Maynard at the Movies
I wasn’t expecting much from An American Carol. It was mostly ignored or savaged by the critics, and the distribution is limited. But it was said to be a “conservative” movie, which would be a refreshing change from the usual Hollywood trash. Maybe it was worth taking a chance on.
I was pleasantly surprised. I mean, I actually liked this film. It’s a clever combination of cheap gags and insightful wit. This is a comic reworking of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol; only in place of a Christmas-hating Ebenezer Scrooge, we have a Fourth-of-July-hating Michael Moore Malone who is visited by ghosts of the past, present, and future.
Here’s the key ingredient that makes the film work, and this may surprise you: Michael Moore Malone is played as a sympathetic character. We (the audience) aren’t made to hate him; we actually rather like him, in spite of his blundering ways and boneheaded notions. So the movie is not merely an exercise in bashing a straw man; we really become interested in Moore’s Malone’s progress. It’s a (comical) human drama first and a philosophical lecture second.
I’m sure others will not see it this way. But this is my honest report of the way I felt as I watched it go by. I could laugh without reservation because the film is funny in a good-hearted way as it makes its points. And I do believe that true conservatism is a good-hearted philosophy.
“An American Carol” is rated PG-13 for some sexual innuendo and an expletive here and there (such as a cute kid referring to Moore Malone as an a–hole). It’s not squeaky-clean, but I think it’s suitable for most kids.
I saw the film the weekend it came out and while not the funniest movie I ever saw, I certainly enjoyed it. I want all conservatives and non Obama people to go see it. I also was glad to see anti idiotarian actors such as Kelsey Grammar, Dennis Hopper, Jon Voight, Leslie Nielsen together in the same film.
Good review, Maynard!
I also saw this film on opening night, and thoroughly enjoyed it… Especially the part with the ACLU.
I too enjoyed it, as did my husband, and apparently, the woman behind us who was just a-gigglin’ all through the movie. I did not know how long it’d last in Michigan, so I made sure to see it the first weekend out. Don’t know if I buy into Malone’s change of heart, but the movie reminded us of things that are worth remembering. My favorite part: Trace as the “freaking Angel of Death.” The whole cast was great, and in the liberal Hollywood arena, these folks were brave to stand up and be seen in such a “conservative” movie. They might be taking a real chance with their careers to be seen in this, because everyone wants to fit into that liberal mode for the good of their careers.
I, for one, thought that it was very cathartic to laugh-out-loud at stupid jihadists.
I enjoyed the movie but did not find it hilarious because the truth of the leftist agenda is hard for me to laugh at. There were some very funny scenes (IE terrorists blowing themselves up prematurely). I did experience a very touching moment. It was close to the end of the movie where the American soldiers from the present to the Revolutionary War stood in an unbroken line. I am a Veteran, 3 of my sons chose to serve in the military. My family is a military family going back to the Revolutionary war. It is humbling and a true honor to stand with great Americans who fought for their country from generations past.