Finally someone made a movie for straight guys who like to smoke pot and play video games. I thought this day would never come.
“Grandma’s Boy” revolves around Alex (Allen Covert), who works as a video game tester. Alex loses his apartment and needs a place to stay. He ends up at his co-worker Jeff’s house (played by stand-up comedian Nick Swardson, who also co-wrote the film with Covert). Due to a hilariously crass incident involving a Lara Croft action figure, Alex does not make it through the night. Alex soon finds himself staying with his Grandma Lilly (Doris Roberts, “Everybody Loves Raymond”) and her two elderly roommates Bea, an over-medicated pill popper, and an aging vixen named Grace (Shirley Jones, “The Partridge Family”).
Embarrased by the need to move in with his grandma, Alex lies to his co-workers, telling them that he is actually living with three female nymphomaniacs who keep him up all night with their elaborate sexual exploits.
The film develops into a loose story about Alex competing with cyber-dork JP, an obnoxious programmer who dresses as if he were in the matrix and constantly refers to himself as a genius. The two contend for the affections of Samantha (Linda Cardellini, “ER” and formerly of “Freeks and Geeks”) who has been brought into the company to facilitate with finishing a video game, “Eternal Death Slayer 3”, for distribution. This film culminates in a video game showdown between JP and Alex’s Grandma Lilly.
What the film lacks in plot, it makes up in sheer volume of laughs. It thrives on a cavalcade of absurd characters and their interactions amidst a seemingly endless series of events revolving around sex and weed.
Alex’s pot dealer, Dante, is my personal favorite scene stealer. Dante is on a never ending quest to find the perfect animal to guard his basement, such as a lion or a monkey trained in tae kwon do. This search is facilitated by the expertise of the multi-lingual witch doctor, Dr. Shakalu. At first the unexplained introduction of a witch doctor to the story is a little distracting, but it soon makes perfect sense, as he blends in seamlessly with the barrage of eccentric characters peppered throughout the film.
“Grandma’s Boy” is the directing debut of Nick Goossen, who shot the film in only 25 days, on a shoe-string budget of $5 million. The film’s executive producer is Goossen’s mentor, Adam Sandler. Although Sandler does not appear in the film himself, it is packed with regulars from his past movies, including “Saturday Night Live” alumni Kevin Nealon, Rob Schneider, and David Spade.
The movie’s official website, www.grandmasboymovie.com, is chock-full of trailers, scenes, games and music from the movie.
If you are looking for a break from all of the heavy Oscar season fare, or if you just want to see a very funny movie, look no further. “Grandma’s Boy” may not be under the consideration of The Academy, but it is sure to make you laugh.
