In the bonus track of the DVD, the director-writer-star actor of "The Oath" talks about his film as if it were a satire on the current political divide in America that has torn families asunder and led the public to challenge the "alternative facts" presented to them by the mainstream media. Unfortunately, the film's GOOD premise was complemented by BAD scripting and an UGLY narrative that unfolded when a family's Thanksgiving Day is disrupted by sinister forces of the government who assault law-abiding people in their home. This film was indeed a compilation of the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Ike Barinholtz is the filmmaker who places his character Chris front-and-center as the hardcore liberal who rages at his brother and sister-in-law, who are polar opposites in political orientation. At any given moment, Chris may loose his cool with his conservative parents or even his devoted and feisty wife Kai. The film sets up a potentially raucous Thanksgiving dinner with the family members debating their political views. Then, the film takes a nosedive to become a stinker.
At the midpoint of the film, the satirical part of the film drops out when a brutal scene ensues with two officials from homeland security, who disrupt the family's Thanksgiving celebration on the pretext of a tip they received about Chris. The filmmaker is in effect turning America into a police state with the conceit of the loyalty oath, the suspension of free speech, and the storm troopers. The result was that the comedy dropped out of this extremely violent and unpleasant narrative.
Sadly, the film was not funny, and it failed to offer insights into the divisiveness of our nation. The script had the feel of an early draft or a work-in-progress, not a polished, thoughtful screenplay for a feature film. At its best, "The Oath" was like a bad Saturday Night Live skit. At its worst, it was amateur and vile filmmaking of the worst order.
Thumbs down!
Ike Barinholtz is the filmmaker who places his character Chris front-and-center as the hardcore liberal who rages at his brother and sister-in-law, who are polar opposites in political orientation. At any given moment, Chris may loose his cool with his conservative parents or even his devoted and feisty wife Kai. The film sets up a potentially raucous Thanksgiving dinner with the family members debating their political views. Then, the film takes a nosedive to become a stinker.
At the midpoint of the film, the satirical part of the film drops out when a brutal scene ensues with two officials from homeland security, who disrupt the family's Thanksgiving celebration on the pretext of a tip they received about Chris. The filmmaker is in effect turning America into a police state with the conceit of the loyalty oath, the suspension of free speech, and the storm troopers. The result was that the comedy dropped out of this extremely violent and unpleasant narrative.
Sadly, the film was not funny, and it failed to offer insights into the divisiveness of our nation. The script had the feel of an early draft or a work-in-progress, not a polished, thoughtful screenplay for a feature film. At its best, "The Oath" was like a bad Saturday Night Live skit. At its worst, it was amateur and vile filmmaking of the worst order.
Thumbs down!