Some people would say that all movies are political. They would be wrong, but they have every right to say that. Still, some movies definitely contain messages about politics, culture, and society. Most of these do this in a very subtle manner. (I recently re-watched the underrated British horror film The Children and really picked up on what the film was saying about modern parenting, even down to the production design.) However, some movies proudly put their political message right out in front for all to see. Whether it be a stance on the War in Iraq or gay rights, the message is unmistakable. But, I can't think of many films like God Bless America which is nothing but message...to a fault.

Joel Murray (Bill's brother) stars in God Bless America as Frank, a middle-aged sad sack of a man. He's divorced and his daughter doesn't want to see him. His duplex has paper-thin walls and he lives next to an annoying couple. He loses his for simply trying to be nice to a co-worker. When Frank gets some bad news from his doctor, he simply snaps. Having absorbed and observed so much negative behavior for those around him and in the media, Frank steals his neighbor's car and hunts down the girl from a My Super Sweet 16-esque show. This attack is witnessed by a teenaged girl named Roxy (Tara Lynne Barr). She tracks Frank to a motel and convinces him that they should team up and take out those individuals who are a detriment to society. As their body count climbs, Frank and Roxy form an odd bond, but how long can their crime spree last.

Check that -- Goldthwait doesn't know when to stop doing things with it. The central premise to God Bless America -- man gets fed up with modern society and decides to murder those who he feels deserve it -- is a solid one and one which could have worked beautifully had it been handled more deftly. But, Bobcat never wants us to forget that he's Bobcat and despite the fact that he comes across as humble and mellow in interviews, he still clearly likes "in your face" entertainment. In just the first few minutes, God Bless America goes way too far to bring us examples of what's wrong with society. We see rude people, trash TV, obnoxious advertising -- Hey Bobcat, we get it. We live here too. The movie could have simply opened with Frank looking into the camera and saying "This garbage has to stop." and we would have gotten it. But, Bobcat doesn't stop there as he brings us workplace PC rules run amok, inefficient doctors, ignorant political pundits, reality shows which exploit their participants and much more. This grows into a cacophony which attempts to hide the fact that God Bless America really has little more story to offer. We get the parade of things which Frank and Roxy hate and then we watch them shoot people. The potential creepiness of their relationship is explored to an extent, but that's about as deep as the movie gets. The third act offers some plot twists, but they surprise seasoned filmgoers.

The movie's politics also get muddled in this brouhaha. One the surface, this is a liberal fantasy, as Frank decides to take out narrow-minded morons who aren't open to free-thinking and genuine social welfare. On the other, this is a right-wing fantasy, as Frank and Roxy go on a gun-toting cross-country journey, shooting many people. The pair do remain fairly consistent in their targets, and they often debate about who deserves it, but there's also little creativity here. Of course we all want to shoot the people who won't quit talking in the movie theater. And while we identify with Frank's behavior, we wish that the movie would dig a little deeper and find something less obvious. I did like Frank's attitude towards his wife's new boyfriend, who is truly a nice man and someone who Frank can't bring himself to hate.

God Bless America is a great example of the "wouldn't it be cool if?" movie gone awry. Bobcat Goldthwait has created a movie which squanders a fruitful idea by treating it too immaturely. His desire to focus on black comedy delivers a film which has few laughs and is to on-the-nose for its own good.

God Bless America didn't contain the cameos from Bobcat's famous friends which I'd expected on Blu-ray Disc courtesy of Magnolia Home Entertainment. The film has been letterboxed at 2.35:1 and the Disc contains an AVC 1080p HD transfer which runs at an average of 37 Mbps. The image is very sharp and clear, showing no overt grain and no defects from the source material. The colors look very good, most notably the reds and blues (and Frank's yellow car) and the image is never overly dark or bright. The crispness of the image lends it a nice amount of both depth and detail, as we can make out the textures on objects. The Disc carries a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track which runs at 48 kHz and an average of 4.0 Mbps. The track provides clear dialogue and sound effects. This is a well-balanced track, as we get appropriate audio effects in each scene. In the finale, the crowd noise provides impressive surround effects which place us in the action. Other scenes offer stereo effects which show good separation. The gunshots are always well-done and some get the subwoofer involved.

The God Bless America Blu-ray Disc contains several extras. We begin with an AUDIO COMMENTARY from Director Bobcat Goldthwait and actors Joel Murray and Tara Lynne Barr. "Behind the Scenes: Killing With Kindness" (28 minutes) offers interviews with the cast and Goldthwait, as well as a nice amount of on-set footage. We get a lengthy chat with Goldthwait who talks about the themes of the film and his motivation for writing it. "God Bless TV: Deleted/Extended Scenes" (5 minutes) isn't actually missing moments from the narrative, but rather additional TV shows which Frank and Roxy watched -- some of which we saw in the film and some of which are brand new. "Outtakes" is a 2-minute gag reel. "Interviews with Bobcat Goldthwait, Joel Murray and Tara Lynne Barr" (28 minutes) has the director and the two actors chatting together (as opposed to three separate interviews) and talking about their experiences with the film.  "HDNet: A Look at God Bless America" is simply a long commercial for the films HD Net Movies premiere. "Roxy & Frank Music Video" (3 minutes) has footage from the film set to song by Mike Carano. The final extra is the "Theatrical Trailer" for the film.