what’s going on, and seeing that Ed needs time out of the house, intercepts the call and says she’ll drop Ed off at Jerry’s place on her way to work. Ed isn’t happy with this but Sally doesn’t intend on changing her mind.

Peter menacingly stares at Ed and asks if he slept well. Ed enjoyed his night and asks if they receive the newspaper. Sally yanks Arthur’s iPad out of his hand and gives it to Ed, who doesn’t know how to use it. Peter tries talking about the declaration of war but Ed doesn’t pay attention to him and tries figuring out how to get the iPad to work properly.

At school, Peter updates his friends on his situation and how Ed didn’t even comment on the letter he wrote. Billy points out that he has lost the element of surprise and must begin an all-out attack on his granddad. While they’re talking, the school bullies suddenly walk to their table, take a plate of chilli, and pour it into Peter’s bag.

Elsewhere, Arthur is at work, and his boss notices that he’s working on the wrong project. Arthur apologizes and laments about how his father-in-law now lives with them and doesn’t like him because he works for a company that seemingly doesn’t care about its employees. Unknown to Arthur, his boss walked away shortly after he started talking, which somewhat proved Ed’s point.

Sally and Ed arrive at Jerry’s house and she hands Ed a phone he can use in getting a ride home. Ed pulls out his rusty-old phone and says he’s covered. Sally says that’s not a phone anymore and shows him how order a ride.

Ed plays games with Jerry and is compares the set up to a college kids dreams. Jerry corrects him and says a college kid can’t afford his set up. The duo thinks of what to do first when Danny, Jerry’s friend, walks into the room. They decide to take a walk through the park and Danny complements the joggers passing by.

Jerry asks Ed how he’s fairing in Sally’s house and he says it’s alright. He mentions how Peter isn’t happy that he’s there and shows them the declaration of war he sent. They’re shocked that Ed didn’t react to Peter’s threat and even encourages him to react. Ed still isn’t interested in going against his grandson and they continue their walk.

That night, Peter makes his first move and sends a RC car with a speaker on it to Ed’s room. The speaker suddenly goes off, which startles Ed and causes him to jump out of bed. Ed tries getting to it to stop the noise but isn’t fast enough. He ends up falling to the ground and finds a note that says thieves shouldn’t sleep well attached to the car.

Knowing who was behind his sudden night fright, Ed goes to the attic to talk to Peter, who’s pretending to be asleep. He wakes Peter up and lets him know he’s not a fan of having people play tricks on him. Peter reminds him that they’re at war, but Ed refuses to participate and says everything should go back to normal by morning. He wishes Peter goodnight and leaves the room just as Peter says the war is far from over.

The next morning, Jenny goes to Ed’s room and looks around. She reminds Ed of her upcoming birthday and suddenly gains interest in a jar of marbles. Ed gets her to sit on his thigh and tells the story of how he got the marbles when he was into construction. The marbles represent the number of houses he built before going into retirement.

Jenny is fascinated by his story and asks if she can have one. Ed agrees, and as he tries handing her one, he realizes he’s unable to pick up the jar. The jar suddenly shatters and sends marbles flying across the room. Knowing how dangerous marbles can be when they’re scattered on the floor, he instructs Jenny not to move. Unfortunately, Ed trips on the marbles and falls to the ground. Some of the marbles roll down the drain, leaving him with only a few.

Knowing that this was Peter’s attack, Ed decides to take part in the war and instructs Peter to come to his room that night. Peter walks in, and after shutting the door behind him, Ed asks about the jar of marbles. Peter says the war will come to an end once Ed tells Sally and Arthur that he wants to move to the attic.

Unwilling to oblige, Ed walks to the table and pulls out a piece of paper while asking for the rules of engagement. Peter doesn’t know what that means but soon understands that it means the actions that can’t be carried out during the war. They both agree not to involve the rest of their family and not to tell on the other person. They both sign the rules of engagement and set out for war.

The next day, Ed tries to relax and listen to some music from his record player. The soft and touching music suddenly doubles in speed, and the record flies off the player. It hits several surfaces before shattering a lampstand and going out the window.

Seemingly unphased by the attack, Ed goes to take a shower and tries shaving his beard. He applies the shaving cream, and as he tries using the razor, it hits the hardened cream that’s now stuck to his face. Ed soon realizes that Peter has struck again and he applied fast drying foam sealant. Arthur walks into the bathroom and finds Ed punching himself in the face. With the most menacing tone ever, Ed instructs Arthur to never speak of it and Arthur agrees.

After breakfast that morning, Peter prepares for school, and Ed reminds him to pick up his binder. He goes to school, where he meets his friends and gives an update on his war. Seeing that Peter is disturbing the class, the teacher asks him to read his report on what he did during his summer vacation.

