Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘The Grand Son’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

If there’s one thing that’s always fascinated me about how villains are portrayed in film and television, it’s how writers and directors and actors work hard to humanize the bad guy or gal. Which quite frankly makes sense, because we have to spend at least two hours or more with these twisted folks and getting to know them helps us to understand their motivations and their pain and such a move can actually make the villain in question quite memorable and iconic since adding depth gives them new life on the small and silver screen.
 
However, I firmly believe that there is a deeper and more psychological reason as to why we like having our villains be a tad more human in their appearance, because in many ways, such a move helps to separate the audience from the evil of the world. After all, we watch shows or movies to escape everyday life sometimes, and seeing a quirky baddie helps with that. Because the harsh reality of the world is that bad people, have no problem doing bad things, and there is no remorse or quirk when it comes to the worst of the worst, they’re simply sadistic and sick and that’s why I fully appreciate films that are willing to go all out and portray bad people as they are and recently, I had the opportunity to watch a motion picture that lets the bad part of humanity flow in The Grand Son.
 
Now, in this particular movie we are introduced to a young man named Tod who lives one heck of an awesome life. For he is Hollywood royalty and lives off of the coattails of his grandmother Judy, who was once a movie star, and she brings in the bacon these days by hosting a home shopping network show, and her residual money and current earnings allows for Tod and his sister Lani to enjoy a carefree lifestyle where nothing worries them in the slightest. But one day, when Tod goofs around with his grandfather’s gun, he accidentally kills Judy, and now he is faced with one incredible choice. Let the truth come out about what has happened and suffer the consequences, the kind that include seeing his wonderful way of life fade away, or…do whatever it takes to keep this mistake a secret so he can keep on living the champagne lifestyle and of course, Tod chooses the latter and gets to work on weaving an incredible web of lies…

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So, let me get this out of the way first; this is a bleak and dreary film. One that is filled to the brim with vapid and irritating characters who stop at nothing to maintain the strange bubble surrounding their lives and I make mention of that up front, because that’s precisely why I loved this film. You just don’t see movies that often anymore where the characters are in essence, lost to the world and while there’s nothing relatable about Tod and his family when it come to their respective plights, this motion picture in many ways has a flair about it that resembles reality T.V., meaning that you simply cannot look away and you are curious to see what Tod will do next to cover up his lie. 
 
But what truly impressed me the most in this film, is that it’s detachment from the audience actually helps to strengthen the story, since it forces the viewer to carefully examine Tod’s rotting world and reality and well, what you find is simply fascinating. Because it’s inherently clear that this is a world that Tod and his sister were born into and they don’t understand or comprehend anything else, and Tod’s desperation to hang onto every last aspect of it, despite the fact that it is metaphorically crumbling around him like the aging mansion he lives in, is about as tragic as it gets. Yet while should feel sympathy, you can feel nothing for Tod, because his actions simply don’t allow you to. All you can do is sit back and watch a bad person do bad things without an ounce of remorse.
 
If anything, all of these elements make this motion picture simply fascinating to say the least, and I truly appreciated the fact that this movie took the time to be as dark and as twisted as it could since it really does put the ugliest parts of humanity on display. And while it seems odd that I would praise that, I think sometimes in film or television or print, such a push toward all that is necessary, to frighten us and remind us that the world needs more kindness. Because who knows how Tod and his sister would have ended up in life had their grandmother shown them more than a desire to be famous and comfortable and well, if you’re looking for a movie that offers you something more than the usual thriller, and leaves you thinking, look no further than this one because while it takes you on an ugly ride, it definitely gives you pause once the credits start to roll.     

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