SMALLS GOES TO GRANDMA'S HOUSE WITH THE VISIT

In The Visit, 15 year old Becca (Olivia DeJonge) and her younger brother Tyler (Ed Oxenbould) go to visit their grandparents (Deanna Dunagan and Peter McRobbie). They have never met their nana and pop-pop (as they call them) due to a falling out between their mom (Kathryn Hahn) and their grandparents a long time ago, so they have no idea what to expect. Shortly after they arrive, the kids realize something seems a bit off with their grandparents, as Nana is clearly off her meds and Pop-pop is a bit awkward, stoic, and secretive. Naturally, things continue to spiral horribly out of control.

This is another found-footage film, but one where I never once questioned why the kids never put the camera down (and in fact, the camera comes in quite handy every so often). Becca is an aspiring film artist, and this latest project of hers is an attempt at getting closure for her mother. Tyler is a wanna-be rapper who is pretty interested in the female gender. Becca is the brains, Tyler provides the comedy and common sense. Both actors do pretty great jobs and are not only believable and super-likable, but also manage to inject some depth and heart into their characters. The same can be said for both grandparents (Though Nana is the clear stand-out of the two). They both sell their roles very well, and Nana is genuinely freaky and disturbing most of the time (Even when the sun is still out).

Really, the only negative thing I can say about The Visit is that I found it hard to believe a 15 year old could so expertly edit a student film so that it looked this pretty (plus, the numerous fade out shots are extremely well done and beautiful too). The Visit doesn't have much of a plot when you get down to it, instead choosing to focus on the grandparents ensuing freaky antics. It can get a bit slow at times, and it's hard not to wonder where the film is headed, luckily the ending is satisfying and there are plenty of disturbing moments and jump scares throughout to keep you distracted. The biggest twist in The Visit is that after 13 years,  M. Night Shaymalan finally managed to make a good film again. Let's hope he continues this possibly new trend and doesn't revert back to old habits. The Visit manages to deftly mix both laughs and scares (I did laugh pretty hard a few times, something I definitely wasn't expecting). It's a fun, funny, disturbing, and genuinely entertaining treat. Shania Twain, Bitches!

3 STARS