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And A Little Child Shall Lead Them: The Madness That Is The God Bless America Trailer

By TK | Posted Under Trailers | Comments (40)

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There’s subversive satire, and then there’s outright madness, and somewhere in between lies God Bless America, the new film written and directed by none other than Bobcat Goldthwait, professional comedian, writer, director and lunatic.

The film is about a man (Joel Murray) who snaps one day and, with the help of a whacko teenage sidekick (Tara Lynne Barr), goes on cross-country rampage to try to overthrow the idiocracy — by killing stupid people. Yup, a movie about “righteous” serial killers who work to purge the country of morons. It’s like Loki from Dogma had his dream come true.

The film seems like its destined to be a major talking point, and to call it controversial is the understatement of the month. I’m guessing that some people are going to love what they see below, and some are going to lose their shit. I recognize satire when I see it, and so I’m not outraged, but I am… well, a little uncomfortable, I suppose. But then again, that’s probably the point — Goldthwait has made a career out of making people feel uncomfortable. Regardless, I know I’ll end up seeing it.

Take a look (NSFW):









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Comments

I may be one of only two people in America that think that Shakes the Clown is one the fines examples of American dyspepsia that has ever been put on film.

Go, Bobcat, go.

Posted by: Meander at January 30, 2012 11:04 AM

Then I'm the other one, Meander.

Posted by: TK at January 30, 2012 11:09 AM

I think this movie speaks to what many of us would like to do but, for obvious legal reasons, cannot.

Posted by: eastvillagenyc73 at January 30, 2012 11:11 AM

I was thinking “watch the trailer, don’t read the text,” but then messed that all up :(

Posted by: kev dog at January 30, 2012 11:13 AM

"It's 'Heathers' meets 'The Professional'!"

Posted by: Meander at January 30, 2012 11:17 AM

Needs more violence.

Posted by: , at January 30, 2012 11:20 AM

For people who thought Hobo with a Shotgun was a bit too symbolic in its anti-stupidity message.

Posted by: Robert at January 30, 2012 11:24 AM

Hey has anybody seen George?

Geoooooorrrrrrrge!!!!

Posted by: PissBoy at January 30, 2012 11:42 AM

The best part to me was that Oxfam sponsored my trailer. Not sure how this movie meshes with their worldview.

Posted by: Houston at January 30, 2012 11:45 AM

"...American dyspepsia..."

What?

Posted by: Scott at January 30, 2012 11:47 AM

I was feeling a little uncomfortable right up to the point where he shot the guy who takes two parking spots. Then I just fell in love.

Posted by: PaddyDog at January 30, 2012 11:51 AM

Today in "Things you may not want to do after showing a clip in which the vacuous actors of pop culture are violently slain" let's add "show The Battleship trailer".

And Mr. Neeson? That's one expensive crack habit makes you do something like this...

Posted by: MachineGunJeanMaurice at January 30, 2012 11:52 AM

Isn't Loki from Dogma ?

Posted by: alex at January 30, 2012 12:09 PM

I think I just found my favorite movie ever. Well, at least of this year. OK, last five years. Even the trailer is cathartic. That guy? The one who takes two parking spaces? That's my former boss. This is like Se7ven but way funnier. John Doe had NO sense of humor.

Posted by: klingonfree at January 30, 2012 12:10 PM

"It's 'Heathers' meets 'The Professional'!"Posted by: Meander at January 30, 2012 11:17 AM

I get that, but it's also

Kick Ass meets Natural Born Killers.

Posted by: John G. at January 30, 2012 12:13 PM

I want to see this NOW. NOW NOW NOW.

Posted by: Anna von Beav at January 30, 2012 12:15 PM

Idiocracy meets Taxi Driver?

Posted by: superasente at January 30, 2012 12:15 PM

I am so on board with this.

Posted by: ReturnofSantitas at January 30, 2012 12:24 PM

Yes alex...and this is why I love Magnet...on demand before in theaters (because those theaters are no where near me)

Posted by: Luke at January 30, 2012 12:28 PM

This is genius. I suppose you could call it satire, but I call it wish fulfillment.

Posted by: Captain Tuttle at January 30, 2012 12:30 PM

Yeah, I'll be seeing this.

Posted by: Tori at January 30, 2012 12:47 PM

Count me in. That looks fantastic. Definitely wish fulfillment.

Posted by: MRod at January 30, 2012 12:47 PM

This is what happens when The Boondock Saints watch reality TV.

Posted by: Bert at January 30, 2012 12:51 PM

Oh yeah...I must see this.

