Review of An American Carol (2008) by Matt P — 12 Feb 2009

I laughed genuinally once, and sort of once more, and they had nothing to do with this movie's masturbatory conservative fantasies, and rather with two sight gags invovling a terrorist, a beard, and a chicken dance. Beyond that...

I realize that this is supposed to a comedy and thus the material is going to be a stretch, but this movie shows absolutely no understanding of Michael Moore, liberalism, or patriotism beyond a banal "Free and open thought = Conservatism!" mentality. Michael Moore has left himself wide open for criticism, and had the movie intelligently taken him to task, we might have had something. Instead, we get Michael Moore = fat democrat = unpatriotic. Or dissenting Liberals = aiding terrorism. Essentially baseless, childish claims that lesser commentators mistake for truth.

Bob Roberts was a political satire too, but it understood that our political problems are a lot more complex and stem from a myriad of factors, from misunderstanding to economics to greed, etc., that come from all ends of the political spectrum, liberals and conservatives alike. The "real" America according to Trace Adkins is country music fans and no one from acedemia (indoctrination!) yet the real America is blue and red, liberal, conservative, and everything in between and around the edges. The movie never realizes that, nor does it seem willing to.