The Proper Care & Feeding of an American Messiah

The making of this film was the subject of a class at Baylor University in Waco. This probably would have been a great class to be part of and the film looks very good for a school project. Unfortunately, I don't think there was a great film to be made from this script. There were some very funny bits, but just not enough of them to stretch out for a whole movie. It's a mockumentary about a man who thinks he's a messiah. Not THE Messiah, he thinks he's just here for the residents of his home town.

The art direction added some funny touches. The characters ate from packages labeled Generic Cheese Snacks and Vomit Plopps. I liked the Warhol-styled Jesus poster on the messiah's wall- it was like the four different-colored Marilyns.

The director, a professor at Baylor, was at the screening and mentioned that the relationship between the messiah and his brother is similar to that of the main characters in American Movie, a real documentary and a better film that this one.

I saw this movie at the Virginia Film Festival. Generally, I'm not crazy about comedies, but this one just really got to me—I just laughed hysterically through the whole thing. It's a mocumentary about a non-too-bright middle-aged guy named Brian who thinks he is a messiah. Not the Messiah, but a messiah, who is to help the people who live within a 100-mile radius of him.

Somehow he doesn't quite get the point of religion or being a savior. What are his beliefs? Well, number one, topping the list, he believes in a constitutional form of government. He also believes that the biggest problem besetting humankind is stomach-acid and in-digestive problems; his solution is "Aunt Acid" pills. His special powers, proving he is supernatural, included things such as growing facial hair at an extremely slow rate so that he only needs to shave every four days. The miracles he performs include "The Miracle of the Fruit" in which, when his brother Aaron tosses plums to him from a distance of 10 yards, he can catch them in his teeth—that is about one out of thirty. His brother and sister Miriam are his only disciples.

The acting is just wonderful. Dustin Olson is absolutely hilarious as Brain—he really gives the impression that he's improvising like in a real documentary. And his comic timing is just spot-on, particularly in a scene where he is caught rifling through his own garbage. And Joseph Frost really stands out as the brother who is even more incompetent than Brian, particularly in a funny scene where he races a gliding Jesus figure against a toy race-car giving it a warped religious bent. Also, there is a hilarious cameo by Tony Hale.

I just couldn't stop laughing through this whole movie. Yet despite the humor—or perhaps because of it—the film does deal with some rather important issues, such as those who misunderstand and/or abuse religion and also the need to feel important.

The Proper Care and Feeding of an American Messiah reaches viewers on a variety of levels, namely in the funny bone and in the introspective conscience. While we laugh, we ask ourselves the reasons for our laughter, and this innovative film--at times alternately poignant, absurd, and provocative--leaves us pondering its implications long after the laughter has stopped. But first and foremost, this film is hilarious! Filmmaker Chris Hansen rarely relies on slapstick, choosing instead more subtle and effective comic touches, especially when the self-declared Messiah "Brian" (brilliantly played by Dustin Olson) convinces us that he takes himself so seriously. My favorite scene is the baptismal spectacle with "No Wading." During similar scenes like the catalog of various Jesus action-figures, Brian's quirky charisma assures us that he believes in himself (however misguided this belief may be), and that if we'll come along for the ride, we'll learn a bit ourselves, too. I recommend this film highly, both for the laughs and the life lessons. Hansen seems to be saying, "Be careful whom you follow, and don't be afraid to laugh at yourself along the way."

When this film ended, I felt as if I'd spent an hour and a half in an asylum. Keeping up with Brian's belief system is exhausting. Brian is like the ultimate believer, he believes so hard that he is blind to everything else around him. To those of us outside his delusion, it's hard not to laugh, especially at his contradictions and lack of knowledge about the bible. I suppose all messiahs must come across as delusional, but this one has no special purpose from god, and god's not talking to him, and you have to admire his willingness to ignore or misinterpret what's happening around him. The "gliding Jesus" car chase was hilarious, but served to illustrate Aaron's limited functioning. I must say that I particularly enjoyed Miriam's various "takes", small changes in her face and posture in reaction to Brian's various lunacies. This was a subtle and nuanced job of acting. Also, keep an eye on her costume changes through the story. You'd like to think that she's more "normal" than all the rest of them; but really, she's just as cracked the others.

Most of these characters should be in an institution somewhere, not out running around loose. It's a very funny movie, but I'm glad I'm on the outside looking in.

There are so many different types of comedy that no type will amuse everybody. In a world where "fart jokes" are considered hilarious by the illiterates who make up much of the movie audience, this movie is one for people who like comedy that engages their brains instead of just their gag reflexes.

Although the acting in, "the Proper Care and Feeding of an American Messiah," is good, this is a movie that's really driven by the script and the implications of the words coming from the characters. If you have the attention span of a 14-year-old, you won't find this funny. But if you're amused by dialogue that is dry and intelligent and ironic, you're going to laugh out loud at quite a bit of this movie.

I saw this film at a festival last year, and the audience was very receptive to it. In general, it was the writing that I found funny. The production values were obviously designed to mimic a documentary, and they did a good job of making us think that's what we were watching. The core of the humor, though, is in the words coming from the mouth of Brian, the "local Messiah." It can be enjoyed on a number of levels, but it will be especially funny if you have a background in modern evangelical church culture. The humor is gently mocking of some things, but it's clear that the director has respect for the real meaning of Christianity. Mainly, the humor is funny because it's set against the backdrop of things that will be familiar to those of us who have been a part of churches.

If you get a chance to see this film, I highly recommend it. Of course, if you don't enjoy smart humor, go find an Adam Sandler flick instead. For those who are looking for a bit more, this fits the bill. See it. You'll laugh a lot. :-)