A Crude Conservative Carol
by Steve Watters on 10/06/2008 at 1:07 PM
What happens when David Zucker, the creator of the Airplane, Naked Gun, and Scary Movie franchises wants to make a conservative movie? You get a few interesting points punctuated with face slaps and a high school level obsession with women's bodies.
The premise of An American Carol is a creative spin on the Charles Dickens classic. A Michael Moore type character rethinks his anti-American attitudes when he's visited by three ghosts stressing different American values. And the casting is an opportunity for various Hollywood conservatives -- including Kelsey Grammer, Jon Voight, Dennis Hopper and Kevin Farley (brother of the late comedian Chris Farley) -- to hold up values other celebrities look down on.
It's quite bold of Zucker -- and the various stars and producers he rallied behind this project -- to take on issues such as patriotism, the need for national defense, the real threat of Islamic extremism, ACLU lawyers and more. His representation of university professors as stuck in 1968 is quite biting. Jon Voight's comments as George Washington and a scene towards the end incorporating soldiers from various wars offer some poignant commentary on receding American values.
But does it have to be so crude?
Just as Zucker is about to pull on a heartstring, he goes back to the gags he built his career on. Watching this pattern throughout the movie -- with one crude gag after the other -- made Candice and I wonder if Zucker felt the need to show that he could embrace some conservative values without forgetting how to pull off potty humor.
A running joke of the movie is that the Michael Moore character can't be taken seriously because he only makes documentaries instead of feature films. As much as we found it innovative for Zucker to try to communicate his emerging conservative values through comedy, we couldn't help but wonder if enough moviegoers will take him seriously enough to justify all the groaner gags he sends up along the way.
1. (Canadian) Andrew R said the following at 1:24 PM on Oct 6:
Airplane! is my favourite movie of all time. The number of times I've watched it has probably hit 20, but every time I keep howling at every single joke. ("Surely you must be kidding!" "I'm not kidding. And don't call me 'Shirley.'") It was one of the first, and definitely the greatest, spoof/parody-movie ever made... which makes Zucker's recent work (Scary Movies, etc) even more disappointing, because they're just not that funny. And now that he's made a feature-length film that seems to be little more than a bunch of gross-out gags in an attempt to attack Michael Moore... it's going to make my next viewing of Airplane! a bit sour.
"We have to get this man to a hospital."
"A hospital? What is it?"
"It's a big building with patients, but that's not important right now."
2. Joseph said the following at 1:32 PM on Oct 6:
I am confused how this is categorized as "Dating and Courtship"...
3. Marc said the following at 1:52 PM on Oct 6:
This reminds me, slightly, of Adam Sandler. You can see in his latest movies that he genuinely wants to go towards more serious movies, but he can never truly do a movie without some toilet-humor thrown in their. I don't know which is worse. Sandler's audience not wanting to grow-up or Sandler not standing by his desires and releasing a movie MINUS the toilet-humor.
4. Marc said the following at 3:12 PM on Oct 6:
I'm sorry... I met "there", not their.
For all of your English majors, I apologize from the bottom of my heart.
:-)
5. Mallie said the following at 3:46 PM on Oct 6:
I have to agree. I saw the movie yesterday, and I just kept wondering why couldn't they have spent a little more time on the substantive satire than the pointless, immature jokes. It cheapened what would have been a pretty funny attack on extreme liberals.
6. KariE said the following at 4:07 PM on Oct 6:
I REALLY wish that the crude "humor" would have been left out! I wanted to enjoy the movie but I felt so guilty for watching it because of the bad language and crude scenes. It WAS refreshing to have a parody that I could relate to, but disappointing that I won't be able to show it to my kids someday... or take my little brothers to it... or recommend it to people.
Though, I do want a bumpersticker that says "They're not people, They're the ACLU!!"
On a side note, a Somali muslim man was in the audience (he talked to me before the movie started), and I felt TERRIBLE, because scenes from the movie and from really sexual advertisements beforehand(selling soda, of course, because THAT makes perfect sense!)fuel the excuses that extremists make for wanting to kill us all. It gave me a new perspective to be in the same theater with that man(although I realize he may have not had a problem with anything he saw).
7. Esther said the following at 5:05 PM on Oct 6:
I've heard this advertised on some conservative talk shows, and I'm frustrated that 'main stream' conservatism is embracing this. Just another reason for liberals to look down their noses at the "immature and uneducated right-wingers".
Which is too bad, because conservative thought and values are based on solid reasoning, traditions of excellence and personal responsibility, not to mention respect for good and upright living. Embracing the sterotype of gun-toting, ignorant rednecks is hardly effective (though I own a gun, and I spent all day on a farm, so I might fit the bill!).
