Who would have thought that after police academy Bobcat Goldthwait would go on to direct some of the oddest black comedies of our generation. The guy with the funny voice has managed to revitalize his dying acting career by moving to the director’s chair and utilizing the power of the pen. Goldthwait’s latest foray into the dark comedy realm is with a ridiculously entertaining satire titled God Bless America.
Starring Joel Murray and Tara Lynne Barr, God Bless America is about an honest and frustrated middle aged man named Frank. Frank, a good man at heart, has become fed up with his life and all the bullshit that encompass the world in which he lives. He is divorced and his entitled daughter doesn’t like to see him because there is nothing to do at his house. Additionally, he gets fired from his job because he sent flowers to a sick co-worker and, to top it all off, he is told he only has a few months to live due to a brain tumor.
After watching a ‘My Super Sweet 16’ type show, Frank decides, after a drunken fit of rage, to visit this girl at her high school and kill her. When an agitated teenage girl witnesses the death of her enemy she eagerly hunts Frank down to join him on his quest of killing people who deserve to die. In a Bonnie and Clyde meets Kick-Ass style, the to-smart-for-her-own-good 16 year old girl is taken under Frank’s wing and together they go on a killing spree while exploiting the stupidity of America media and all that’s wrong with their/our society.
I’ve seen films with strong social commentary before, but never have I watched one in which the entire film is essentially one massive fuck you to our consumerist and valueless society. Bobcat Goldthwait doesn’t hold back at all, and maybe even crosses some lines in doing so, but he is absolutely spot on with his cynicism towards America and clearly explaining it to us through Frank’s adventure.
This movie resonated very strongly with me because it points out the extremities and stupidities of shows like American Idol, My Super Sweet 16, the regurgitation of other peoples’ commentary and how all you need to do to get 
famous today is to shock people. God Bless America uses shock value to grab you but not in the same way, instead of trying to get famous, the shock value is utilized to make a point that will become engrained in your mind, that’s why Frank and Roxy go around killing people and having conversations that seem just a little too sophisticated, at least for Roxy’s age.
Finally, I’d just like to comment on the performances. Tara Lynne Barr did a great job as the wild, eccentric teenager who also happens to look like a young Christina Ricci. Joel Murray was also wonderful choice as he was able to convey his frustration in an intelligent manner before he would calmly kill people. His reserved demeanor is what I think made him a stronger character and his performance that much more satisfying.
Overall, God Bless America is a wild and crazy feature that, while not made for everyone, deserves to be watched by the masses just to see how many see themselves as the “victims” of the feature. It’s a brilliant comedy that thoroughly embraces the middle finger it holds up to the world. I’ll admit, a lot of my joy from this movie is derived from personal experiences I’ve had with others in which I simply detest their behavior. A subtle example is I’ll never be able to figure out why my mom continues to watch all that reality tv garbage, it’s just seems to make everyone that watches it a little more dumber. I guess some of my principles align with Franks, though I can’t say I’d murder people over it.
You can catch God Bless America in theaters on May 11th or watch it on VOD starting on April 6th.
Rating: The sharpest and most insane black comedy I’ve ever seen (7.5/10)
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