Category Archives: Political Comedy

2012 Films, Comedy, Dark Comedy, Political Comedy, Satire

God Bless America-2012

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God Bless America-2012

Director Bobcat Goldthwait

Starring Joel Murray, Tara Lynne Barr

Scott’s Review #1,543

Reviewed August 4, 2026

Grade: A-

Made in 2012, God Bless America is a satisfying experience for viewers who enjoy seeing assholes and mean people get their due.

Its central characters (the heroes) blow the brains out of those miserable human beings we meet every so often and can only fantasize about taking to task.

Shrouded in dark humor and satire, not to mention gore, director/comedian Bobcat Goldthwait revels in situations that fulfill a desire for justice.

He thereby makes his two prominent characters extremely likable, and the rest of the cast hated.

Frank Murdoch (Joel Murray), who lives alone in Syracuse, New York, is middle-aged and works as an insurance salesman in a depressing windowless office.

His colleagues are trite and superficial and lead meaningless lives, finding satisfaction only in talking about a reality show or something mindless each morning.

After being fired for sending a colleague flowers after obtaining her address, Frank is told by his doctor that he has an incurable brain tumor. In addition, his ex-wife Alison (Melinda Page Hamilton) has custody of their daughter Ava (Mackenzie Smith), who has become a spoiled brat.

Frank is sick of how America has fallen into a state of depravity based on pop culture, TV, the Internet, and talk radio. He fantasizes about killing his neighbors, whose screaming baby worsens his migraines and keeps him awake all night.

After his string of missteps, he goes off the deep end, fed up with the cruelty and stupidity of American culture. He meets teenage Roxy Harmon (Tara Lynne Barr), who shares his rage, and they team up to whack reality TV stars, bigots, and other repugnant creatures.

While the premise is not meant to be taken seriously, viewers who go along with it, get the jokes, and understand the crazy situations will find much satisfaction in God Bless America.

The characters who are killed are so completely over the top and raucously annoying that not even a shred of decency emits from their pores.

We cheer and celebrate their demise.

Frank’s stupid neighbors who talk about the most uninteresting and superficial subjects, like a reality show or an action movie, are trite and guzzle whatever little pleasure they can muster.

In the husband’s case, it’s a tacky bright yellow sports car.

Later, a self-absorbed reality star named Chloe (Maddie Hasson) and her equally obnoxious parents are offed in appropriate and satisfying form.

These characters are a representation of the idiocy of America, whose attention is caught by American Superstarz, a talent show craze featuring an intellectually disabled man named Steven Clark, whom the judges mock for his attempts at singing.

Watching the film in 2026, fifteen years after it was made, is powerful and telling.

Four years before the terrible reign of Donald Trump, who ruined American politics and the United States as a whole, who knew that the characters in God Bless America would resonate even more years later?

In a 2026 world of MAGA, ICE, and incompetence in the White House, the United States is even worse than God Bless America states!

After all, it’s the stupidity of voters who would actually elect a baffoonish reality star as their national leader.

You might say ‘it served ’em right’ if not for the other sensible and intelligent portion of the United States.

Goldthwait clearly falls into this bucket as he writes a clever and brilliant screenplay crackling with wackiness that sadly holds in real life.

The people who see God Bless America are largely those who get the humor and are intelligent enough to understand what Goldthwait is going for.

The rest won’t have a clue, which is the reason the film was made in the first place.

The film slows a bit when Frank and Roxy suffer from a misunderstanding and a lie about her past life comes to light. There’s also a bit of sentimentality, which is not the strongest part of the film.

These aspects are not as interesting as the scenes of the pair traversing the United States shoot-em-up style or the wonderful hostage standoff finale.

God Bless America (2011) is a satirical, well-written, and well-produced film solely made for smart people.

1975 Films, Comedy, Dark Comedy, Los Angeles, Political Comedy

Shampoo-1975

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Shampoo-1975

Director Hal Ashby

Starring Warren Beatty, Julie Christie, Goldie Hawn

Scott’s Review #1,362

Reviewed May 19, 2023

Grade: A-

Shampoo (1975) is a dark comedy that reminds me greatly of a Robert Altman film, without the customary overlapping dialogue found in his works.

The political environment against the posh Los Angeles backdrop emotes the vibes of The Long Goodbye (1973) and Nashville (1975) with enough sly satire and humor to generate a comparison.

Of course, the film, nestled in mid-1970s cinema greatness, is in the right decade. Further, the 1968 setting is perfect for the Los Angeles mood, where the Manson killings, hippies, sex, drugs, and rock n roll were all commonplace.

Listening to the soundtrack of The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Jefferson Airplane, and other familiar bands of the late 1960s makes Shampoo a grand slam of authenticity and richness.

Director Hal Ashby, who created the dark-comedy classic Harold and Maude in 1971, hits it out of the park again with Shampoo, a study of love, loneliness, and a sense of belonging and fulfillment.

I wasn’t won over right away, and the film took me a while to warm up to, if I’m being honest, but by the end, I was a big fan, especially of the writing.

But some of the slow-build films are the best.

The film takes place against the backdrop of Election Night in 1968, when, eventually, shamed former president Richard Nixon won the presidency. The characters bounce from one election party to the next but barely notice the outcome, choosing booze and lust over politics.

