Movie Review: The Visit (Now With Bonus Oven Cleaning Tips)

"The Visit" opened this weekend nationwide. It tells the story of two children (Rebecca and Tyler Jameson) who visit their estranged grandparents for the week. Rebecca is a budding film maker so records everything they do. This gives the movie a "found footage" feel. "The Visit" is at times both a comedy and horror movie...and since it was written, directed and produced by M Night Shyamalan, you can bet there will be a twist at the end.

The trip to the isolated Pennsylvania farmhouse starts off well but eventually goes to hell. The teenagers become alarmed and Skype their mother. She consoles them by saying "Oh honey, Nana and Pop Pop are just old." Well, there's a little more to it than that.

"The Visit" has a promo poster that lists Grandma's rules. I have added a few of my own as well.

Grandma's Rules:

Have a great time.
Eat as much as you want.
Don't EVER leave your room after 9:30 PM.
Hide and seek never ends well for anyone.
Remember to get more oven cleaner.
Shakira!
Old people are freakishly strong.
Try to avoid seeing your grandparents nude, if possible.
Should you go snooping in the wood shed? It depends.
If someone wants to play Yahtzee, you play Yahtzee damn it.

Grade: 3 3/4 Monsters (out of 5). I wont say "The Visit" is the absolute best movie of the year but it does have a number of positives going for it. The cast is excellent. The two child actors (Olivia Dejonge and Ed Oxenbould) definitely bring it. Sure they're a bit annoying to start with but they grow on ya. Deanna Dunagan and Peter McRobbie are equally frightening and hilarious as grandparents John and Doris.

The story is an interesting one. I kept wondering what was up with the grandparents until the very end. There are lots of laughs. You can bet people will be referencing the oven scene for some time to come.

I do think the film would have benefited from different editing though. Too much time was spent on Rebecca and Tyler's boring film banter and their abandonment issues with their father. This took up about three fourths of the movie. I would have liked it cut down to a fourth or even a half (which would then have left more time to explore the grandparents' strange behavior).

Do I recommend seeing "The Visit"? Yes, I do. But in order to enjoy it you'll need to suspend reality and go with the craziness that ensues. After it's all over, you may hug your grandparents and thank them for not being as weird as they could be.