God Forbid: The Sex Scandal That Brought Down a Dynasty
By JK Sooja,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Docu about church scandal has sex, violence, language.
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God Forbid: The Sex Scandal That Brought Down a Dynasty
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Why Christians suck
What's the Story?
In GOD FORBID: THE SEX SCANDAL THAT BROUGHT DOWN A DYNASTY, a young man agrees to a sexual arrangement with a married couple. But they just so happen to be one of the richest and most powerful couples in the evangelical Christian universe. Soon, as the scandal threatens to be uncovered, the married couple throws the young man under the bus and tries to cover up everything. But the young man will speak his truth, especially if he has nothing left to lose.
Is It Any Good?
This docu is terrifying, compelling, and revealing. Yes, God Forbid: The Sex Scandal That Brought Down a Dynasty features some sordid and salacious sexual content involving a married couple and a younger man. Even though Giancarlo Granda tells his story throughout (about his lessons learned, the pain he suffered, and how he was only trying to use the Falwells to help launch his career, as they kept promising him), the film spends about half its runtime giving a history lesson about the relationship between powerful evangelical Christian leaders and the Republican Party, including Jerry Falwell Sr. and Jerry Falwell Jr., the latter of whom referred to himself as a "kingmaker." While this history lesson is fascinating, it's still long, and for some it may feel like a bait and switch of sorts. Indeed, the last third of the film is mostly about Jerry Falwell Jr.'s relationship with Michael Cohen and former president Donald Trump. And yet, it's all done very well, even if, by the end, as Granda speaks to feeling great about getting to tell his side of the story, the film has long moved on already, eager to use Granda's story for a deeper revelation about the Republican Party.
A downside to this movie is that the docu doesn't have enough time to devote to some of the biggest revelations to come out of the sex scandal's aftermath, which, namely, is how a university has gotten away with promoting rape culture and the silencing of their women student population. But after the scandal, more than 50 women spoke out about their rapes, assaults, druggings, and lack of any consequences whatsoever for their rapists, which is a positive development to result from this horrifying situation.
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Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about violence in documentaries. In God Forbid: The Sex Scandal That Brought Down a Dynasty, violence plays a key role. Was the violence here necessary to tell the story? Why or why not?
Beyond getting involved in the first place, would you have done anything differently than Granda? If so, what?
Of the many hypocrisies revealed, what is the most troubling and why?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming: November 1, 2022
- Cast: Giancarlo Granda , Jerry Falwell Jr. , Becki Falwell , Donald Trump
- Director: Billy Corben
- Studio: Hulu
- Genre: Documentary
- Run time: 110 minutes
- MPAA rating: NR
- Last updated: January 5, 2023
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