An American Carol Movie Review

"An American Carol" is a rarety in Hollywood - It is a Conservative Hollywood Comedy - and a movie that Hollywood wanted nothing to do with.

In fact, Hollywood was so upset with the Conservative leanings of the movie, that none of the American Production Companies would touch it, so the filmakers had to find a company outside the U.S. willing to produce it - and found one in France!

The Director and Co-Writer of the film is David Zucker (Airplane, Naked Gun, Scary Movie Franchise). An American Carol is a parody of A Christmas Carol, and the Scrooge that hates America as severely as Scrooge hates Christmas is Michael Malone played by Kevin Farley (a thinner version, but otherwise spitting image of his late comedian brother Chris). The Michael Malone Character is an obvious play on Michael Moore. The character is a slobby documentary filmmaker who's latest work, "Die, You American Pig," did not perform as he'd hoped, and his true goal is to make a feature film, of who's manuscript he carries with him and is titled "Fascist America." In fact, he is so determined to get it filmed and produced, that he is even willing to take money from Islamic Terrorists for it.

Meanwhile, the Malone character is also caught up in a movement to abolish the Fourth of July as a holiday, a movement he began, and as the movie progresses, begins to regret.

John F. Kennedy pays Malone a visit to warn the baseball cap wearing filmmaker that he will be visited by three spirits who will help him understand the value of America. The Spirits, George S. Patton (Kelsey Grammer), George Washington (Jon Voight), and Death (Trace Adkins), take Michael Malone on a journey through history, the present, and the future in an attempt to show him the importance of America, the importance of fighting for liberty when it is necessary, and the danger of liberalism and appeasement.

The ACLU Lawyers are depicted as Ten Commandment destroying zombies while Dennis Hopper as a judge pulls out his gun to take them down. David Alan Grier and Gary Coleman play slaves in an American Future that occurs because America never fought the Civil War because Lincoln (in this alternate reality) was a pacifist like Neville Chamberlain.

An American Carol was not screened in advance for critics, possibly because the filmmakers knew that the Hollywood Critics would use their Liberal bias to shoot down the movie the best they could - but Political Pistachio blog finds this movie about Michael Moore (I mean: Malone) being visited by the ghosts of Patriotism's Past, Present, and Future to be a winner, and worth seeing.

Apparently, I am not the only one. The movie opened in the top ten, grossing nearly $4 million - but that is still quite a bit short of its $20 million production budget. However, that is an accomplishment, considering its limited release (of the seven theaters in my area, only one was carrying it). And note that though this movie has its share of slapstick comedy (and some laughs that only "right of center" folks will understand) as it proceeds through the story, the message of American Values, Patriotism, and Support for our Troops is present. In fact, for those that truly do support the troops, some of the scenes near the end of the film may even moisten the eyes.

Note to liberals reading this piece: Don't give me that "We Support the Troops, Just not the War" crap. Puking out that line is like me saying I am an Angels Baseball fan, but I don't want them to win the World Series.

I give the movie an enthusiastic high mark, 5 stars, thumbs up, or whatever - But I encourage you to go out and see it in the theater, not only because the theatrical experience enhances the movie, but also so that this movie can earn well, and send a message to Hollywood.