America - The Motion Picture
NetflixGeorge Washington and the land of the free he helped guide get a bad rap. Across the pond, the stereotype of those amendment-crazed, anti-tea Yanks is a fascinatingly accepted part of general discourse. We must set aside our differences, come together under the umbrella of film, and bury the hatchet. Or at least, we could have, had it not been for America: The Motion Picture, an abhorrent Netflix animated original that dares to chain itself to the word “comedy”. Its frat party attitudes provide a stiff and lifeless setlist of crude and ill-fated jokes from director Matt Thompson.
Speaking of crude and ill-fated jokes, it does make sense that most cast members here are formerly prominent comedians. Simon Pegg moved onto pastures new and extraordinarily stronger with supporting roles in big-budget films, but here he is slumming it in a supporting role as King James. Andy Samberg and Judy Greer appear also in smaller roles, thankfully, but even then, it means we are then stuck with Channing Tatum and Will Forte, two American comedians whose work in other fields are far stronger than their comedic chops. Chops are needed though. Mainly in terms of the script. “Sic Semper my dick, bitches,” is possibly the most riotous line of the piece, and even then, it is met with stony faces and a groan, rather than the guffaw Johnson was surely expecting.
Many of the major issues with America: The Motion Picture come from perspectives of comedy. Subtlety is no friend of American humour, so it should be no surprise that its crassness is taking the spotlight. But it steals the show, pushes out anything of real, relevant quality, and instead depicts itself as a film three dumbfounded teenagers may think up. No chemistry can be found between its ensemble cast, no parallel, commentary, or even sense to the humour within, and certainly no sign of quality. Not even the animation, which should have at least offered something unique, can offer anything of particular merit. It strikes the same tones as a cheap DC cartoon that would play out in the very early hours of a dawning weekend. If it were not for instantly available streaming services, America: The Motion Picture would find itself slotted in between re-runs of talk shows and home shopping channels. It is of that quality.
We the people? We the people demand better than America: The Motion Picture, a beer-chugging, bro-loving hellscape with stuttering animation, infantile jokes, and dreadful riffs on the War for Independence. When your best joke is a brief sight gag that warrants a light chuckle with a play on words, they should know there is trouble abound. Presidential films with a tinge of fiction are barely workable at the best of times, but when all the jokes are references and rudimentary jokes about sex, drugs, and action, then we must truly question the point of it all. Frustratingly boring and not at all coordinated in its blur of modern-day values and historical efficiency. Neither gets off lightly, and it leaves Thompson playing catch-up to the comedies of the early 2000s.