Disclaimer: Contains spoilers!
Plot Summary: A video game tester is forced to move in with his grandmother as zany antics ensue.
Review: This is yet another guilty pleasure for me, and one of those movies that grow on you over time. My initial reaction to seeing this film was, "What a piece of a shit," and I imagine many will feel similarly. However, I re-watched it a few times, since there was a time period where it played, seemingly, 24/7, and I began to appreciate the cornball nature to the experience. I'm sure a large portion of the audience will simply enjoy the stoner mentality to the characters, but I prefer the whole video game aspect as well as the random instances of shenanigans. I mean, come on, one of the characters sleeps in a race car bed...man, I want one. This doesn't mean this film is objectively good, and it certainly tanked when it came out, but you'd be surprised by how amusing it can be.
Right out the gate, this is a Happy Madison film so that means lots of Adam Sandler's friends. This set of actors do, admittedly, annoy me, but they dialed back their performances with Mr. Sandler absent from the film. The story focuses on a video game tester, named Alex, who is evicted from his house, because his roommate was spending their rent money on Filipino hookers (good choice). After trying to live with a few different friends, including his pot dealer, Alex moves in with his grandma who rents out rooms to other old ladies. At this point, the levels of shenanigans should make it apparent whether or not you're going to like this movie. I do want to also note Shirley Jones playing a slutty grandma...my goodness.
The real heart of the story picks up once we see what life is like at the game developer Alex works for. There is a comradery that appeals to me with the guys versing each other in old games along with the incessant banter that follows. A lot of this has become dated already, but it's still fun nonetheless. Anyway, Alex's love interest is an overseer that comes to finish their game, named Samanth, with the "villain" being an alleged gaming genius who thinks he's a robot; he often talks to himself in a manner similar to Gollum. The story doesn't really follow a strict narrative structure as we mostly see more instances of shenanigans including a pot-fueled party. The climax, if you will, is when the robot guy, JP, steals a game Alex has been working on for years and tries to pass it off as his own. Humorously, the grandma challenges JP to a match in order to prove the game really belongs to Alex. Big shock, she wins. So Alex gets the girl, his game is a success, and everything works out for this stoner guy. The film ends with a credit theme song directly about the film. Now, that I love!
I won't pretend this film is for everyone, but it has a charm that is commendable. I think the aimless nature of the plot, coupled with the random and inexplicable events, is what makes this offbeat tale work better than it should. I always have a soft spot for movies about video games, for whatever reason, and JP's weirdness does seem plausible in today's bizarre world. Another thing that worked was the lighthearted nature of the video game industry compared to the overt greed and manipulation worn like a badge of honor nowaday (this wasn't even 10 years ago!). For example, one of the main plot points is making sure a game ships bug free. That's considered unusual in today's world with day one patches and game-breaking glitches that ship regardless. Pitiful. Overall, this is an amusing tale that has garnered a cult following. It's not as good as some potheads will make it out to be, but it's probably significantly better than you'd imagine at a glance.
Notable Moment: When the grandma beats JP at Alex's game. Those graphics...
Final Rating: 6/10
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