An American Carol (2008)

User Rating:

4.6/10   

Director:

David Zucker

Writers (WGA):

David Zucker (written by) &
Myrna Sokoloff (written by) ...

Release Date:

3 October 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Fantasy

Tagline:

WARNING! This movie may be offensive to children, young people, old people, in-the-middle people, some people on the right, all people on the left, terrorists, pacifists, war-mongers, fish mongers, Christians, Jews, Muslims, atheists, agnostics (though you'd have to prove it to them), the ACLU, liberals, conservatives, neo-cons, ex-cons, future cons, Republicans, Democrats, Libertarian, people of color, people of no color, English speakers, English-as-a-second language speakers, non-speakers, men, women, more women, & Ivy League professors. Native Americans should be okay.

Plot:

An anti-American filmmaker who's out to abolish the July Fourth holiday is visited by three ghosts who try to change his perception of the country.

Plot Keywords:

Filmmaker | Shipping Out | Spoof | Mouth | George Washington

Cast

Trace Adkins	...	Angel of Death / Trace Adkins
Kevin P. Farley	...	Michael Malone (as Kevin Farley)
Kelsey Grammer	...	General George S. Patton
Chriss Anglin	...	John F. Kennedy
Robert Davi	...	Aziz
Serdar Kalsin	...	Ahmed
Bill O'Reilly	...	Himself
Geoffrey Arend	...	Mohammed
Dennis Hopper	...	The Judge
Jillian Murray	...	Heather
Scott Bailey	...	Celebrity #2
Dana Lyn Baron	...	Speaker 1940's
Mark Vafiades	...	Look out! It's those Christians! (as Mark Basil)
Jon Voight	...	George Washington
Morgan Beck	...	"Free History Term Papers"

Also Known As:

Big Fat Important Movie (UK) (DVD title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for rude and irreverent content, and for language and brief drug material.

Runtime:

83 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #44639)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Mpower Pictures

Trivia:

In accordance with the film's strong political theme, the official Internet site used a grassroots pre-publicity marketing strategy. Users on the site, dubbed "American Carolers", could make use of online tools to email friends about the film, network with other fans, etc. Points were given based on participation, and prizes (tickets, posters, etc) were awarded to the highest scorers. The names of the top 16 "Carolers" are on the DVD, in the Bonus Features under "Special Thanks".

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: After Michael Malone is escorted into the concert at that end of the movie he sneaks away as the soldiers are distracted by the fireworks. On the floor you can see they are "trampling" an American flag. This is part of the extended scene which can be found in the DVD's bonus features.

Quotes:

Michael Malone: [John F. Kennedy, George S. Patton and Bill O'Reilly slap Michael Malone]
[to Bill O'Reilly]
Michael Malone: Hey, you're not a spirit!
Bill O'Reilly: I know. I just enjoy slapping you.

Movie Connections:

Features "Entertainment Tonight" (1981)

Soundtrack:

1968

Warning: Shocking Content - An Actual Anti-Liberal Film!

What a shock this is to see: a movie knocking liberals?! This is unheard of in movie annals. It's always the other way around.

The good and the bad: There were some very good, laugh-out-loud poking-fun-at jokes and sight gags in here that made the film worth seeing. Kelsey Grammar was outstanding as "General Patton." I can't say the rest of the cast impressed me that much, including Kevin Farley who played "Michael Malone," a caricature of Michael Moore. In Farley's defense, they wanted his character to be as silly and goofy as you can get and he certainly delivered that! Grammar, however, gets an "A" for his more subtly humorous effort.

Much of the humor is slapstick where someone gets hit or slapped in the face (or worse). That's okay, but after the tenth slap it gets tiring. I also found it, as I always do, offensive to hear little kids use profanity, although I know it was used for shock affect. Still, there are better ways to go for laughs than have eight-year-olds use profanity.

Overall, it was refreshing to hear and see the Left Loonies bashed for a change. Since there were good, patriotic messages, I just wish the film had less "potty" humor. For adults, though, who enjoy an irreverent comedy along the lines of Airplane, The Naked Gun, etc., then, by all means, check it out!