Peter gets up to read, and it doesn’t take long for him to realize that the report in his binder isn’t the one he did. Turns out Ed had switched his reports, and the entire class laughs at Peter before his teacher tells him to have his seat.

Back at the house, Ed sets his plan in motion and enters Peter’s room with some power tools. Downstairs, Sally catches Mia with her friend Russell, who she doesn’t like. She asks Russell to leave, and Mia begins throwing a tantrum. She’s unable to give an excuse and storms off while Sally drops off some groceries.

After school, Peter returns home and goes to his room. Everything seems alright at first but he realizes he’s been attacked when he drops his backpack on the table and it crumbles. Peter is taken aback and sits on his chair, which also crumbles and sends him crashing to the ground. Even his bed-frame crumbles when he sits on it.

Ed goes golfing with his friends, and they laugh about how hard he struck back at Peter. He takes a swing at the golf ball, and the tip of his golf flub flies through someone’s window. Ed looks at the club and realizes Peter has struck again.

Later, Ed goes to a supermarket to get some supplies for his next attack. He comes across one of his worse enemies, the self-checkout machine. He meets a worker named Diane, who offers to help and also wonders why he’s buying those particular items. Ed explains he’s in an active turf war with his grandson and needs those items to win.

That night, Ed watches TV with Sally, Arthur, and Jenny when Mia walks in. She tells everyone she’s going to study at her friend’s house, but Sally knows she’s going to see Russell. Ed chips in and asks Sally to let her daughter be with whoever she wants to be with. He gives himself as an example and talks about how he regrets the time he couldn’t spend with Sally because they were arguing over the man she wanted to be with.

Arthur is happy that Ed finally respects him but his joy is short lived as Ed points out he hates Arthur’s career. Annoyed by Ed’s comments, Arthur gets up and takes Jenny to bed.

Morning comes and Ed tries using one of the tools he bought from the store. He activates a drone but doesn’t know how to operate it and ends up seeking Jenny’s help. Jenny teaches him how to pilot the drone and Ed uses it to spy on Peter.

Meanwhile, Peter plays video games with his friends, and Emma, who is seemingly the most normal person amongst them, tells him to put in the same energy as studying math. Ed overhears their conversation and finds that Peter is more interested in his game than in school. With this information, he plans for one of his greatest attacks.

While no one’s looking, Peter grabs a bunch of Ed’s cookies and replaces the filling with toothpaste. As if one plan weren’t enough for the night, he sneaks out of the house and purchases a mystery package from Billy.

Later that night, Ed sleeps in his room and notices he isn’t alone in bed. After turning on the lights, he raises the blanket beside and finds a snake slithering around his bed. Turns out this was Peter’s mystery package. The snake follows Ed around as he tries to leave and he thinks of a way to escape.

While this is happening, Arthur tries stealing one of Ed’s cookies. Unfortunately, he falls victim to Peter’s attack and spits it out the moment he puts it in his mouth. Realizing he doesn’t have any other options, Ed jumps out the window and hangs onto the roof. Arthur sees him dangling, and they both scream at each other in shock before Ed eventually falls off.

After the events of the previous night, Sally and Arthur discuss with Ed and hand him a Vital Alert necklace. Ed is completely against wearing it and tells them he doesn’t need it. Sally doesn’t believe him and speaks on how Arthur has mentioned that he’s been acting strange around the house. He eventually agrees to put on the necklace just to make his daughter happy.

Ed gets on with his most diabolical attack yet. While Peter isn’t home, he goes to his room and destroys the virtual city he’s been building for years. Peter’s friends find him depressed in his room and try to comfort him for his tragic loss.

While Ed relaxes in his room, Peter sends him a text saying they need to talk. They decide to have a meeting regarding the war with Jenny as the mediator. Peter yells about how Ed touched his computer but Ed reminds him that they’re at war. He continues yelling and notices how Jenny favors Ed instead of him. Jenny admits to being bribed by Ed and Peter storms out in anger.

Not wanting to allow things to escalate, Ed follows Peter and tries to explain how terrible war is. He suggests that they bring their rivalry to an end by one final competition where the winner takes all. Ed also decides to be the bigger person by allowing Peter to choose whatever competition he wants.

Peter makes his choice, and Ed realizes he needs to form a team. He goes to the store, where he meets Diane and tells her he needs a woman on his team to go up against his grandson and his friends. Diane’s interest in joining surprises Ed, as he doesn’t expect her to want to be a part of his war.

The teams assemble at a Sky Zone Open Jump arena where the deciding competition was dodgeball. Peter and his friends flip around and showed off some of their skills in an attempt to terrify their opponents.

