God Bless America... A Movie? or Therapy?

I caught a segment of The Wendy Williams Show last week. If you are a self-respecting human, you have never watched The Wendy Williams Show. The segment I saw involved celebrity gossip news. The crowd would gasp with the latest updates on who was spotted with whom while they were wearing whom. I immediately collapsed in mourning for the loss of our once great civilization. This bit of The Wendy Williams Show instantly reminded me of the therapy I would need. I knew I would want to re-watch God Bless America.

If you have not seen the movie God Bless America, written and directed by Bobcat Goldthwait, just stop reading and start watching it now. This movie is the therapy I needed when Wendy Williams was talking about how Sean Penn was spotted at a Madonna concert which fueled gossip about the former couple getting back together. My immediate verbal reflex to this news was: “Who the fuck gives a shit?” It was a transient attack of Tourette’s. However, this reaction is becoming more common when I come across a show like this or “reality” television.

God Bless America is a film about a man named Frank whose life decides to rain shit upon him. He is fed up with annoying neighbors, reality TV, bigots, his own daughter and many annoying aspects of pop culture. After getting fired and being diagnosed with a brain tumor, Frank, along with a high school girl named Roxy, go on a murderous rampage killing those they find despicable. It’s a fantasy. It brings you to a place you can’t go to but may have dreamed of. This film is not only great, it’s therapy.

For every time I stumbled upon American Idol, The Voice, My Super Sweet 16, Jersey Shore, or whatever Kardashian garbage is on television, I longed for a program to oppose these hours of wasted life. Satisfaction finally arrived when I saw this film. It was way too short to make up for all of the hours spent by networks every day on shit television and it’s a damned shame. Art like this is not well known at all, meanwhile Honey Boo Boo is able to be exploited by every single media outlet.

You might say that this type of movie is not popular because most people will not find it entertaining. I disagree. This type of movie will never be marketed toward a bigger audience. The Voice will. It will continue to be relentlessly promoted while lacking in true content and not provoking any real thought.

I have no solution to the problem. I cannot go on a Frank-like rampage… well… I MAY not go on a Frank-like rampage. So I suggest watching movies such as this as therapy. I also suggest watching good television. Start with Breaking Bad, Dexter, The Walking Dead, and Homeland. Stay away from cable news. Take slow, deep breaths. Put the cell phone down for a while. Go outside and take a fucking walk or just be content and happy you are not wasting time watching a karaoke contest.