Looks like someone didn’t fall so well.
Anyway, if you get down a rabbit hole about what happened to evangelical movement heir Jerry Falwell Jr. and his wife Becki Falwell, you will likely never come back up for air. It’s a twisty, thorny ride, and that’s the complicated mess that director Billy Corben (Cocaine Cowboys) has chosen to illuminate for us. A pool attendant named Giancarlo Granda is at the heart of the scandal, having spent 7 years in a romantic relationship with Becki, including sexual encounters filmed by Jerry. Totally cool if consensual, right? Let’s not yuck anyone’s yum. But when your public persona is a holier-than-thou preacher running a massive Christian university, it’s the kind of truth that can bring down much more than a reputation.
The trailer for the film (which was also produced by Adam McKay) promises a wild, voyeuristic ride for us to rubber neck. It also heavily, heavily implies that Donald Trump received Falwell Jr’s endorsement (and also a metric ton of evangelical support) because the fake-tanned fascist had this specific dirt on the Falwell family. That’s going to take some heavy lifting and proof to be more than a salacious, unserious jab. Still, the bulk of the documentary seems to rely on Granda’s direct testimony in talking head segments about what was happening behind closed doors. Corben is billing the project as Get Out meets The Righteous Gemstones.
God Forbid: The Sex Scandal That Brought Down a Dynasty hits Hulu November 1st.