Mister America

Exceptional movie that definitely has Oscar pick written in the books for maybe the Super Oscar category if Peter Jackson's the Hobbit doesn't scoop it up. Would be interested in seeing a sequel but with 2 in the title. I give it 5 bags and 1 judges gavel as a nod to other pop corn classic Kramer vs Kramer.

"Mr America" is a mockumentary in the same vein as "Borat" but not nearly as captivating or funny. I think what's funny about this unfunny movie is Tim Heidecker's stubborn persistence to go through with his petty revenge. Instead of accepting his victory, he presses on, devoting enormous time and resources under some trance-like state akin to that of road rage. Tim Heidecker, mostly known for his stints at Adult Swim, in some such way swings a slice of his signature brand of humor into an entire movie. This is anti comedy in one of its dankest meta forms. This whole experience wouldn't be as nearly rewarding had I not been keeping up with Tim's On Cinema at the Cinema program-turned universe this past decade, which in itself is basically a parody of Siskel and Ebert. You owe it to yourself to watch an episode or two on YouTube. It should a good enough primer to get your headspace in the right zone. This movie is based on the aftermath of a trial. Tim has been proven innocent after allegedly distributing toxic vaporizers resulting in the death of over a dozen festival attendees, which the movie will fill you in on. I hesitate to get into detail because it is one of the movie's good moments. If you aren't aware of any such trial, the movie should do a decent job getting you up to speed. However, if you're not aware, how enjoyable this movie will be to you is undetermined. Perhaps you've never heard of Tim Heidecker or seen anything he's been involved in. Consider yourself lucky. In many opinion he's either really funny or very unfunny, with no middle ground. Having practically grown up with his absurdist blend of "comedy" (ugly, loud, unbearable, etc.) I am pretty much immune to anything he can dish out. I'm basically numbed. That's where my bias gets in the way of this review, because I'm a die-hard Tim and Eric fan. Watching this movie on the one night it premiered in theaters, I had a wide grin on my face the whole time. I can't put my finger on it, but whatever persona he embellishes, he does it so perfectly. The humor is found in its subtlety. He maunders through San Bernardino collecting signatures to put him on the ballot, to little avail. Tim stops by a statue of Martin Luther King to deliver a speech. He places ominous signs on storefronts. Greg Turkington, co-host of On Cinema at the Cinema, weaves his way into the movie unbeknownst to Tim, which leads to some funny moments. These things that happen in the movie may sound mundane, but it's the execution what makes it work. Tim's cluelessness and attitude is completely uncalled for and detrimental to his campaign. He's like a Michael Scott if you took away all likability. One of the great things about this movie is the reactions of people that he comes across because they are genuine; they're never in on the joke. They are not actors. I especially like the barber scene where he says he's going to get rid of "that kind of music". I forget exactly what he said. Whatever. The movie runs out of steam very fast. There are lots of giggles throughout its 1 hour and 20 minute runtime that should hold you until the sort of anti-climactic third act. Big laughter often came in bursts out of unexpected incidents. Watch out your own risk. If you're unfamiliar, consider it not a waste of time if you didn't enjoy it. It was a tame experience to get into the wide world of Tim Heidecker.

ARREST GREGG "THE MURDER BUFF" NOW!!!111!

This is yet another great addition to the ingenious world building that Tim and Gregg so successfully pull off. Their characters have become symbols of what comedy should be.

Mockumentary that seems to lack on the mocking 2.4

I thought it was hilarious. Really enjoyed this movie from start to finish. I was entertained the entire time. Wish it had been longer.

Pretty good. Not as good as On Cinema, but plenty of laughs.

Very strange and unusual but almost too real to be satire.

It somewhat runs out of steam near the end but there are many, many moments of brilliance throughout this that had me laughing more than any other comedy of the year. Turkington is wildly great too and an underrated comedian. Heidecker is one of the funniest people of all time.

As a fan of Heidecker and the On Cinema universe this serves up a typically hilarious and deadpan mockumentary that stretches the jokes a touch too thin but still had me laughing consistently. For someone unfamiliar with On Cinema and the nearly decade-long story arc it's been weaving, this might look like utter nonsense, but for me it built on what has been an endlessly funny and rewarding comic universe.