Grandma's Boy

Grandma’s Boy

2006
Comedy
Rated: R
Running Time: 94 minutes
Starring: Linda Cardellini, Allen Covert, Peter Dante, Shirley Jones, Kevin Nealon, Doris Roberts, Nick Swardson, Jonah Hill
Directed By: Nicholaus Goossen
Rating: 6.5 out of 10

Outline

After getting evicted a 35 year old video game tester has to move in with his Grandma until he finds a place.

Review

This film has turned into a cult comedy classic. If you can believe it this movie actually made it to theatre and was not straight to DVD as many people think. I went to see In Good Company over this in theatre so I was clearly not wise like Yoda that day.  Anyways Grandma’s Boy has one of the thinnest plots imaginable. The story follows Alex a 35 year old video game tester and a group of his nerdy tester friends. They are in charge of making sure the new game Eternal Death Slayer 3 is released on time and with no hiccups. Yes this is the entire plot of this movie so don’t be shocked by its moronic storyline.

 The opening scene is the perfect gauge for if you are going to like this movie or not. A scene of Alex and his buddy smoking pot and playing video games is what this movie is all about. The jokes never get deeper than the standard and not so standard, drug references, sex references, even fart jokes are not off the table in this film. Because I never took this film too seriously I found myself immersed in a surprisingly funny film. The actors on screen seemed to be having fun so even when something might not have been particularly funny it was never a slow watch. This was very much an R rated Adam Sandler movie minus Adam Sandler. Maybe Sandler should take some notes because he has been putting out less than stellar comedies recently.

 If you were watching this movie and said to yourself “I have seen these guys somewhere before”. That is because you have. Most of the cast show up as bit parts in basically every Sandler movie ever made but have been given their chance to shine in this one. Lead character Alex played by Allen Covert did a good job in keeping the movie on track as the older video game tester. He is funny in all the right places and never tries to do too much with the role. Although a scene involving a Lara Croft Tomb Raider doll may suggest otherwise. His leading lady Samantha played by Linda Cardellini was a good fit as Alex’s straight laced boss.  She has the look if not the comedic chops for this film and that is all she needed to be. Although there are many funny people and cameos two actors stood out for me. The first being Alex’s friend Jeff played by the hit or miss Nick Swardson. Jeff always has something funny and usually sexual to say and Swardson will have most viewers laughing with his funny facial features and toilet humor. The second stand out was Alex’s Drug dealer Dante played by actor Peter Dante. Dante is so dumb he is funny. Importing foreign pets and selling weed does not seem so out of place for a character as clueless as he is. Whenever he is on screen it is a guaranteed good time. Jonah Hill, Kevin Nealon, Doris Roberts also have supporting roles if you are fans of theirs.

 The last character I have to mention was J.P. the genius video game creator played by Joel David Moore. This character was a miss for me but I can see him working for some people. In his Matrix style trench coat he paraded through the office with odd robot voices and weird sayings. He was moderately funny sometimes and just too weird in others. He was almost a weirder robotic version of Napoleon Dynamite, trust me it was strange.

 Bottom line is this movie is not going to win any awards for acting or style. What it will win is a steady stream of laughs with its low brow humor and interesting characters. Naked Drug Dealers, African Tribesmen, Asian karate masters, bikers, old senile people, and men addicted to hookers can all be expected and generate a fair amount of entertaining dialogue.

 Director Nicholaus Goossen does a decent job in his debut. With a ragtag cast of virtual nobodies he has crafted a well put together comedy. It is cast very well and seems to get better as the movie progresses. The flow of the movie is always smooth and a very easy watch. With limited plot it allows the film to shine on the humor side. I wouldn’t mind seeing him do another film with a more known cast to see what he can do.

 I give this movie a surprising recommendation for people who enjoy a simple entertaining film with plenty of pot references and risqué sexual humor. This has high (pun intended) re-watch value and is the best video game movie since the Wizard.

 T Factor + If you don’t need your movies to have a strong plot this could score higher on the rating scale.

 T Factor – If you do not like toilet humor this could score lower on the rating scale.

If you liked this film reel recommendations: Half Baked, Accepted.