Posted by: brite at January 30, 2012 12:54 PM

Actually saw a play that, pretty much, did this same thing. The obvious controversy being, who the hell are these two people to decide who "deserves to die", as if they've never been a jerk in their lives to anyone. There's something about the joke of killing someone who does something completely outrageously selfish and moronic...but to make that joke into an entire movie starts to legitimize, ever so slightly, the defense of murder of a human being who "deserved it". It stops being funny and starts being psychotic.

Posted by: Littlejon2001 at January 30, 2012 1:01 PM

Totally going to see this. Probably a 100 times. In a row. Probably a 1,000 times. In a row.

I can guarantee I look the exact same way when I'm watching TV.

As stupid as it sounds, I don't even watch the news anymore. It's full of either moronic people and politicians yelling over each other or "celebrities".

Posted by: Candee at January 30, 2012 1:01 PM

I have to admit, I smiled quite a bit when the blew away the Phelpsish demonstrators.

Posted by: Drake at January 30, 2012 2:30 PM

"We have to remember that a murderer is just an extroverted suicide."

- Criminologist The Amazing Kargol and Janet

Posted by: The Wanderer at January 30, 2012 3:01 PM

I hate ALL CAPS yelling in comments, but...

THIS IS THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER MADE!!!!!!!!!!!!

[based on the Trailer]

Posted by: OldSchool60 at January 30, 2012 4:13 PM

What bothers me is that this will never play anywhere near me. Because I want to see it.

Posted by: Samantha at January 30, 2012 4:16 PM

...it's all those movies mentioned plus Falling Down (which I initially thought was a comedy...but turns out not to be. Which makes it sort of work)

Posted by: Sara Tonin at January 30, 2012 4:35 PM

I'm sorry, but I have to vicariously live the ever-loving crap out of this movie so hard. Opening day, you guys.

Going from the slightly worrying amount of excited comments here, it sounds there's going to be a lot of cathartic release blown out

Posted by: Laurie at January 30, 2012 4:47 PM

It's Falling Down meets Bonnie and Clyde meets Natural Born Killers meets Taxi Driver meets Super.

And I am OK with that.

Posted by: Shane at January 30, 2012 7:16 PM

I may be one of only two people in America that think that Shakes the Clown is one the fines examples of American dyspepsia that has ever been put on film.

Posted by: Meander at January 30, 2012 11:04 AM

And I thought Bobcat's World's Greatest Dad was damn good too.

Posted by: Uriah Creep at January 30, 2012 8:51 PM

Make this movie happen in real life pleeaasseee!

Totally forgot about Bobcat. Needs to rewatch World's Greatest Dad, Shakes the Clown, that one with a girl who blew her dog and even One Crazy Summer.

Posted by: Adrien at January 31, 2012 6:43 AM

"Why have a civilization if we are no longer interested in being civilized?"

Er...

Posted by: Hayden Tompkins at January 31, 2012 9:37 AM

Also a touch of "The Fool Killer" comic from the late 80s-early 90s. Love the Bobcat. On demand it is!

Posted by: purplejebus at January 31, 2012 8:02 PM

Hmm, as much as I love a masturbatory "fuck the world" kind of film, it seems like they hit the same joke over and over again in the trailer. This person is annoying, so they shoot him. I hope there's more of a story there instead of this assorted grab bag of repetitive skits.

Posted by: Jeremy at January 31, 2012 9:31 PM

Honestly, this movie seems guilty of the same thing it's criticizing. Maybe that's where the satire is supposed to lie, but it seems like, from the comments, that most people aren't going to get that... if even the director does.

The protagonists snap our culture is full of selfish, shallow people who aggrandize their own desires and could care less about goodness or decency, anything or anyone but themselves. And the protagonists don't seem like they protest or rise above what they hate... they just embody it to a grotesque extreme.

What's more selfish than taking two spots instead of thinking of how that inconveniences someone else? Killing someone who inconveniences you. That's the irony. They've become the exact same kind of terrible, just to an extreme.

What worries me about the film is that, based on people's reactions, it seems like the audience who watches/enjoys it will be the exact same kind of people who keep things like Jersey shore on the air (and the jwow-snooki-ations rich), and they're doing it for the same reasons. We want to see destruction- whether it's terrible people destroying themselves or a projection of ourselves destroying them. And that impulse is sick.

I wouldn't mind a film with the same principle if it were on some level saying, "We can be better than this. We are meant to be better than this." Instead it seems like it's sort of giving up- saying that if the world is a hopeless piece of crap, we might as well help it burn faster.

Posted by: Kat at February 6, 2012 2:30 AM

Sorry, "The protagonists snap *because* our culture is full of selfish, shallow people,"

Posted by: Kat at February 6, 2012 2:31 AM