Mister America

Not only a hilarious satirical masterpiece, but one of the best moviegoing experiences I've ever had.

Tim has created something special here, something witty and hilarious. Mister America is a laugh out loud comedy with a purpose. The genius improvisation by Tim while interacting with real people is the shining star of this film, but the amazing story pulls it together to be a movie worth everyone's time. Even people who weren't Heidecker fans before could very much enjoy this film. It feels real, and I applaud everyone who worked on it.

This film is a part of the "On Cinema at the Cinema" universe (podcast, Adult Swim series, many spin-offs), but it holds its own even without the background stories. (For those interested, there is a primer called "Road to Mister America - 10 Minute History of On Cinema" on YouTube.)

The mock documentary covers a run by Tim Heidecker (in character) for the office of D.A. in a small town, almost entirely for the purpose of taking down the D.A. who attempted to prosecute him for murder, for which he was let off by a hung jury.

The genius of this film is the exquisitely drawn portraits of characters drowning in their neuroses. In the case of the two stars, Heidecker is the overt narcissist (we are talking textbook), Gregg Turkington the almost-sweet covert narcissist-cum-middle-age-incel. Like all great comedic portraits of psychological pathology (Eric Cartman, the Bluth family, Fleabag) the performers thread the needle that has the audience not only wanting to hang out with these guys, but feeling great affection for them despite the awfulness of it all. Terri Parks, as Toni Newman, fits right in as she matches the subtle awkwardness of Heidecker and Turkington's fumbling human interactions that make up much of the humor.

Like "Nathan For You" and "Between Two Ferns," series that also ultimately produced great movie-length projects, this is small-scale, ultra-human humor, and if you don't recognize these characters all around you or see them in yourself (I myself am part Gregg), the humor may zip over your head. Shout-out to the movie critics they are lambasting!

This was one of the funniest movies I've watched in years. Tim Heidecker and Gregg Turkington play their parts to perfection with nuance and subtlety that for a while made me wonder if they weren't real people! I love this approach and hope this sets a new standard for how this type of mockumentary is done. Most that I've watched tend to be over-the-top and try way too hard for laughs.

These two guys give us complete three-dimensional characters who play off one another effectively. Each character is completely self-absorbed and lost in diverse obsessions. Heidecker is hell bent on revenge against a municipality and its DA who tried to hold him responsible - and rightfully so, for negligence. Turkington plays to perfection, a movie buff whose world revolves around cinema, but who also is playing out a vendetta against his co-star.

The laughs come early and often. I highly recommend this one.

Heidecker's satire is thin yet hilarious. Watch this if you think your mind is as elevated as Tim's