SXSW Review: God Bless America

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God Bless America

Upon first glance of the trailer, or even hearing that God Bless America is a movie written and directed by Bobcat Goldthwait -- you know, that guy from the Police Academy movies -- it'd easy to dismiss the film as a dumb and very violent action comedy with nothing to say. That couldn't be further from the truth. It's got a lot of things to say, and it will say something to everybody. Not everyone will be ready for this a harsh a dose of reality, but it's a film that people in this country could clearly benefit from watching.

What would you do if you were at your lowest point? Fired from your job, everything on TV makes you miserable, your daughter hates you and you just can't catch a break. This is where Frank (Joel Murray) finds himself, and to make matters worse, he's diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer. When he's just about to take his own life, Frank watches the most vile of reality TV characters, a 15-year-old teenager in a rich family. He decides to track her down and end her life, righting a small wrong in the world before he will leave it. He's witnessed by a young girl named Roxy (Tara Lynne Barr), who has a similar disdain for the victim but also, like Frank, for the rest of the country. Together they decide who should die and who should live as they venture across the country.

Despite all the onscreen violence and comedy, God Bless America is really a character-driven film, and the performances by both leads are fantastic. Joel Murray (Mad Men) plays it like a veteran actor who should have been one of our cinematic treasures long before this film, and hopefully this role will garner more work for him. Perhaps an even better performance is that of young Tara Lynne Barr, who's previously been in very kid-friendly shows like The Suite Life of Zack and Cody on the Disney channel. Despite her doe-eyed appearance, she flawlessly plays the adorable sociopath of Roxy with such ease that you'd think she'd been doing films like this her whole life, all 18 years of it.

God Bless America is such a great film, and occasionally the violence and vulgarity of it all might be a tad too much, but the movie does a great job of reeling you back in. Despite its quality, it'll be a difficult film for some to watch. When Frank and Roxy are laying out their plans and discussing who their targets should be, you and everyone you know are targets in some way. Some will agree with this level of harshness and see it as a welcome relief from the infuriating things they incur on a regular basis. Others will see it as mean spirited and will inevitably be offended in some way. This film is definitely not for everyone, but one that everyone should see.

Love it or hate it, God Bless America will be a film that gets people talking. Bobcat Goldthwait takes aim at virtually everyone in the country as his characters in the film weave their way through a murderous spree. It might leave you wondering whether you're the type of person that is part of the problem of vapid society depicted in this film. I'll save you the trouble from wondering: You are. But it's okay -- since everyone is part of the problem, it allows anyone watching to take a step back and examine the ridiculous priorities we've set for ourselves. No one is safe from Goldthwait's wrath in this film, but you'll be glad for this wake-up call.

Austin connection: Local filmmaker Nathan Zellner appears briefly in a crowd scene near the end of the movie, next to Joel Murray.

God Bless America plays three more times during SXSW.