The teams throw shades at each other to reduce their opponent’s morale and mess with their heads. The referee blows his whistle, signaling that the first round should begin. Peter’s team dominates the first round as Ed’s team is out of shape and out of balance. They lose the round in record time and Ed devices a plan for the next round.

The second round begins, and Ed’s team allows the youngsters rush for the ball. Instead of being on the offence, they play defense and catch all the balls thrown at them. The round suddenly takes a turn as Peter’s team is left unarmed and Ed’s team knocks them out one by one, with Steve being the last one to be knocked out.

The final round commences and both teams are evenly matched. Jerry pretends to be down and uses the chance to take out Billy. Ed and Peter are the last on their teams and both throw their balls at the same time. They both catch their balls and the ref decides that it’s a tie. Neither Ed or Peter agrees to be called the loser and they argue as they leave the arena.

Ed returns home that night and finds Arthur working on a building design. The design is different from what Arthur does with his company, and Ed likes that he’s trying to be independent. Arthur doubts that the design will amount to anything, leading Ed to give him some fatherly advice that cheers him up.

Later that night, Peter sneaks into Ed’s room and activates his Vital Alert necklace without him knowing. He goes to school the next morning and wears a maniacal smile on his face as he sees emergency units rushing to his house. Several paramedics rush into Ed’s room and begin restraining him as he’s startled. He tries his best to explain that he’s alright but they don’t listen and go on with their emergency response.

Ed shows up at Peter’s school once to pick him up and comes in a shady car. Even the driver seems intimidating, and Peter hesitates to enter. His friends take a step back as they don’t want to get involved in whatever he’s gotten himself into.

Peter reluctantly agrees to get into the car and they drive off. Ed, who’s dressed like a mafia boss, terrifies Peter with his behaviour, and they drive to what seems like the middle of nowhere. Ed steps out of the car, and Peter tries to convince Chuck, the driver, to let him go because he has a bright future ahead.

Ed startles Peter as he returns and takes him to a rented boat. With a smile on his face, he tells Peter that he wants them to fish together, and Peter tries his best not to be excited about it. The duo has a lot of fun while fishing, and Ed says it happens when enemies put their differences aside.

While they continue having fun, a man rows towards them and casually informs them that it’s illegal to fish in that river. Peter and Ed are shocked by this information and turn around to see the ranger coming towards them. They immediately dump the fish and flee the area to avoid getting into more trouble. The ranger pursues them, but neither of their vehicles is what you’d call a speed boat.

The duo gets to the shore, where Chuck returns with his car in the nick of time and they’re able to jump in and escape before the ranger gets to them. Peter admits that he had a lot of fun, especially the running away part, but Ed reminds him that it’s not okay to commit crimes.

They arrive at their next destination, and Ed shows Peter a house that’s for sale. Ed talks about how he enjoys watching people live their lives and be happy in the buildings he’s created, and it always comforts him to see them. They walk to a widow, and Ed points out that every contractor has a signature they leave on their work.

Ed’s signature is that he puts a picture of him and his deceased wife in the wall beside the fireplace. Peter realizes there are probably hundreds of houses with Ed’s and his grandma’s picture in them and he finds it to be really cool.

The duo returns home that night and Sally is happy to see that they’re bonding. Peter thanks Ed for taking him fishing because he had a great time. Ed tries opening his door with his shoulder going through first but he suddenly falls and lands on the door. Turns out that Peter removed the door’s hinges and had struck yet again.

Peter goes to school the next day and sits with his friends during their lunch break. The bullies arrive again to cause their daily dose of mayhem. This time, they get a small taste of their own medicine as a weird fluid shoots into one’s face while he’s trying to ransack Peter’s bag. The trap was put by Ed to get Peter but ended up embarrassing the bullies. In a fit of rage, the bullies pursue Peter and end up sending him to the infirmary with a bloody nose.

Sometime later, Ed accompanies Jerry to the funeral of one of his adventure buddies. Ed tries to comfort him, but his phone begins to ring with a strange ringtone. His phone falls out of his hand and into the open casket. Things get even more awkward as the phone moves down the deceased man’s pants and towards his leg. Ed finally retrieves the device and leaves the building after turning it off.

Back at the house, the family prepares for Jenny’s birthday and hang up Christmas lights because it’s a Christmas themed party. Ed asks Peter how school went and is shocked to hear that he got beaten up by the bullies. Shortly after, Sally returns with some items and is distressed as she doesn’t know where to get someone to play Santa Claus for Jenny’s birthday party.

Ed tells Sally not to worry because he’ll get it sorted out. Mia suddenly steps out of the house and asks Sally if she can invite Russell to the birthday party. Sally refuses without even thinking twice, and Mia throws another tantrum before walking away. As Peter gets off the ladder, Ed suggests they call a peace treaty on Jenny’s birthday to avoid interfering with her special day. They both come to an agreement and shake on it.

