To loosely quote Woody Allen on Nazis, Woody Allen says something to the effect of asking the question: How do you satirize some one who all ready wears leathers boots? (Though this quote may be missed placed because Woody Allen gets dumped on in this film).  With this in mind I ask the question; how does one satirize horrible reality T.V. shows.  My answer is God Bless America (2012) by Bobcat Goldthwait.

Frank (Joel Murray) is a middle-aged divorcee living in an apartment with obnoxious neighbors.  To top it all off Frank gets fired at work Monday morning and finds out he has an incurable brain tumor.  Watching late night reality T.V. where every one is rude to each other and only thinks of himself or herself, does not help his situation.  It should be noted that the day Frank gets fired he also imagines shooting his co-works, this is before he gets fired.  Frank attempts to kill himself but decides to kill a bratty girl on a reality T.V. show being filmed close to where he lives.

The killing of this younger is also where Frank meets his partner in crime Roxy (Tara Lynne Barr).  Roxy is a teenage girl who is also fed up with how rude and dumb America has become, which is re-enforced by reality T.V.  Frank and Roxy become a modern day Bonnie and Clyde.  This is not really a Bonnie and Clyde tale.  This pairing of characters reminds me of The Crimson Bolt (Rainn Wilson) and Boltie (Ellen Page) from Super (2011).   Frank and Roxy go across the nation killing random rude people.  They kill some teens at a movie theater who are loud and talking on cell phones while the movie is playing.  Then while in a parking lot, a man double parks taking two parking spots and not giving a damn.  This double parker is also killed.

In God Bless America there is a show similar to American Idol but called something different.  The apex of the film is this television show.   Earlier in the film there is a contestant on the show who is absolutely terrible but gets a lot of attention.  The film is suggesting, which also a friend has done so too, that America loves reality television with all its “losers” and horrible inept people because it makes us feel better about ourselves.

This film is for any cynic who is sick of all the rubbish America is spewing out.  This is also the most unP.C. movie I’ve seen in some time.  It is sure to step on something you enjoy, especially if you are in your twenties.  You’ll know within the first 5 to 10 minutes if this movie is for you.  While I did enjoy the film I felt it was unbalanced.  It bounces between violent and offense to long drawn out dialogue sections, which are pretty heavy handed. If the story flowed better it would be more enjoyable.  The film is not perfect but because there really is not any other film with similar theme and ideas this film will do.

Trailer here