Preview:
If you are sick and tired of the loudmouths, the morons, and the people who think reality television is actually reality, then have I got a picture for you. God Bless America, directed by that guy who used to scream all the time in the Police Academy movies, is hitting the screens with a message that resonates with anyone who has ever wanted to punch a stranger in the face for talking on their cell phone in a movie theater. It stars Joel Murray—not Bill Murray, but his brother who looks like he’s actually worked a day in his life—as a man who has finally had enough of the stupidity that has infected this country like a bad rash.
The story follows Frank, a guy who gets fired, told he’s dying, and realizes his daughter is a spoiled brat all in one week. Instead of just grumbling about it like a normal person, he decides to take out the trash, literally. He teams up with a teenage girl, which sounds annoying because teenagers usually are, and they go on a road trip across America to silence the rude and the crude. It’s violent, it’s angry, and it’s probably going to offend everyone who likes the Kardashians, which is fine by me.
Review by Ben Dover
Let me tell you something, folks. I usually hate going to the movies these days. You got kids kicking the back of your seat, people texting with their bright screens blinding you, and the movies themselves are usually just loud noises and men in tights. But God Bless America? This movie gets it. It understands that the real problem with this country isn’t the economy or the politics—it’s that people have forgotten how to be decent human beings. They high-five over nothing, they make celebrities out of idiots, and they think being loud is the same thing as being right.
The main guy, Frank, is my kind of hero. He’s not flying around saving the world; he’s just a guy who wants his neighbors to shut up. When he finally snaps, it’s the most satisfying thing I’ve seen since Archie Bunker told Meathead to stifle it. He goes after the people who deserve it: the reality TV stars who are famous for being awful, the political commentators who just scream fear at you, and yes, the people who talk in theaters. I cheered. I actually cheered. Finally, a movie that treats these pests like the bugs they are.
Now, I gotta say, the movie isn’t perfect. Frank gets saddled with this teenage sidekick named Roxy. I don’t understand today’s youth, and I don’t understand her. She’s loud, she’s hyper, and she talks a mile a minute about things I don’t care about. She’s supposed to be the “cool” counterpoint to Frank’s old-man grumpiness, but mostly she just reminded me why I don’t have kids. She convinces him to kill people for reasons that are a bit flimsy, even for me. I mean, killing someone for high-fiving? I hate it too, but maybe just a slap would suffice.
The director, Bobcat Goldthwait, used to be that screeching weirdo in the 80s comedies, but apparently, he’s got a brain in there somewhere. He’s angry, and he’s using this movie to yell at us. Sometimes it feels a little too preachy, like he’s standing on a soapbox shouting at clouds, but I can’t say he’s wrong. The movie is mean, it’s bloody, and it’s cynical. It’s not for the faint of heart or for people who actually enjoy American Idol.
In the end, God Bless America is a fantasy for us grumpy old men. It’s a road trip through the cesspool of American pop culture with a gun in the glove box. It’s violent and nasty, but it made me laugh, and more importantly, it made me feel vindicated. If you’ve ever wanted to throw your remote through the TV screen, go see this movie. Just don’t talk during it, or I might have to pull a Frank on you.
Starring
- Joel Murray as Frank: He’s Bill Murray’s brother, but he’s got that sad, tired look of a man who has been beaten down by life. He’s perfect for this. He doesn’t need special effects to look miserable; he just needs to open his eyes.
- Tara Lynne Barr as Roxy: She plays the teenage girl. She’s good at being annoying and scary at the same time. I wouldn’t let her anywhere near my lawn.
- There’s a lot more, but they mean nothing, this is really just the two main characters with dialogue etc everything else is just filler to tell the story.
Special Effects and Music
Special Effects:
There aren’t any space battles or giant robots here. The special effects are mostly blood squibs. When people get shot, they bleed. It looks messy and cheap, but that fits the movie. It’s not supposed to be pretty; it’s supposed to be ugly.
Music:
The music is a mix of stuff I can actually tolerate. They use “I’m Not Like Everybody Else” by The Kinks, which is a great song about being an outcast. There’s also some Alice Cooper, specifically “School’s Out” and “I Never Cry.” It’s better than the garbage pop music the movie makes fun of. The rest of the score is just noise to fill the silence, nothing to write home about.
Rating
I’m giving this 4.5 out of 5 stars. It’s messy and the girl is annoying, but it speaks the truth about how dumb we’ve become.
Complete Synopsis and Plot Breakdown
The Setup:
Frank is a divorced insurance salesman living a miserable life. His neighbors are loud and rude, his daughter is a spoiled brat who doesn’t want to see him, and he gets fired from his job for sending flowers to a coworker (apparently that’s harassment now). To top it off, his doctor tells him he has a terminal brain tumor.
The Breaking Point:
Frank sits at home watching TV, which is just a parade of stupidity—reality shows about spoiled rich kids, political pundits screaming nonsense, and commercials for energy drinks. He decides to kill himself. But right before he pulls the trigger, he sees a show about a super-spoiled teenage girl named Chloe (think Paris Hilton meets the devil). Something snaps. Instead of killing himself, he decides to kill her.
