Movie Review: An American Carol

It's not as funny as Airplane (the one without William Shatner). It's not as clever as The Naked Gun (the one with O.J.). But it still has Leslie Nielson and plenty of laughs . . . especially if you find humor in the parody of Hollywood and the radical left.

David Zucker's latest film, An American Carol, is a dramatic departure from what we're used to seeing from Hollywood these days. This film is unabashedly pro-American, unreservedly anti-terrorism, and unconventionally (by current film standards) supportive of the U.S. military -- even going so far as to portray them as heroes.

SORTOF SPOILER:
The film is set in the framework of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, but in this version Scrooge is replaced by a voluminous, radical left-wing "documentary" maker named Michael Malone (who may just be a parody of voluminous, radical left-wing "documentary" maker, Michael Moore). And while the lead hater in Dickens' tale humbugged Christmas, Zucker's lead wants to abolish the 4th of July.

Like the original, Zucker's character is visited by four spirits. The first, replacing Bob Marley . . . no wait, that was Jacob Marley . . . is John F. Kennedy, who attempts to correct Michael Malone's perception of his presidency (though the Kennedy spectre makes no reference to the fact that he was a supporter of supply-side economics like Ronald Reagan and would call Obama's fiscal plan "economic suicide"). Kennedy then warns that there will be a visit from three spirits, who turn out to be General George Patton, President George Washington and The Angel of Death (country music star, Trace Atkins). He failed to warn Malone about the other visitors he would encounter like the undead ACLU lawyers, brain-dead protesters and conscience-dead terrorists. Oh, and the movie also has career-dead Gary Coleman!

Like the original Carol, the visits have a life-changing effect on Malone. But I'll save that for the cinema.

Do I recommend the film? Yes. It's not going to win an Oscar, but it has some funny moments and some thought provoking concepts (especially concerning the first Republican president and slavery). If nothing else, your visit to the cinema will tell Hollywood that Americans really do like films that admire America.

Go out. Take a date. Give David Zucker some support. And if you're a left-wing radical: go out. Take a date. Know your enemy.