Ron and Laura Take Back America

Right on time for the Summer of Trump! I saw this film at the LA premiere and was blown away by how funny and biting it was. Ron and Laura are the typical conservatives, but the film also makes fun of the crazy liberals running around in the movie too! No one is spared in this sharp satire that sometimes is arch, other times is screwball -- and the film brings up some serious subjects (the son is Gay and wants to be accepted by his conservative parents who are against Gay marriage) Jim J. Bullock is hilarious as the Gay reality star designer Ron and Laura mistakenly think is a conservative hero, and Sally Kirkland steals the show in a moment not to be missed. England and Markham are a great comic team together - their chemistry is priceless. Truth is stranger than fiction, and this movie hits so close to home you laugh and cry at our current state of affairs!

There are many moments of priceless, comical expressions in the husband's and wife's struggle to find importance with their sheltered, fear-based views and plenty of unabashed, hysterical emotion displayed in this comedy, but the underlying theme points to unfortunate realities our country has increasingly been subjected to. The subtly sarcastic music adds to the playfulness. There are moments when the hysteria builds to a crashing, sobering truth regarding the irresponsible health care system or xenophobia but alas, quickly followed by more over-the-top dialogue and ridiculous outfits by the wholly endearing female lead and her emotionally imprisoned husband. 90 minutes of the ridiculousness asks a fair question: is it an exaggeration or not?

The movie does not even live up to it's synopsis. I agree with the review in the Village Voice which says: "There's only one joke here — GOP voters are bigoted, Stars and Stripes–wearing clowns — and it's handled with the sort of blunt, bludgeoning mean-spiritedness that it slams them for peddling. Equating volume with humor, England and Markham stage their material with maximum amounts of hysterical screaming, all of it leading to climactic health-care-centric irony that's so simplistic even Michael Moore would have been too embarrassed to include it." When a movie does not even come up to the entertainment level of it's simple synopsis, you have wasted 90 minutes of your valuable time.

This "mockumentary" addresses so many issues facing America, especially during this election season. The core topic may be old ("Obamacare"), but the underlying events and outcomes are very much current.

What I especially liked about this movie, is the fact that even though it's a politically motivated story, EVERYONE in the theater loved Ron & Laura! Depending on which side of the political spectrum they were on, the laughs would come at different times, BUT there was continuous laughter, nonetheless!

In a nutshell; Ron & Laura are an ultra-conservative couple who decide to produce their own reality show, subsequently coming to terms(?) with: homosexuality, xenophobia, illness and health-care (theirs & others), and gun control.

"Ron & Laura" tackles these issues with a deft comedic touch, and makes the viewer (more) aware and thoughtful of said issues.

I could easily see this/these characters in a TV series, which I'd watch!