Why Haven’t You Seen It: God Bless America
What do you think of the world today? Do you like the place we are in, or do you see that we have become a festering boil? A nasty wound that was never cleaned right, so now we have maggots, crawling in and around the wound. Do you think humans are in a good place? Do you feel we are kind to one another, or do you think we are parasites, feeding off each other to meet our own needs and then move on to suckle off someone else? If you see us as a some gift to this planet and gift to the world, you may want to go read something else.
This week, I recommend a movie that is as cynical as it is hilarious, but some of the subject matter may bother some of you. After all, when the “good guys” in your movie go postal, that tends to scare some people off. Well, I wont waste their time. This movie is not for people like that. Truth is, this movie would take pleasure in killing people like that. This is cynicism. This is rage. This is disgust, in the funniest way possible, aimed at the gross, overweight, over payed ideal of celebrity on Hollywood. This is dark, deranged, and a fantastic ride for those who can appreciate satire, and appreciate that our world has gone to shit. This is God Bless America.
At first, I thought this picture was the cover of some prog rock album.
First thing I feel I need to point out about this movie is that it was directed by Bobcat Goldthwait. Yes, the dude who made the funny grunting noises from Police Academy. He is also well-known as being a stage comedian, and is known to have a pretty keen mind, though most assume the opposite. He has made films before God Bless America, both of which were twisted and original, and both of which I enjoyed. Let Sleeping Dogs Lie about a girlfriend who confesses to her boyfriend she blew a dog in college. Yup, really. He also directed World’s Greatest Dad that featured Robin Williams covering up his son’s suicide (though not really, there is much more to that film) and both films were quite good, albeit very dark and cynical rides, and that is just what God Bless America is. It is not a movie for everyone, but those who see it, love it. Why? Because they can tell from the trailer that it is just up their alley.
Careful, this trailer is NSFW.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yruArw21EGA
See, just a happy film for the modern American family to enjoy together.
The story here, in case you don’t know, is about a man named Fred. Fred is portrayed BRILLIANTLY by Bill Murray’s brother, Joel. Joel is burnt out. He has had enough. He Loses his insurance salesman job, his crappy ex-wife is spoiling their young daughter and making her into everything he hates about the world, and on top of it, he cannot manage to fall asleep because the constantly arguing couple next door and their ever-weeping baby. Just as he is about to snap, he finds out he has a terminal brain tumor, and is pretty much definitely going to die soon. During the doctor telling him the news, the doc casually takes a phone call which I think marks the complete end of Fred’s sanity. He then realizes he can clean up this world, but he needs to start with the celebrity, reality TV scum that seem to ruling the airways and making being an asshole okay.
Okay, this is when reality and fiction meld.
Had to crop this shot. Yes. it’s that good.
You remember that one episode of My Sweet Sixteen, where the young girl gets a brand new, gorgeous car, and proceeds to flip out because it’s not the car she wants? Well, she is the first to go. Granted, not her specifically, but about as close as they could get. Keep in mind, this is satire, but it is spot on and makes no allusions at not being what it is.
So anyway, he finds the girl, and kills her. Thing is, another young girl witnesses the whole thing. But rather than report him. she is super into it and also hates all the fake, celeb worshiping that has turned this world into a toilet, and pretty much tells him that was the coolest thing she had ever seen, and wants to join his cause. He had planned on killing himself, but thinks: What the hell, may as well go out in style. Bam, let the madness begin.
I will not tell you too much more, because half the fun of this movie is seeing what aspects of pop culture get lampooned (or harpooned, in this case) but I will tell you this, because the trailer kind of gives it away. The grand finale for this film takes place on stage during American idol. Granted, it is not LITERALLY American Idol, because that wouldn’t be legal, but it is damn close. From the font used on the title, to the way the stage looks and the judges are set up, we know what it is.
Heck, anyone would.
” I promise I will shoot the first person who tries to sing any Chris Brown.”
Granted, this movie will upset some people. But those kinds of people suck. Those are the kinds of people who INSPIRE this movie. Those who would rather sleepwalk through life numb and grass fed like a good little sheep. Those who just sit back and accept just how shitty and gross all of the world has gotten. If you can’t laugh at this idea of this film, than you are part of the problem. It is SATIRE. It pokes fun at what the world is like now, and how we have all just let it happen. Well, in God Bless America, one man and one little girl decided that yes, pop culture may be screwed up, but nothing a few good bullets wouldn’t fix.
I can see where that might scare some people off, but good. It is way more fun to shoot at you while you’re running, anyway. Laugh through the tears, people. That is all God Bless America asks of you. Also, for you weirdos who cannot separate fiction and satire from real life, DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME.
Really liked this movie, good recommendation
Yeah, I’ve seen this, as well. I almost avoided it for political reasons, but I watched it anyway (I’m a glutton for punishment). I ended up thinking that, you know, it had been largely pretty unfairly drubbed for its politics (at the time, the rub was that it was unkind to Conservatives, the Tea Party, etc.). I get why folks may’ve seen it that way, but I didn’t. I think it ended up being more apolitical than anything else, choosing to go after ‘celebrity’ of any stripe instead of only one persuasion. It’s laughs weren’t all that grand, but, as it was? I enjoyed it.
Thanks for the recommendation …. it really is a great movie and your review is spot on. A good evening viewing when accompanied by Idiocracy !
It truly is a magnificent film, it’s a shame not many people have seen it. I took it last week to a college class on parody and satire, and even when I only showed the first ten minutes, most of my classmates asked me for the movie’s data to watch it fully at home.
I love the dichotomy in it, I mean, they take out the truly annoying folks out there in the media, but they do it in a way those people would do it too (think of the Tuff Girlz outburst). I wish I could explain myself further, as I wrote an essay on it, but english isn’t my first language, so sorry!
Love it. Have you accepted Alice Cooper as your personal god and savior, Remy?
Have said it before and will say it again, and a pox on all those who may think it pandering of me, for it is anything but. That out of the way, this thread proves Unreality has some of the coolest readers out there.
This film made me want to vomit and laugh at the same time… all the while having a twisted grin on my face.