I didn't know what to expect when I saw this movie. I work at an agency and a screener came in as a submission. There's nobody famous in it. And it's a documentary. Sort of. Turns out these two filmmakers decided they had enough with the apathy in America and our ineffective government, so they put their money where their mouth is and made a movie in a grass roots way.
Now I won't kid you. The camera work is pretty bad, but you can't blame them for that, since everyone worked for free and donated their time because they believed in what it was about. But once you get beyond the camera work which only takes a few minutes, you start to get into what they're all talking about, and then you forgive the visual shortcomings.
The six people in this movie are all smart and not afraid to say what's on their minds. I found myself wanting to join in their conversation, and it was frustrating that the fourth wall was there. I really wanted to respond to things they'd say. Sometimes I agreed with them. Some of the stuff they talked about was different from how I think but I still liked hearing another point of view because it got me thinking. I guess that's the point of this movie. They want you to think and they want you to talk about these things.
I don't want to give away any of the jokes, but a lot of it was funny and that surprised me. They didn't take it seriously all the way through and had a good time which made the movie enjoyable to watch.
They covered all of those hot buttons like capital punishment, criminal justice, medical marijuana, assisted suicide, abortion, gun control and things the media and politicians really should be talking about. They used silent movie style cards with quotes of famous people that tied into each scene and interspersed through the movie were brief monologues from each person about why they did the movie. There was also a catchy title song called Long Live America which it turns out the filmmakers actually wrote and sang.
The directors could be the next Michael Moore. I think they're onto something. You can tell it's low budget but it doesn't matter since the content is great. I'd rather see a movie like this that has substance and lacks the bells and whistles, than a slick Hollywood star-driven vehicle that has no heart.
Now I won't kid you. The camera work is pretty bad, but you can't blame them for that, since everyone worked for free and donated their time because they believed in what it was about. But once you get beyond the camera work which only takes a few minutes, you start to get into what they're all talking about, and then you forgive the visual shortcomings.
The six people in this movie are all smart and not afraid to say what's on their minds. I found myself wanting to join in their conversation, and it was frustrating that the fourth wall was there. I really wanted to respond to things they'd say. Sometimes I agreed with them. Some of the stuff they talked about was different from how I think but I still liked hearing another point of view because it got me thinking. I guess that's the point of this movie. They want you to think and they want you to talk about these things.
I don't want to give away any of the jokes, but a lot of it was funny and that surprised me. They didn't take it seriously all the way through and had a good time which made the movie enjoyable to watch.
They covered all of those hot buttons like capital punishment, criminal justice, medical marijuana, assisted suicide, abortion, gun control and things the media and politicians really should be talking about. They used silent movie style cards with quotes of famous people that tied into each scene and interspersed through the movie were brief monologues from each person about why they did the movie. There was also a catchy title song called Long Live America which it turns out the filmmakers actually wrote and sang.
The directors could be the next Michael Moore. I think they're onto something. You can tell it's low budget but it doesn't matter since the content is great. I'd rather see a movie like this that has substance and lacks the bells and whistles, than a slick Hollywood star-driven vehicle that has no heart.
