God Forbid: The Sex Scandal That Brought Down a Dynasty

Movie review by John Sooja, Common Sense Media
God Forbid: The Sex Scandal That Brought Down a Dynasty Movie: Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 15+

Docu about church scandal has sex, violence, language.

NR 2022 110 minutes
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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that God Forbid: The Sex Scandal That Brought Down a Dynasty is a documentary about Giancarlo Granda and his years-long sexual agreement with an older married couple who just happened to be Jerry Falwell Jr. and Becki Falwell. Falwell Jr., the now former president of the largest evangelical conservative Christian school in the world, Liberty University, resigned because of this scandal. The story is told through interviews with Granda, his sister, and a handful of journalists and scholars familiar with Granda's experience, including the journalist who originally broke the story. While there's no sex or nudity, the entire film is about how Jerry Falwell is a "cuck" and enjoys watching his wife have sex with another man. There are also references to: "porn," "cougars," "husbands who like to watch," "horny 20-year-olds," "stroking inner thighs," "blowjobs," "going all way," "f--king," "jacking off," "feeling each other up," "balls deep," "menage a trois," "going in for seconds," and "being hot." A woman video chats in the nude (blurred out) and walks around her house showing off all the places where they had sex. There is also "sexting," young adults romantically dancing in bathing suits, romantic embracing and kissing, and "porn" videos sent over the phone. Some inappropriate photographs show Jerry Falwell Jr. with his pants unzipped with much younger students of his university. Violence includes a man discussing his desire to kill himself during a tough period in his life. Also, women talk about how Liberty University encouraged a pervasive rape culture, with over 50 women coming forth claiming that their rapists were only "prayed for," and then let back into school and the public, with no further consequences. Many women claimed they were also drugged. A man admits on tape how he sexually assaults women saying, "I just grab them by the p---y." Lots of footage shows old riots, police brutality and violence, racist, sexist, and homophobic behavior and comments, terrorist attacks, bombings, and news reports. Strong language includes: "f--k," "f--ked," "p---y," "s--t," "vagina," "f-g," and "gay" as an insult.

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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

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