Beverly Hills hairdresser and notorious cad George Roundy (Warren Beatty) runs into trouble when his bedroom antics interfere with a possible business deal with the influential Lester (Jack Warden).

George is sleeping with Lester’s wife, Felicia (Lee Grant), and his best friend and ex-girlfriend, Jackie (Julie Christie), in addition to his current girlfriend, Jill Haynes, played by Goldie Hawn.

Part of why Shampoo sneaks up on the viewer is that it’s not a laugh-out-loud comedy in a physical way. Instead, the intelligent dialogue and the development of its characters are the winning formula.

We first meet George in bed with his older mistress, Felicia, who we assume might be his girlfriend. When he makes an excuse to check on Jill, we realize he is playing the field, but with no ill intent.

He genuinely likes the women he beds, but despite his antics, he feels empty and mindlessly trudging along.

A wonderful scene atop the Hollywood Hills brings George’s peril to a climax when he professes his love for one of the women, but is it too late?

Beatty, who co-wrote the screenplay, fleshes out his character’s motivations well. He really only wants happiness and a successful business. Some of the action takes place in his salon, where he meets his conquests.

The scenes between Beatty and Warden work particularly well, especially when Lester discovers George in a precarious situation, or three, assuming he is gay.

Let’s not forget the ladies. The triple bill of Christie, Hawn, and Grant is a force to be reckoned with. Grant is an interesting character since she has all the wealth she wants, but instead loves the financially struggling George. Should we feel sympathy for her?

Jill presumably will find happiness with a director smitten with her. They seem like a quality pair, and Christie’s Jackie also makes out well at the conclusion of the film.

Surprisingly, the presidential election is more of a background effect and is largely ignored by the characters, who have better things to worry about.

Ashby mostly has the news telecasts and election returns blurred intentionally. The point made is that Nixon’s cheating is a reflection of the self-obsession affecting the United States during that time.

Despite his flaws, the audience nonetheless roots for George. This is a testament to the writing of Beatty and Robert Towne and the rich, slow build that Ashby provides to Shampoo (1975) amid a shiny yet tarnished Los Angeles veneer.

Oscar Nominations: 1 win-Best Supporting Actor-Jack Warden, Best Supporting Actress-Lee Grant (won), Best Original Screenplay, Best Art Direction

2008 Films, Biography, Comedy, Drama, Political Comedy, Political Drama, Satire

W.-2008

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W.-2008

Director Oliver Stone

Starring Josh Brolin

Scott’s Review #1,130

Reviewed April 7, 2021

Grade: B+

I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again- the United States political landscape forever changed with the dastardly 2016 presidential election.

Presidents pre- and post-2016 are held to a completely different standard.

We didn’t see this coming.

That said, the film W. (2008) is a biography and satire of George W. Bush, the forty-third president of the United States, who held office during the deadly 9/11 attacks.

Thought by some to be a moron, director Oliver Stone is careful to ease up on the obvious mockery and barbs that are usually thrown at Bush. There is some of that, but surprisingly, the film contains some sympathetic moments.

For example, a clever addition is a complex relationship between father and son, something shadowed from the spotlight. At least I was never aware there was any friction between Dad and Son.

Fans who lean or are conservative may not like the film. It’s not exactly pro-Bush, but neither is it anti.

It simply tells a good and accurate story.

Stone wisely features an all-star cast and offers a retrospective chronicling the life and political career of George W. Bush, from his troubles as a young adult through his governorship of Texas and to the Oval Office.

It’s well-made because it provides the uninformed viewer with an important history lesson.

The lineup is juicy, featuring an array of elite Hollywood stars. Josh Brolin sinks his teeth into the title role while Elizabeth Banks is more low-key as former First Lady Laura Bush.

In support, James Cromwell and Ellen Burstyn play George H.W. Bush and Barbara, while Richard Dreyfuss is fantastic as Dick Cheney.

Finally, Thandie Newton is as delicious as Condoleezza Rice.

Flashbacks are key to his life events, revealing the rise of George W. Bush from ne’er-do-well party boy and son of privilege to president of the United States.

After giving up booze for religion, George mends his restless ways and sets his sights first on the Texas governorship, which he achieves, then on the presidency.

By a fluke, he achieved this too, but lost the popular vote, forever a bee in his bonnet.

However, the country’s involvement in the Iraq War affects his reign and decreases his approval rating.

The historical accuracy appears to be valid, and most details are taken from non-fiction books. That’s why the film is perfect for those who wish to brush up on their history or who are intrigued about the life and times of a modern president.

Just be prepared for a bit of comedy.

To be fair, there are moments in W. when it feels like a long Saturday Night Live sketch, and the characters are caricatures.

It’s not exactly a parody, nor is it a documentary either. Sort of a hybrid.

The heart of the film belongs to Josh Brolin (reportedly, he stepped in for Christian Bale at the last minute). Major props go to Brolin for a nuanced, spot-on characterization of the former president.

He’s got the mannerisms down and turns of the head, his walk, and speech patterns. He is careful to take a controversial public persona and portray him with both humor and humanity. Never completely silly, but not as a straight man either.

The real Bush always had a bit of a devilish ” aw, shucks persona.

Post 2016, it’s tough to care much about W. (2008), though. It’s a “of its time” film. Too much has happened since the Bush years, or even since 2008 when the film was made.

Donald Trump made so many things irrelevant. I can’t wait until a satire emerges about him.

You know one is coming.