Stir in a bit of Michael Douglas in Falling Down, a pinch of Oliver Stone’s Natural Born Killers, and a dash of odd pairing—think Natalie Portman and Jean Reno in Leon: The Professional—and you’ve got something that tastes like this Bobcat Goldthwait flick.
God Bless America is a dark, deliciously violent parody of low lows in the moral fibers of our American culture. Frank (played brilliantly by Joel Murray) is deeply troubled. He’s overweight, divorced, and his ex-wife and her new husband are over-indulging Frank’s daughter and turning her into a whining materialistic child who goes ballistic because she was given a Blackberry instead of an iPhone. In the evenings, Frank sits alone and tries to pass time watching TV but the stations are filled with vapid Paris Hilton types and cruel Simon Cowell-ish stars who win laughs by ridiculing others.
Like Groundhog Day, Frank’s life is always the same—daily chronic migraines, rude neighbors, idiotic coworkers and a claustrophobic work cubicle. Just when things can’t get worse, they do. Frank is told by a distracted doctor that he has a fatal illness and will soon kick the bucket. As he sits in his living room with a gun in his mouth he becomes enraged by a TV reality star and decides to kill her instead of himself.
Unfortunately, God Bless America gets a tad preachy in parts and it can’t seem to decide if it really wants to be a comedy. Parts of it, for example the fictionalized version of American Idol’s Will Hung, are tragically sad. Still, scenes like the loud movie goers getting their due make up for the film’s imperfections.
If you’ve had it up to here with radio shock jocks, the Jersey Shore, and the Kardashians, this just might be the movie ticket for you.
Rated R. 104 min. Drama Comedy. Opens in theaters Friday, May 11, 2012.