God Bless America

( 1 )

Overview

Writer/director Bobcat Goldthwait skewers everything that's wrong with contemporary American culture in this firebomb satire about a disillusioned middle-aged man who embarks on a violent crime spree with a cynical teenage girl. Fed up with his selfish neighbors, fired from his soul-sucking job, and depressed at the infrequency of visits with his bratty young daughter, 45-year-old divorcé Frank Joel Murray prepares to end it all after being diagnosed with a fatal brain tumor. Just as Frank is about to pull the ...
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More About This Product

Overview

Writer/director Bobcat Goldthwait skewers everything that's wrong with contemporary American culture in this firebomb satire about a disillusioned middle-aged man who embarks on a violent crime spree with a cynical teenage girl. Fed up with his selfish neighbors, fired from his soul-sucking job, and depressed at the infrequency of visits with his bratty young daughter, 45-year-old divorcé Frank Joel Murray prepares to end it all after being diagnosed with a fatal brain tumor. Just as Frank is about to pull the trigger, however, he has a sudden flash of inspiration: Before he takes his own life, he'll do the world a big favor and permanently silence the loudmouthed teenage star of a popular reality-television show. After witnessing the clumsy execution firsthand, high-school misfit Roxy Tara Lynne Barr convinces Frank to continue his bloody mission of cultural cleansing with her as his sidekick. In no time, Frank and Roxy are leaving a trail of bodies in their wake, and making headlines across the country. But all good things must come to an end, and when their partnership hits an unexpected hitch, Frank draws up plans to go out with a final bang.
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Special Features

Closed Caption; Behind the Scenes: Killing with Kindness; God Bless TV: Deleted/Extended Scenes; Outtakes; Interviews with Bobcat Goldthwait, Joel Murray and Tara Lynne Barr; HDNet: A Look at God Bless America; Roxy and Frank Music Video; Commentary with Bobcat Goldthwait, Joel Murray and Tara Lynne Barr; Theatrical Trailer
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Editorial Reviews

All Movie Guide - Jason Buchanan
What's the formula for a great film? Can it be determined by dividing the number of minutes a movie holds us enthralled by the amount of time we spend waiting for something interesting to happen? Perhaps it's measured in the efficiency of the screenplay multiplied by the competence of the filmmakers. Whatever formula you choose to use, odds are Bobcat Goldthwait's God Bless America wouldn't meet the criteria of a "great" film; the direction is a little rough around the edges, the performances occasionally border on amateurish, and, much like a Kevin Smith film, all of the characters speak in a single voice. Incredibly, Goldthwait manages to use these perceived shortcomings to his advantage in his fifth feature directorial outing -- a caustic, firebomb satire that may not be the comedy America wants, but is almost certainly the one America deserves. Fed up with his selfish neighbors, fired from his soul-sucking job, and depressed at the infrequency of visits with his bratty young daughter, 45-year-old divorcé Frank Joel Murray prepares to end it all after being diagnosed with a fatal brain tumor. Just as Frank is about to pull the trigger, however, he has a sudden flash of inspiration: Before he takes his own life, he'll do the world a big favor and permanently silence the loudmouthed teenage star of a popular reality-television show. After witnessing the clumsy execution firsthand, high-school misfit Roxy Tara Lynne Barr convinces Frank to continue his bloody mission of cultural cleansing with her as his sidekick. In no time, Frank and Roxy are leaving a trail of bodies in their wake, and making headlines across the country. But all good things must come to an end, and when their partnership hits an unexpected hitch, Frank draws up plans to go out with a final bang. Technically unpolished and populated with actors who resemble people you might see at the grocery store rather than moonlighting models, God Bless America is the cinematic equivalent of a Black Flag album -- reckless, dangerous, and positively fearless in its quest to rip contemporary society up by the roots. Brilliantly played by longtime character actor Joel Murray who also appeared briefly as a policeman in the 2011 Oscar favorite The Artist, Frank is a reluctant pop-culture assassin who's been pushed too far by the growing void of inanity, narcissism, and entitlement that's gradually eroding America thanks to a steady diet of reality television, and a paralyzing fear of inconvenience. Battered yet soulful, he's the perfect mouthpiece for Goldthwait's defiantly transgressive screenplay. As his all-too-eager teenage sidekick Roxy, Barr occasionally overplays the precocious hand, but thankfully it doesn't detract from the interactions between the characters -- a central element to the film's success as it highlights the fact that Frank's 21st century malaise stems more from his sensitivity and deep-rooted compassion rather than a generational disconnect. And while subtlety is hardly the point here, Goldthwait does fill God Bless America with lots of nice little stylistic flourishes such as a shot of Frank listening to his entitled daughter's tantrum on the phone while images of a bratty reality-TV star play on a background television that reveal just how much he's evolving as a filmmaker. Meanwhile, during the same summer that Alice Cooper is being used as the butt of jokes in Tim Burton's Dark Shadows, Goldthwait makes poignant use of the legendary rocker's "Hello Hooray" and "I Never Cry" in two of the film's central sequences -- opting for earnestness over irony in a time when the former is in precious short supply. With all due respect to Goldthwait, God Bless America feels like the kind of film the late, great Bill Hicks may have made were he still around today -- a thorny comedy that isn't so much laugh-out-loud hilarious as it is profanely enlightening -- and the fact that some of the satire is virtually indistinguishable from the product it is parodying makes the movie something of a bitter pill. Once we realize that the funhouse mirror on the big screen is actually just a plain-old looking glass reflecting our own distorted values, it's obvious that while God Bless America may not meet everyone's criteria of being a "great" film, it most certainly qualifies as great art if for no other reason than it's likely to yield some intelligent, reflective, and perhaps heated discussions during the ride home. Maybe once we start talking, we'll be more likely to realize that something has gone horribly wrong.
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Product Details

