The opening credits of Just, Melvin: Just Evil sound a bit like Law & Order, or maybe The Jerry Springer Show.  You hear snippets of dialogue from people complaining of incest, rape and murder, but in case that wasn't enough to get your attention, the film's director announces that he lost his virginity in the second grade...to his cousin.  That's when you realize this isn't going to be a by-the-numbers documentary.

The director, James Ronald Whitney, turns the camera on his own family to make his first film.  It's a painful, horrifying story of multi-generational incest and abuse that started with Whitney's own grandfather, Melvin Just.  Melvin, we learn, was the second husband of Whitney's grandmother, and he only married her to get access to the three young daughters she had from her first marriage.  While Melvin didn't stick around for too long (he ultimately moved on to a woman with even younger girls), he was able to wreak enough havoc within this family to last for several decades.

If there's one good thing you could say about Melvin, it'd have to be that he doesn't discriminate when it comes to incest.  Biological daughters and stepdaughters - none of them are above a molesting or two.  And he doesn't stop there, either.  Granddaughters...nieces...they're all fair game.  He never lets age or physical handicaps get in his way either, fondling girls as young as two, and one with a clubbed foot, to boot.

Just, Melvin is different from most documentaries in the sense that Whitney has virtually unlimited access to the parties involved.  He also gets to confront his grandfather after carefully and calmly building a case against him to the audience.  This doesn't take place until you're an hour into the film, and he doesn't back down.  The rest of the film deals with a possible murder cover-up, in which Melvin was suspected of killing a social worker who caught him diddling a youngster.

But the best parts of Just, Melvin are when Whitney interviews his obviously traumatized but remarkably candid family, most of whom are alcoholic (Grandma only weighs 73 pounds now, but still puts back a six-pack every day) and either are or have been suicidal.  Most seem to live in campers or, in one case, the back of a pickup truck.  Remember the documentary Paul Buchman made about his family on Mad About You?  This is the polar opposite.

Whitney is an amateurish filmmaker, but Melvin is such a despicable and unforgettable character, it barely matters.  The interviews with his family members are broken up with clips of the former Chippendales dancer playing his piano, competing on Star Search and other game shows.  It's clunky, but doesn't lessen the story of this incredibly brave and honest family.

1:36 –

but contains profanity, brief nudity and graphic discussion of incest