The Nan Movie Parent Guide
Crude, crass, and painfully un-funny, this film is not worth your time or money.
Parent Movie Review
Jamie (Matthew Horne) has more than his fair share of problems. His animation channel on YouTube only has 30 subscribers. The craft van he’s developed to help people with mental illness needs a sponsor. And his grandmother, Nan (Catherine Tate), is getting more demanding and irascible with age. When Nan gets a letter from her estranged sister, Nell (Katherine Parkinson), who has a terminal illness, she initially discards the missive. Jamie retrieves the letter from the trash and persuades Nan that the time has come for a road trip to Ireland with the goal of healing the breach.
Think back to the worst car trip you’ve ever taken with your family. Squabbling kids. Carsickness. Mechanical breakdowns. However bad that might have been, nothing is worse than traveling with Nan. This trip encompasses a vengeful police officer, repeated bouts of drunkenness, recreational drug use, endless potty “humor”, a bomb-toting terrorist, reckless driving, and some startling discoveries. But the worst part of the road trip is that it is being taken with Nan.
Nan apparently has a cult following in England, but the reason for her popularity eludes me. Watching the movie reminds me of a trip to the theater where I was seated in front of a row of 11-year-old boys. Throughout the film, the boys would yell out vulgar anatomical terms and then giggle hysterically. This film has the same vibe. Nan says and does crass and crude things, only to neigh with laughter and look knowingly into the camera. Actress Catherine Tate was a lot of fun as the brassy, bossy Donna Noble in Doctor Who, but in this role, she stops being amusing and settles for insanely annoying.
The Nan Movie is unrated; thanks to its non-stop negative content, it lands squarely in the Restricted category. The profanity alone, with eight sexual expletives and 12 scatological curses, would earn that rating but the film features non-stop alcohol consumption. Nan drinks almost constantly and is shown intoxicated, which is all played for laughs, as is the drunkenness of other characters. In addition, she takes an unknown recreational drug in a comedic context. At no point do these characters face any consequences for their reckless substance abuse. As for sexual content, although no explicit activity is shown on-screen, it is discussed, and cross-dressing is an important plot element. Comedic buttock nudity also occurs in a few parts of the story.
I don’t want to sound like I’m piling on, but there’s a significant issue the movie ignores and that’s the age of Nan and Nell. In the film, they both appear to be in their seventies or eighties, but this is clearly impossible. If both women were adults during World War II, they would have been born in the 1920s, putting them within striking distance of 100. The aging make up has been done very well, but there’s no way either of these women are close to becoming centenarians. Frankly, I shouldn’t be surprised. If a comedy can’t bother to be funny why should I expect it to be chronologically consistent?
The script makes an effort to give some heartwarming substance to the movie through flashbacks to Nan and Nell’s early years and then to their reunion. The messages of sibling affection, forgiveness, and understanding are solid, but these positive moments are surrounded by so much crass and humorless mind-numbing boredom that they’re not worth looking for. If you’re looking for heartwarming movies, there are better choices. If you’re looking for funny movies, there are better choices. If you’re just looking for a way to pass the time, almost anything is a better choice than this tediously un-funny film.
Directed by Catherine Tate and Brett Goldstein. Starring Catherine Tate, Mathew Horne, and Katherine Parkinson. Running time: 95 minutes. Theatrical release July 22, 2022. Updated January 13, 2024Watch the trailer for The Nan Movie
The Nan Movie
Rating & Content Info
Why is The Nan Movie rated Not Rated? The Nan Movie is rated Not Rated by the MPAA
Violence: There’s mention of the death of a parent. There is some audio of wartime bombing. There is some non-violent racist bullying. A terrorist handcuffs himself to a bystander and a bomb. A bomb is set off. An animated scene features a police chase and explosions. A police officer rides into the ocean. A woman slaps another woman across the face.
Sexual Content: There’s mention of “naked parties” and one is seen briefly. An elderly woman is seen naked from behind. A young woman kisses a man. A slang term is used for sexual activity. In a dimly lit scene men and women are seen embracing. There’s reference to a woman’s breasts. There is mention of a premarital pregnancy. A woman makes derogatory comments about lesbians. A man’s buttocks are seen in a non-sexual, comedic context. A character pretends to be non-binary. A character is revealed as a transvestite.
Profanity: Slang terms for male and female genitals are used in the script. A crude term for female genitals is seen written on the side of a vehicle. The script contains approximately two dozen profanities, including eight sexual expletives, a dozen scatological curses, a couple of terms of deity, and some crude anatomical terms. (This is a conservative count and the number of curses is likely higher. Due to poor sound mixing, it is often difficult to hear all dialogue clearly.)
Alcohol / Drug Use: A woman is seen with a cigarette. Highly intoxicated adults drink alcohol and playing drinking games. A main character gets drunk. Heavy alcohol consumption is treated comedically. A main character takes an unidentified drug and is shown high which is also supposed to be funny.
Other: There are scenes involving flatulence and some involving urination and bowel movements.
Page last updated January 13, 2024
The Nan Movie Parents' Guide
Why do Nan and Nell become estranged? Do you think Nan should have married Teddy? Did that turn out to be the right decision? How and why does her perspective change on her past? Have you ever seen past experiences in different ways? How does gratitude change the way we see things? How does reconciling with Nell affect Nan? Do you think it will have further effects on her?
Home Video
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