Another Wingnut Comedy

You'd think they would have quit while they were behind with the 1/2 Hour News Hour. Not so, alas...

I'm holding a palm card that was just given out at the Heritage Foundation to promote the new David Zucker film An American Carol. If I fill out the card, I can take one of four pledges, such as "Yes, I will send the trailer to my contacts" and "Yes, I want to be AN AMERICAN CAROLER or THEATER CAPTAIN." It's an induction to a movement, as the slogan on the card makes clear: "Finally, a movie for us."

By "us," of course, the filmmakers and promoters mean conservatives. Executive producer Myrna Sokoloff has put together a "pro-soldier, support our troops, pro-America" comedy, which Stephen Hayes previews in the new Weekly Standard. In it, filmmaker Michael Malone (Kevin "brother of Chris" Farley) and his organization MoveAlong.org are trying to repeal the Fourth of July when three angels—the Angel of Death, George S. Patton, and George Washington—come to him and convince him to change his ways.

I guess Bill O'Reilly appears in this as himself.

Jesse Taylor has the definitive take on this, but let me add that conservatives fundamentally don't understand comedy. Their idea of a joke is:

Knock-knock.
Who's there?
The ACLU is giving away our cherished rights to terrorists!
Yeah, and they're ugly! Let's shove a broomstick up their ass!

If that's what you're looking for, this movie won't disappoint:

In a clip we saw, Washington takes Malone to St. Paul's Cathedral to lecture him on freedom of religion and "freedom of speech, which you abuse." Malone is grossed out by dust in the priest's box, so the doors open onto the smoldering ruins of the World Trade Center. "This is the dust of 3000 innocent human beings!" bellows Washington. Malone whimpers that he's just making movies. Washington won't have it. "Is that what you plan to say on Judgment Day?"

"That scene," said Sokoloff, "is hard to put in a comedy. But we had to do it."

That scene is hard to recite without vomit spurting from your nostrils, but I can't say it stopped them.

Honestly, this could become some kind of late-night cult favorite, an artifact of the Bush-era insaneosphere. We can all go dressed up as our favorite warblogger and throw Cheetos at the screen.

* I should note here that I have the dubious honor of having worked with both Kevin Farley (on a commercial about a dozen years ago) and Kurt Long, one of the anchors of the Half Hour News Hour. I seem to be a magnet for the fringe players in wingnut comedy.