8. Craig M. said the following at 5:58 PM on Oct 6:
Yes, what is the matter with Zucker? I mean, we all know how funny sobriety and moral forbearance are....
9. skeeter said the following at 7:05 PM on Oct 6:
"made Candice and I..."
Surely you meant, "made Candice and me..."
:)
10. Chris said the following at 7:46 PM on Oct 6:
I'm a big fan of Airplane 1 and 2 and Naked Gun. And Kentucky Fried Movie is a classic. (Best line of all of them: "Excuse me miss. I speak jive.")
However, those movies were spoofs of movie genres (or a collection of skits for KFM). Even the Scary Movie series (though somewhat funny, but not as funny as Airplane) were genre spoofs.
I don't know if Zucker can pull it off with this. Yes, he's making a spoof of a documentary, but you've got to make it a spoof of the genre, not a particular movie or set of movies. My initial thoughts from the previews/commercials/reviews is that it's too heavy-handed on the conservative side, though I could be wrong. If you're going to spoof, spoof 'em all. Otherwise, it's just a political film.
I think Zucker is a comedic genius, but his talents would be better spent mocking film genres, not political viewpoints.
11. Kate said the following at 11:00 PM on Oct 6:
Joseph- Perhaps a warning that this isn't the best option for a movie date? Bad movie selection can be simply disastrous when on a date.
Kate
(who still hasn't recovered from watching House of Sand and Fog as a first date freshman year)
12. Liz said the following at 12:21 AM on Oct 7:
I heard good things about it... even though the crude part wasn't so cool.
However, I was under the impression that the movie is "Satire"...and not just "satire" as it is making fun of pop-culture, but is, though you seem to think it is promoting conservatism, more making fun of it by trying to "promote it".
I could be wrong, but I was under the impression that it was even a satire about conservatism.
13. scott said the following at 6:59 AM on Oct 7:
ummm...It's a fun movie that pokes fun at liberals, not a Christian or conservative movie! Why do we Christians have to complain about it? If that humor disturbs you enough to blog about it, don't go see it. Go watch Fireproof.
14. Jeff said the following at 5:33 PM on Oct 7:
Why not wait until a DVD comes out? That way, you can at least fast forward through suggestive commercials or avoid "extra-movie-cular" activity. Is it really all that important to go to a theater to see a movie? It matters very little if it is a "good" one or not, for one still has to deal with all of the other stuff and the fact that one's $$$ goes to fund the r or x-rated. This approach is true of going to other places like grocery stores, but getting a movie isn't in the same catergory as getting milk. Growing up, I was taught that the movie theater was a "worldly" place. From the likes of the comments on here, looks like it still is a place to be avoided, whether it's "American Carol" showing or "The Lion, the Witch, & the Wardrobe"! Maybe we ought to re-think our culture and how Christians have acclimated to the world's system.
15. Brenda said the following at 9:16 PM on Oct 7:
I went to go see it and was disappointed that they used children using profanity repeatedly. I don't even remember if the grownups did! I do feel the spectrum was too broad. Too serious and intelligent and then crude and debase. I like humor but I don't want to see that kind. Dissapointing and sorry I saw it.
16. Jon Gross said the following at 7:29 AM on Oct 8:
I saw An American Carol yesterday and I thought that Zucker did well with it. Some people try to analyze movies to death. Just enjoy it for what it is, a movie.
17. IMO said the following at 1:04 PM on Oct 8:
#14's comment is ignorant.
#13--Why are you complaining about the complaining Christians?
18. IMO said the following at 1:20 PM on Oct 8:
Just wanted to elaborate ...
"Just enjoy it for what it is, a movie."
Ok then what is a movie to you?
What does that even mean?
Boundless has way too many blog posts on such topics (not about particular movies, but the discernment, etc. behind them)...maybe reading up on some of them won't hurt you..
19. IMO said the following at 1:23 PM on Oct 8:
ugh my post #s are off..
I was referring to Scott and Jon..
20. Cathy T. said the following at 8:01 PM on Oct 8:
My husband and I saw this Sunday night, and we enjoyed it! Yes, some of the humor was a little crude, but it was SATIRE and was very funny! The part with George Washington was excellent, John Voight was perfect for that part, and the scene portraying American solidiers down through history brought a tear to my eye. I highly recommend it to those who can loosen up a bit and enjoy a few gags at the expense of extreme liberals. It's all in good fun, and the message does come across!
21. Stephanie said the following at 8:11 PM on Oct 8:
Crudeness, profanity, etc. ASIDE ...
In my opinion, it isn't right for Christians to enjoy making fun of people, even people we don't like. I don't believe that there is any excuse to mock and ridicule ANYONE even if it's all in the name of being "funny" or proving a point. God values the dignity of every single person, and we should, too.