The Partnership:
Frank steals a car, drives to where Chloe lives, and shoots her. A high school student named Roxy witnesses the murder. Instead of calling the cops, she tracks Frank down and convinces him that she hates the world too. She wants to join him. Frank tries to ditch her, but she’s persistent (like a rash). They agree to go on a killing spree, targeting people who “deserve to die.”
The Spree:
They hit the road. Their targets include reality TV parents, people who use their cell phones in movie theaters (my personal favorite scene), and right-wing religious nuts who protest funerals. It’s a bloodbath of social commentary. However, Frank starts to realize Roxy is a bit unhinged—she wants to kill people for minor annoyances, like high-fiving. Frank tries to keep a “moral code,” only killing the truly cruel, but the lines get blurred.
The Climax:
Frank finds out he doesn’t actually have a brain tumor; the doctor made a mistake. He also finds out Roxy lied about her parents being abusive—they are actually nice, normal people. He feels betrayed and tries to leave, but realizes he has nothing to go back to. He decides to finish what he started. They go to the season finale of “American Superstarz” (a rip-off of American Idol).
The Ending:
They storm the stage with guns. They kill the cruel judges and the audience members who cheer for the humiliation of bad singers. Frank gives a final speech about how America has lost its soul and kindness, celebrating only the loudest and meanest. In the end, the police storm the building. Frank and Roxy, knowing there is no escape, are gunned down in slow motion Bonnie and Clyde style in a callback as they take out the trash. They die, but at least they took some idiots with them.
Famous Quotes from the Movie
- Frank: “America has become a cruel and vicious place. We reward the shallowest, the dumbest, the meanest and the loudest.”
- Frank: “Tell him while he’s down there to smell my balls.” (To his ex wife about her new fiancé)
- Frank: “We no longer have any common sense of decency. No sense of shame. There is no right and wrong. The worst qualities in people are looked up to and celebrated.”
- Roxy: “You know who deserves to die? People who high five.”
- Roxy: “Did you just kill Chloe… Awesome.”
- Frank: “My neighbors are incapable of comprehending that their actions affect other people.”
- Frank: “I want to kill people who are mean.”
- Frank: “No one cares if they damage other people.”
- Roxy: “So You can kill a teenager, but not fuck one” Frank: “Yes”
- Roxy: You agree with what part of his politics” Frank: “Less gun control of course” Roxy: “Then every nut will have a gun”
Notes and Interesting Facts
- Bobcat’s Voice: The director, Bobcat Goldthwait, is famous for his weird, strangled voice, but in real life, and in his directing, he’s actually quite soft-spoken and articulate. Who knew?
- Falling Down: A lot of people compare this movie to Falling Down (1993) with Michael Douglas. I like Falling Down better because Douglas had a tie, but this one is funnier.
- American Idol: The show in the movie, “American Superstarz,” is a direct attack on American Idol. The judge is clearly supposed to be Simon Cowell. I hate that guy.
- Roxy’s Age: The actress Tara Lynne Barr was around 17 or 18 when they filmed this. She plays a 16-year-old. At least they didn’t hire a 30-year-old to play a teen like they do in those other movies.
- Box Office: The movie didn’t make much money in theaters. It was mostly seen on Video on Demand. Probably because the people it makes fun of are the ones who go to the movies.
Trailer
Reviewer Notes
These are included just to see my thinking, they might not make sense to you, but they were my chicken scratches taken on viewing. (Rated R for my note language and spoilers)
Wow way to open killing a baby.
This TV Channel surfing Frank is doing is way too close to real life. They did it twice and the longer it went on the more I wanted to go on a killing spree. This is why I only stream stuff now, no news
Schools out forever as he kills the schoolgirl is hilarious dark, but funny.
“Did you just kill Chloe… Awesome” LMAO
Roxy is about as crazy as they come, she basically in the hotel room scene convinces Frank to go on a rampage instead of killing himself.
Drive through chick “You guys need some extra napkins” may be the hardest I have laughed at anything in a long time.
Roxy “So You can kill a teenager, but not fuck one” Frank “Yes”
This movie theatre scene was written specifically for my buddy Andy Rice.
The recurring Alice Cooper music and Roxy’s rant was spot on and great.
When they kill the right wing guy in the park the dialogue is hilarious. Roxy: You agree with what part of his politics” Frank: “Less gun control of course” Roxy: “Then every nut will have a gun” _OMG HILARIOUS
He has no tumor… she lied about her parents.. climax time. He sends her home and goes to American Superstarz to end it.
Steve Agee sighting… Are you deaf…dead.
She shows up and he gives a great speech which basically just is repeating all the bad stuff which if anything is just worse today.
and then…. Bonnie and Clyde ending while they take out some more trash.
This movie is satisfying like playing DOOM in God mode just fucking stuff up.
Bobcat is a genius. There is basically someone in this movie dying for everyone’s tastes.