Adam Sandler stock company player Allen Covert got boosted to star status with this easygoing stoner comedy that Covert also produced and co-wrote (with Barry Wernick and co-star Nick Swardson). The amiable Covert plays Alex, a 35 year old video game tester who loses his apartment through no fault of his own. He briefly - very briefly - is able to stay with his co-worker & friend Jeff (Swardson), who refers to his parents as his "roommates", until an unforeseen incident involving Lara Croft, Tomb Raider, occurs. Soon he's obliged to accept the offer from his grandmother Lilly (Doris Roberts) to come stay with her and her friends, Grace (Shirley Jones) and Bea (Shirley Knight). He comes to enjoy the arrangement, despite a rocky start, and is immediately attracted to Samantha (Linda Cardellini), the hottie supervising the production of the game that he's currently testing. Covert does a fine job with the writing of this appropriately goof ball movie that includes enough wild and random - and raunchy, of course - insanity to make it pleasurable viewing. The bit with the martial artist chimp is particularly funny. The assorted off the wall characters include Peter Dante (another member of the Adam Sandler stock company) as stoner dude Dante, Joel David Moore as weirdo video game prodigy J.P., Kevin Nealon as Alex's New Age boss, and Jonah Hill as another of his co-workers. They're all good at what they do, but it's really the older generation that adds that something special to this thing, as veterans Roberts and Jones are very much up for anything in this outrageous movie; Roberts is endearing as always, but Jones is a revelation as an oversexed show business groupie whose liaisons included ones with Charlie Chaplin and Abbott & Costello. You'll never look at Shirley Partridge quite the same way again! Predictably enough, there are cameo roles for Sandler's old cohorts David Spade and Rob Schneider. Moore's "robotic" shtick does wear a little thin, but that's hardly a major quibble. A production of Sandler's Happy Madison company, this does take a bit of time to kick into gear but once it does it remains an acceptable diversion for its duration. Seven out of 10.
Review of Grandma's Boy
