07/28/06 Grandma's Boy

Grandma's Boy (2006), directed by Nicholaus Goossen

watched w/ Leslie (partially); DVD rental (Netflix) @ home & car ride (Raleigh, NC)

What would happen if you took all the components of a typical Adam Sandler movie (usually critically panned, publicly lauded with blockbuster earnings)...plugged them into yet another goofy comedy, minus one starring role of Mr. Sandler? Well, surprisingly...you still get a quality low-brow movie. Here are all the usual band of idiots that Sandler (who produced) collaborates with to find comedic success; with actors/friends Allen Covert (who plays lead Alex), Peter Dante (stoner Dante), Jonathan Loughran, Frank Coraci (who also directed Sandler hits "Wedding Singer" and "The Waterboy"), and SNL-alum buddies David Spade, Rob Schneider (you can do it), and Kevin Nealon. Go ahead and throw in new funnymen Nick Swardson (Jeff) & Joel Moore (J.P.), one hottie love interest Linda Cardellini (Samantha), and three geriatric grannies with attitude including Doris Roberts ("Everybody Loves Raymond") and Shirley Jones (mom from "Partridge Family"). Now that I'm done name-dropping...the plot is simple, stupid and effective. Alex is a 35-year old video game tester who likes to get stoned with his buddies and make fun of the pimply-faced virgins he works with. Once he gets kicked out of his apartment, he's forced to move in with his grandma & her friends...putting a cramp on his partying lifestyle. He meets a girl at work (also his supervisor), has to deal with nerdy-Matrix-loving wunderkind J.P. (who thinks he's a robot), and listen to the advice of his best bud Jeff (who still lives at home & sleeps in a race-car bed). Yes, lots of inappropriate humor, giants jabs at the video-gaming industry as a geeky whole, stoner laughs & gags, and unlikely romantic pairings (yes, mama's boy Jeff hooks up with Partridge Family mom). It's all silly stuff, but if you drink grandma's special "tea" with the Mary Jane left in the vase...you will be laughing your ass off too. Check out the hilarious outtakes to, where everybody basically tries to one-up each other with the dialogue.

3 out of 5 stars