Blu-ray Review: God Bless America

Posted By: Alexon: August 11, 2012In: DVD/Blu-Ray ReviewsNo Comments

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.

The Disc:

Since the film was shot digitally there was no way a transfer to Blu-ray was going to look bad. The audio quality isn’t bad either, not the best but not the worst. Though there aren’t many unique special features on the disc, the contents of it are actually quite good and pretty entertaining.

Behind the Scenes: Killing with Kindness (27:30): This is an in-depth making-of documentary that gives us a great overview of the production. IT features a lot of behind the scenes footage and interviews with a various cast and crew members. It’s revealed that this is sort of about Bobcat and his wife’s dream, a liberal with a gun, and that this is his Christmas gift to her.
God Bless TV: Deleted and Extended Scenes (5:00): This has a handful of more fake TV seququences that weren’t used in the film, like a “Jersey Shorties” baby pageant and more stuff about Chloe, the bitchy 16 year old.
Outtakes (2:29) – Some are funny and some are not. You’ve seen outtakes before.
Interview with Bobcat Goldwait, Joel Murray and Tara Lynne Barre (1080p, 27:42): A hilarious, nearly half hour interview we learn about how the story came to be. We are given more insight about each of the characters and everyone explains where they think our society and culture is heading.
HDNet: A Look at God Bless America (1080p, 4:54): A promo featuring clips of the interview above along with shots from the film.
Roxy & Frank Music Video (1080p, 3:02): A bunch of altered stills flash across the screen with a song by Mike Carano as the backing track.
Commentary with Bobcat Goldthwait, Joel Murray and Tara Lynne Barr:
Theatrical Trailer (2:21)