Movies…with a little bit of obscure culture and sports mixed in
“Giancarlo Granda, former pool attendant at the Fontainebleau Hotel, shares the intimate details of his 7-year relationship with a charming older woman, Becki Falwell, and her husband, the Evangelical Trump […]
“Giancarlo Granda, former pool attendant at the Fontainebleau Hotel, shares the intimate details of his 7-year relationship with a charming older woman, Becki Falwell, and her husband, the Evangelical Trump stalwart Jerry Falwell Jr.”
Director: Billy Corben
Release Date: November 1, 2022
IMDB
God Forbid: The Sex Scandal That Brought Down a Dynasty (2022) is the perfect movie if you love watching egotistical, powerful, blissfully ignorant wealthy men be humiliated in the public eye.
It is glorious.
I’ll preface my opinions on God Forbid by saying that I am not a religious person. I am also not a huge fan of higher education…specially those institutions that act is if their mission is holier than and values you form yourself.
Thankfully, all pressure points for my fun buttons are trigged with this Hulu original documentary. I can ignore the often too loud and energetic musical undertones and the slightly rushed ending trying to wrap the whole ordeal in a political bow. What I can’t ignore is the smirk on my face as the Jerry Falwell Jr. has one of the steepest falls from grace in recent history. It is absolutely, wonderfully, intoxicatingly, entertaining.
Oh, how power does corrupt. Oh how its grip upon us as humanity never lessen. Power is the ultimate vice, and it squeezed the ever living shit out of the Falwell family.
The skinny is this. When Giancarlo Granda is a young pool attendant at the Fontainebleu Hotel he is seduced by an older women who happens to be Becki Falwell, the wife of the Evangelical, uber-religous and politically conservative, Jerry Falwell Jr. Starting that one fateful day under the Florida sun was a seven year relationship/affair that dives deep with roots attaching themselves to business, religion, politics and family disfunction. Jerry enjoys seeing his wife sexually interact with other men, and Giancarlo is their ideal missing third leg of their sexual fantasy tripod.
Giancarlo is intoxicated by the world and loves the idea of being wealthy, bumping shoulders with the rich and famous, and being treated like royalty. He is a young man, who wouldn’t be? However, as time goes on, Jerry Falwell Jr. begins to change. Becki begins to change as well and grow more attached. The walls are closing in around Giancarlo. All of the things he was promised are starting to fall by the wayside, and soon he is left naked holding a flotation device in a poll of well-fortune being sucked dry.
So how does Giancarlo take back his independence? He tells his story. His open nature creates a massive ripple effect. Once he casts the first stone, it becomes a fairly one-sided rock fight. The Falwell’s try and save themselves through backroom deals, television interviews, and over-the-top TED talks. None of it works.
It’s best to let God Forbid: The Sex Scandal That Brought Down a Dynasty illuminate all the craziness in this bonkers story. Where are the Falwell’s now? Well, still kind of living in disgrace. The last major public statement from the Falwell’s came in a 2022 Vanity Fair interview where they admitted to the scandal, but Becki said that she felt pressured to have sex with Giancarlo. She said the pressure she felt could have been considered assault. Giancarlo denied those allegations and promised answers in a pair of upcoming projects: his forthcoming book and this Hulu documentary.
God Forbid: The Sex Scandal That Brought Down a Dynasty is a stranger than fiction story, and audiences can’t look away. According to Hulu execs, God Forbid is the most watched Hulu documentary to date, surpassing 2019’s Fyre Fest.
I can understand the hype. This is a wonderfully entertaining documentary and the story itself is worth soaking up. It doesn’t play out like a documentary. It plays out like a mid-day soap opera with all-to-real stakes. And it is so fun to watch the bad guys lose.
Side note before ending this love dream to my own indulgences. Liberty University has a lovely softball field. Their campus is indeed immaculate and their athletic facilities are quite nice.
Second side note. I have been to the Fontainebleu Hotel before. It is very nice, and I spend time with someone who was pointing out the working women in the lobby and the bar. It was an interesting learning experience.
STANKO RATING: B+ (4.0/5 Stars)
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