  • Release Date: 7/3/2012
  • UPC: 876964004718
  • Original Release: 2011

    • Rating:

  • Source: Magnolia
  • Region Code: 1
  • Aspect Ratio: Cinemascope (2.35:1)
  • Presentation: Color
  • Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
  • Language: English
  • Time: 1:45:00
  • Format: DVD
  • Sales rank: 7,635

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits
Joel Murray Frank
Tara Lynne Barr Roxy
Melinda Page Hamilton Alison
Mackenzie Brooke Smith Ava
Rich McDonald Brad
Maddie Hasson Chloe
Larry Miller Chloe's Dad
Dorie Barton Chloe's Mom
Travis Wester Ed
Lauren Phillips Ed's Wife
Guerrin Gardner Tampon Throwing, Tuff Girl
Kellie Marie Ramdhanie Melissa, Tuff Girl
Aris Alvarado Steven Clark
Romeo Brown Instructor
Sandra Vergara American Superstarz Host
Jamie Harris American Superstarz Host
Alexie Gilmore Morning Show Host
James McAndrew Morning Show Host
Brendalyn Richard Karen
Geoffrey Pierson Frank's Boss
Tom Kenny Office Staff
Eliza Coyle Office Staff
Jill Talley Office Staff
Joe Liss Office Staff
Bryce Johnson Co-Worker
Cameron Denny Office Worker
Scott Zeller Ronald
Danny Geter Mutual of Onodaga Security Guard
Dan Spencer Doctor
Leslie Noble Medical Building Woman
Regan Burns Michael Fuller
Bruce Nozick TMI Host
Orson Oblowitz TMI Flunky
Frank Conniff Stan Kurtz
Tom Lenk Party Planner #1
Jack Plotnick Party Planner #2
Morgan Murphy Fast Food Employee
Gilland Jones Girl Who Gets Shot in Movie Theater
Naomi Glick Girl Who Doesn't Get Shot in Movie Theater
Jacob Demonte-Finn Boy Who Gets Shot in Movie Theater #1
Carson Aune Boy Who Gets Shot in Movie Theater #2
Toby Huss Man with Cell Phone Who Gets Shot
Christopher Allen Nelson Trooper
Iris Almario Sophia Milo
Tony V Pancake Eating Pedophile
Mo Gaffney Singing Waitress
Andrea Squibb "Harper" Roxy's Mother
David Mendenhall Roxy's Father
Steve Agee American Superstarz Crew Member
Christopher Doyle America Superstarz Security Guard Who Gets Shot
Kirk Bovill Police Captain
Michael Carbonaro Robbie Barkley
Philip Anthony Traylor American Superstarz Backdoor Security Guard
Paul Eliopoulos Reverend Goran
Mike Tristano Shady Gun Dealer
Lon Gowan Audience Member Who Runs and Doesn't Get Shot
Daniel Everson Audience Member Who Runs and Gets Shot
Samantha Droke Chloe's BFF
James Rustin Chloe's BFF
Nathan Kim Dancer
Zuzana Humplova Dancer
Hunter Hamilton Dancer
Suzanne "Suze-Q" Pirnat Dancer
Brad Rowe Angry Protestor
Nate Scholz Paparazzi
Technical Credits
Bobcat Goldthwait Director, Screenwriter
Michael Breines Asst. Director
Linda Cohen Musical Direction/Supervision
Jeff Culotta Producer
Robert Kato DeStefan Makeup Special Effects
Bill Donnelly Sound Mixer
Adam Douglass Sound Mixer
Jim Goldthwait Co-producer
Edward H. Hamm Jr. Executive Producer
David Hopper Editor
Robert C. Jackson Sound/Sound Designer
Matt Kollar Score Composer
Ruth Lambert Casting
Robert McGee Casting
Sean McKittrick Producer
Arran Murphy Sound Mixer
Christopher Nelson Makeup Special Effects
Sarah de Sa Rego Costumes/Costume Designer
Jenn Rose Makeup Special Effects
Ernest Sanders Sound Mixer
Natalie Sanfilippo Production Designer
Trish Sie Choreography
Jason Stewart Co-producer, Editor
Bradley Stonesifer Cinematographer
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Scene Index

Disc #1 -- God Bless America
1. Fantasizing [6:34]
2. Blocked In [11:31]
3. Fired [9:34]
4. First Kill [9:44]
5. Chloe''s Parents [8:06]
6. Theater [8:21]
7. Brain Camera [17:52]
8. Need a Vacation [6:25]
9. No Tumor [4:02]
10. American Superstar [5:49]
11. Lost Our Kindness [3:40]
12. Credits [7:38]
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Menu

Disc #1 -- God Bless America
   Play Movie
   Scene Selection
   Set Up
      Audio
         English 5.1 Dolby Digital
         Commentary With Bobcat Goldthwait, Joel Murray and Tara Lynne Barr
      Subtitles
         Spanish
         Subtitles: Off
   Special Features
      Commentary with Bobcat Goldthwait, Joel Murray and Tara Lynne Barr
      Behind The Scenes: Killing With Kindness
      God Bless TV: Deleted/Extended Scenes
      Outtakes
      Interviews With Bobcat Goldthwait, Joel Murray and Tara Lynne Barr
      HDNet: A Look at God Bless America
      Roxy & Frank Music Video
      Theatrical Trailer
      Also From Magnolia Home Entertainment
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Customer Reviews

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