"God Bless America" started out promising with an internal monologue from the anti-hero Frank. He speaks in a soft, almost defeated tone, fed up with his inconsiderate neighbors and their disregard for others. A hilarious sequence where he goes next door and shoots the neighbors and their baby follows. Exactly what I paid to see!

The story is fairly simple, a man whose life has gone to hell, sick of people being inconsiderate, decides to start killing off all the people who create, feed and live in the machine that is the American Media. That's fine, it works.

The characters start out fairly relatable and even likable, I won't discuss Frank further for fear of revealing too much and/or becoming redundant. The other main character is a seemingly normal high school girl called, "Roxy." When she is introduced she comes off as crazy, energetic and for lack of a better word..fun. From the moment she is introduced, making a snide remark to Frank and flipping him off, to shooting off a ridiculous list of people she thinks should die (this includes people that high five, wear crystals and people who like NASCAR). There is a nice connection between the two that develops as well, as Frank, estranged from his daughter, has found a new one in Roxy. It is only when Roxy becomes a spout through which the writers direct hatred towards those who are not liberal does she begin to grate on one's nerves. To be honest, I wouldn't mind a fine double edged critique of both parties, but in this film the critique is not double edged and from here it begins to slide..

It began from the part that mocked the conservative show host, to the part where a man was gunned down for "hate mongering" when he verbally attacked(rightfully) an ACLU spokesman on his TV show. It continues on with the vicious verbal attack on those who do not agree with homosexual marriage and a plethora of other conservative ideals at the hands of Roxy and the mockery of Conservatives who do not support the Healthcare Bill. All done at the hands of those who are allegedly fed up with the zombie like attitudes of Americans. In the process of this critique though, the movie evolves from good ol' fashioned satire, to one of those hated "fear mongering" ministers preaching to his mindless flock. But alas! I digress..

The effects are fine, there really aren't any besides bullet wounds and what you would expect from a movie like this.

The characters don't seem to develop much beyond their desire to kill everyone that the Average Joe wants to kill. As long as that Average Joe likes the grass on the left side of the fence more than the right in some cases. They do form a bond as the movie progresses, though that bond is highly predictable from the moment Roxy is introduced. I didn't find myself caring much about their little killing spree or thinking about how media is brainwashing the American populace or how inconsiderate people are. Nope, move along..

Furthermore, I would like to add that I have no issue when political views are satirized. When the satirization becomes offensive, as in, unnecessary and mean spirited just because it can be..(tea party members harassing an elderly man suffering from Parkinson's Disease? Come on now..) and one sided (I failed to see any skewering of liberal ideals), it comes off as just another movie shoving political jargon in my face (with a side helping of, "hey we should also throw in the murder of some people that everyone hates so the movie is not too political!"). I personally did not and do not like this.

This reminds me..I also disliked the preachy monologues by the characters on many occasions. Frank goes on a diatribe comparing American Idol to the Colosseum, which was actually somewhat funny and true but he continues on about a host of other things and it soon feels like he is simply rambling. The monologues often times did not come off as witty, intelligent or in any way funny. I felt as if the movie decided to make definitive statements about certain subjects, such as children with cell phones, while failing to actually point out the real issue. The statements felt thrown out there, as if the writers/director expected the audience to already agree with them before seeing the movie.

In the end, I can't say I found what I was looking for in this film. I came in looking for a movie mocking media, the people that can't seem to think without it and all those who annoy their fellow human beings by being inconsiderate. Instead, I got some of that (which was great when it was there) a healthy serving of how the director views Conservatives and not a whole lot else.

Summary:

Positives:

• Funny when it is dealing with what it promised to in the trailer.
• Does a great job at skewering pop culture when it feels like it.
• You'll get some good laughs in..regardless of political affiliation.

Negatives:

• Misrepresents Conservatives and their ideals.
• Not a double edged satirization, which makes it come off as one sided and overly political.
• Becomes hypocritical, as Roxy and Frank criticize popular bands while declaring their love for Alice Cooper.
• Conservatives will likely feel that it favors Liberal ideals.
• Dialogues beat certain subjects into oblivion and beyond.
• Frank's monologues, what few there are, tend to run on too long.

In conclusion I give this movie a 3.5/5.