FDR: American Badass!

My brother told me of a movie once about a Vietnam vet turned poolboy who has to take on a rival Mexican gang of pool-cleaners, and I thought, "genius". Quite frankly, it was. From the same team that brought you "Poolboy: Drowning Out the Fury", comes an equally outrageous concept of a story. Franklin Delano Roosevelt gets polio from a werewolf attack and becomes determined to stop the Nazi werewolves and end the second world war for good.

FDR, played by a hysterical Barry Bostwick, gets polio from a werewolf. First off, the introduction of werewolves automatically tells you this movie will be very profound and dramatic. From a biographically standpoint, the events in the movie are very true to source. The story is a highly accurate telling of his rise to power, presidency, and war politics, but the real impressive aspect of this film is its attention to detail. The characters can seamlessly spout off lines of cocky socky comic genius and exploit themselves endlessly until the movie really just *ends* abruptly, with a climax so unforgettable, you wont be able to remember what happens in it.

The humor is crass, politically incorrect, and inversely subversive, so fans of bad movies should definitely hear it hitting the right notes. The narrative flows awkwardly steady, and the payoff is unimaginable, but what helps this movie entirely is the production design. John Waters once said his favorite movie idea "is to do a movie where everything's fake; the trees, the grass, even the sun", and that always described how I felt my life would be like if I were in a TV show from the heyday of America. It just seems funny to me, so in comes a movie that looks like it was shot entirely in a studio, and everything from the story to the characters to the dialogue and effects, just seems so consumingly fake, that it's incredible. Nothing in this movie can be taken seriously, and they just flat-out don't care. They had a funny idea and ran with it, exploiting FD Roosevelt for all his worth, and how he's a true American hero, regardless of anything he's ever done in "real life".

Now this may not be the "best" movie in the world, but by all means, it *is*, and to have a movie where FDR freestyles, men whore out their wives, black people play slaves, Nazi werewolves gossip anti- climactically, Japan continually gets made fun of, and Kevin Sorbo manifests as a cannabinoidally-induced Abraham Lincoln adviser... then you really can't go wrong with a movie that took an under-appreciated ex-president and turns him into a new-found American B.A.

The man. They myth. The Delano'saurus. Franklin Delano Roosevelt. And his jiggly polio legs that look like, and *are*, a complete joke. After all, isn't that what America is?

At first I thought this would be funny. The premise gave the clear impression that it would be a great spoof. Then I started to watch it. I laughed a bit admittedly as much because seeing FDR drop "F" bombs caught me off guard, but didn't find myself in hysterics over it. I was tired, I went to bed. This morning I went back just a bit before I left off. I looked at this movie in a whole new way. I turned my brain off and found myself really getting a kick out of this. I didn't look at it as a cheap low budget movie that was trying too hard, but instead saw it for what I believe it is, a brilliantly acted and written movie that isn't trying too hard, but trying just enough to LOOK like a cheap low budget "B" movie. Now and then I forget that if a movie is made to LOOK like a cheap BAD movie, it's accomplishing the goal so well, you believe that's exactly what you're watching and you don't see the tongue planted firmly in the cheek. I missed that last night but saw it plain as day this morning. This movie is FUNNY if you just pay attention without really thinking it through too much. Yeah, I just confused myself, but I stand by all that.

Barry Bostwick does a bang up job as does his supporting cast, all of whom are some of the best character actors out there. Anyone who watches this and finds themselves disappointed should do as I did, watch it again with a different outlook and odds are, you'll appreciate this insane masterpiece as many of us have. Now I think I may have to go back and watch this from the beginning again!

The spoof genre is one that most of the time goes horribly wrong. There are some that have worked really well over the years like Airplane, Naked Gun, Scary Movie, and Top Secret, but sadly very few really do much more than just annoy viewers. The latest FDR American Badass is not so much a spoof of other films, but just a silly over the top tale of history and violence. Is it possible that this silly premise could actually deliver a fun film or will it be another of the plain stupid ones that will be forgotten?

FDR American Badass follows Franklin D. Roosevelt as a werewolf hunter tracking down the like of Adolf Hitler, Mussolini and Hirohito in his customized wheelchair of death. Let's start by admitting that there is nothing about this idea that is just ridiculous. This isn't the first of the presidents to tackle supernatural creatures, but it is the first to realize how silly it is and dive in head first. This is a really silly, over-the-top dumb film that will entertain if you let it. Barry Bostwick plays up his version of FDR while channeling Roosevelt, with a dash of Burgess Meredith's Penguin from the Batman series. His version is over the top and far from politically correct that really makes this film work. Set in a world that makes little to no sense with characters that seem to fit right in makes this film work. The effects and action are silly and low budget, but if they had done much more than that it just wouldn't work. They clearly knew what this film was and never tried to take itself seriously. Filled with over the top characters, silly make-up effects, a ridiculous storyline and a gaggle of nasty jokes, FDR delivers exactly what it sets out to do and brings the laughs with it.

Make no mistake, this isn't a good movie by any means, it's one that if you can get in on the joke you will have a fun time. This film sports a surprising cast of recognizable actors besides Bostwick including Lin Shaye, Bruce McGill, Ray Wise, Kevin Sorbo, William Mapother, Paul Wilson, Ahmed Best, Deon Richmond. How can any movie not work with Sorbo as Lincoln, Kenny from the Cosby Show, as well as Hitler, Mussolini, and Hirohito as werewolves?

After Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter another American president made his reputation defeating the great werewolf conspiracy to take over the world. I'll bet you didn't know that about Franklin D. Roosevelt also known as FDR: American Badass. With standards like these to live up to, no wonder future presidents have so much trouble.

It all starts when Governor FDR has a brush with a werewolf who bit him on the leg. Quick medical attention saved his life, but he was given a case of polio which left his legs paralyzed and shriveled. Also a definite turnoff for wife Eleanor played by Lin Shaye.

Barry Bostwick who plays FDR has the patrician accent, but a gutter sense of humor a lot like some of the low brow politicians who put him in the White House. After being diagnosed with polio he's relieved to hear his male member is still good for any kind of use he has in mind.

This was no accident however that a werewolf was on the grounds of Hyde Park. The leaders of Germany, Italy, and Japan are all werewolves and they've formed an axis to take over the world. FDR has a personal interest in ridding the world of this menace.

When war comes FDR takes the crusade to those werewolf powers and I do mean personally. Silver bullets have been issued to our troops on land and sea and air. In the end he gets the job done himself. A proactive war leader the way Lincoln was in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.

Speaking of Lincoln, when FDR is in a moment of crisis the White House butler tells him about George Washington's secret stash of hash. And while tripping out Kevin Sorbo as Lincoln gives him a trip like Peter Pan gave the Darling kids and Bostwick's duty is clear.

When I was young and growing with parents who lived through the Depression and World War II, FDR was one god like figure and you'd never see a film like this. Surviving people of the previous generation probably wouldn't appreciate this film and it's not the greatest comedy I've ever seen. Still a few laughs will be had.

Nobody expected this movie to be high art. But it was enjoyable. There was the historical sacrilege and the jokes in bad taste and historical figures saying dirty words. But there was also real cleverness and, most importantly, a real love that shone through the film. Nobody involved was phoning it in. It seems like everyone involved in making this movie was having fun, and you couldn't help but have fun along with them. I had a friend over, we cued it up, and laughed quite a bit. And in a year, I will have forgotten about it.

If you are offended by jokes involving racist / sexist stereotypes, you might want to give this one a miss.