The stoner comedy genre is one packed with films that either hit or miss. Sadly the joke of the slacker stoner with a hidden talent who falls in love with the beautiful, but usually miscast sweet natured woman gets old really quick. While there are those stories that somehow rise above the formula such as Dazed and Confused usually the audience is subject to the same tired old humour.Grandma's Boy has an interesting premise though. Alex is mid thirties game tester who's been kicked out of his apartment and takes residence with his grandma and her two roommates. When he's not testing a video game that was designed by an eccentric, but incredibly weird developer he's creating his own game that he hopes will one day see the market.
Enter the love interest Samantha who's a program manager hired to ensure the latest video game gets released on time. Pretty and with a sharp wit, Samantha easily fits in with the slacker crowd of video game enthusiasts. Instead of her being put off by their antics and lack of social graces she finds them sweet and somewhat charming.
Grandma's Boy does little to enhance the genre, but doesn't really bring it to any new lows. The plot is as thin as one can write and the jokes can be funny, but too much of them fall flat. The one liners may give you a chuckle, but a lot of the staged gags feel too American Pie-ish. Still the characters are sweet natured and highly like able, especially the old folk. Critics have not been kind to this film, but it's not as terrible as one makes out. It's just not as funny as a comedy should be. If you smoke a lot of pot or are involved in the gaming industry in any way I can recommend this, but otherwise I think you're better off watching Half Baked.
Thanks to Mizzle for submitting this. Wanna see a film reviewed by Wiwille? Drop me an email or comment and you'll see it soon on Erik's Ramblings. Rules are posted here.
"The kind of laid-back goofball comedy custom-designed to chase away any self-respecting respectable person and play to the good-natured slackers out there in the dark. If you're among the latter, you've found a home. If you're not, you have been warned." - Gene Seymour
11 comments:
I had not heard of this movie. I think the Seymour review is pretty funny. Probably will skip this one. ha
Is this movie based on WIGSF's life?
Tee Hee I just had to :)
Not all that funny honestly. I put this one up there with Office Space, a few good one liners and a freaky guy but meh. Half-baked, now that one is funny.
@Princess Kitten: You thought Office Space was "meh" but Half Baked was funny? I worry about you.
Jlee - You won't miss much.
Miss Ash - He may have written the script.
PK, Mattbear - I'm with Mattbear on this one. Office Space is hilarious.
Hadn't heard of this. But is being like American Pie a bad thing?
Never heard of this one either. Sounds kinda cute to me!
FC - Well being a poor impression of American Pie is a bad thing.
Grace - It is cute, but good well not really.
"I am JP, I am a robot, I have a robot vigina"
i loved this movie from the opening scene: Game tester and his roomate are playing xbox at their apt knocks over a bong with really stinky bongwater, and finds out his rent money is being wasted on handjobs at a stripjoint by the idiot roomate, hence getting kicked out and being "Grandma's Boy!"
office space all time top 10, along with Half Baked...
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