Violent, profane, offensive, funny, and at times even a little cathartic. Bobcat Goldthwait's new film, God Bless America, is deeply flawed, but just might be your new guilty pleasure.
The film follows Frank (Joel Murray), who is completely fed up with American culture and most people in general. He suffers from migraines, insomnia, and obnoxious neighbors. During the course of a day, he loses his job and is diagnosed with brain cancer. After losing the nerve to blow his brains out, the next logical decision is to murder a mean spirited, high school, reality television star. It is during this that he meets the rebellious Roxy (Tara Lynne Bar), who accompanies him on a killing spree aimed at removing the unworthy members of society.
While the film definitely carries its share of flaws, the jabs at current reality shows and franchise advertisements are completely spot on. Even the sometimes cheesy, but not over the top performances feel right at home in this sordid satire of american disillusionment. Bobcat sort of dilutes the purpose of this film with a plot focusing on needless killing, but the message is still clear.
This is the type of film that should be accompanied by a morbid sense of humor, and I am not ashamed to admit that a certain movie theater scene put a massive grin on my face. It took some guts to make this film, but I guess after dealing with a gang-raped clown, bestiality, and erotic asphyxiation, it wasn't much of a stretch. Throw Taxi Driver, Bonnie and Clyde, and Heathers into a blender and you get God Bless America.
