April 17, 2012

God Bless America - 2012

Director: Bobcat Goldthwait
Writer: Bobcat Goldthwait
Starring: Joel Murray, Tara Lynne Barr


After being diagnosed with a brain tumor, Frank (Murray) goes on a raging rampage of revenge against the subtle evils of modern culture with his young sidekick Roxy (Barr).


Aside from his minor role in the 1997's animated Hercules, I was relatively unaware of Bobcat Goldthwait's existence. That all changed last year when I came across the incredible gem of World's Greatest Dad. Apparently, he's been writing/directing a very unique brand of dark comedy since 1991. While his latest venture doesn't quite match up to the 2009 entry, it's still quite a good film. Murray (one of three brothers of Bill), who had a notable role as Fred Rumsen on Mad Men recently, is the perfect schlub. It's hard to imagine a more societally attractive person in the role, and Murray's got the acting chops and then some to back it up. Barr, while a newcomer, gives a terrific performance as the wild-minded teenage girl that has cropped up in a surprising amount of movies lately (at least, ones I've seen). She's very convincing, especially in the scenes where Murray has to talk her down from taking things too far. I didn't understand why the very last scene played out in the manner that it did, but it's a small price to play for a great Falling Down/Bonnie and Clyde mashup for the modern day. B+

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