Sometime later, the school bullies step out of school while harassing a smaller kid. They suddenly run into Ed and Danny, who have come to settle some scores. Jerry appears behind the bullies, and one of them runs away in fear. Ed asks the kid if he knows Peter and warns him to stay away from his grandson. To emphasize how serious he is, the gang grabs the bully and throws him in the trash, leaving him to struggle and find his way out.

Jenny’s birthday finally arrives, and Sally surprises her with all the cool Christmas decorations and effects. She wishes her a Merry Birthday before leaving her to run along and join her friends. Peter supervises the playing children while talking to his friends. He expects Ed to play Santa and has booby-trapped the chair he’s meant to sit on.

This idea proves to be a terrible one as Santa arrives, and Peter realizes Jerry is the one wearing the suit and not his granddad. Ed sits with Danny and Diane, and they try to convince him to be at ease because Peter won’t break the truce. Peter walks to him and asks why he’s not the one playing Santa. Suspecting that something’s up, Ed asks Peter if he has a problem with his decision.

Peter hands Ed a drink before walking away, and as Ed opens it, it bursts in his face. Diane asks him to believe it’s just a coincidence and let it slide. While Jerry attends to the kids, Peter tries his best to defuse the booby trap but gets interrupted by Arthur, who asks for assistance at the grill.

The mischievous rat appears again and chews on the Christmas lights, causing them to malfunction. Sally asks Ed to check on them while also instructing Peter to make the bouncy house bouncier. Ed then fetches a ladder and finds the damaged part of the Christmas lights.

He gets distracted when he sees Peter messing with some wires. The exposed part touches his metal ladder, electrocuting him and causing him to fall backwards into the bouncy house. Sally notices what happened and rushes to make sure Ed isn’t injured.

Ed crawls out of the bouncy house and asks Peter why he went against their agreement. Peter swears he has nothing to do with his electrocution, but his booby trap activates and sends Jerry flying out of the seat. He admits to being guilty of that aspect, and Jerry staggers into a Christmas tree while trying to stand up. This causes the Christmas tree to catch fire, and Arthur, being the genius that he is, sprays himself in the face with the fire extinguisher.

He accidentally hits the person behind him, causing her to land face-first in Jenny’s birthday cake. To make matters even worse, a Christmas decoration swings off the roof and slams on a dead tree. Everything seems alright at first, but the tree suddenly starts to fall.

In an act of heroism, Ed dives in and pushes Peter out of the way before the tree lands on the house. It breaks a large hole in the wall and exposes Mia for sneaking Russell into the house. Ed asks for help and is rushed to the hospital, where he has his injuries attended to.

As soon as the nurse steps out of the room, Sally questions Ed for agreeing to go to war with a child. Ed takes the blame and asks Sally not to punish Peter. He also offers to pay for all the damages but Sally makes it clear that she isn’t upset because of the house or the money. She expected Ed to have changed his mind on living alone but his actions show that he’s not happy staying with them.

Jenny and Arthur walk into the room, and Jenny is happy to see that Ed is alright. The nurse steps in and lets them know that Ed will be discharged as soon as the doctor reads the X-rays. Everyone leaves Ed alone in the room, and he’s visibly disturbed for making them feel bad.

In the waiting room, Arthur tells Peter and Mia that they’re in big trouble, and Sally gets annoyed when she sees Russell looking through the window. She runs after him as he tries to escape and eventually tackles him. Realizing she’s making a mistake, Sally decides to accept Russell and invites him to the house.

Unknown to them, Ed used the distraction as an opportunity to leave the hospital but the nurse tells them that Chuck picked him up. The family rushes home to search for him but don’t find him. Everyone wonders where he went, then Peter has an idea after staring at the fireplace for some time.

The family rushes to the house where Ed and Peter stopped by after fishing, and Peter tells them he wants to finally end their war. He runs into the house, where he finds Ed sitting, and begs him to come home. Peter finally realizes that the attic is not such a bad place, and he cares more about having his granddad around than owning the room. He also realizes that war isn’t as fun as he thinks it is, and this realization convinces Ed to come home.

Three months pass and the damage to the house is finally fixed. Peter prepares to go fishing with Ed, but Ed cancels because he has other plans. Wondering what’s so important, Peter watches as Ed leaves the house and sees that he’s going on a date with Diane. He stares at them menacingly and begins to plot his revenge.

Peter lived as an entitled child who was unwilling to make sacrifices, even for his family. His war against Ed finally opened his eyes to reason and allowed him to see that there’s more to life than always getting what you want at the expense of others. Do you think Peter truly learnt his lesson, or was it just a bluff to strike the greatest prank?

The War With Grandpa 2020.