Right wing mess

Despite all the hype about whether or not “An American Carol” could succeed as a right-leaning comedy that takes aim at the left, the success of this movie – like any other film – was always grounded in whether or not it could be funny and engaging. Sadly, that is exactly where the movie often fails.

“An American Carol” is adapted from Charles Dickens’ classic “A Christmas Carol.” In this story, Scrooge is replaced by Michael Malone, played by Kevin Farley doing a decent Michael Moore impression. Malone is visited by three spirits taken out of American history, all of whom attempt to teach Michael why America is such a great country.

The plot here is a little uneven. There is a narrative by Leslie Nelson that doesn’t add much to the movie. Most of the plot is focused on the spirit of Patton, played by Kelsey Grammer. The other two spirits, George Washington (played by Jon Voight), and the Angel of Death (country singer Trace Adkins), barely get a few minutes of screen time.

Combine with this with the fact that most scenes felt peculiarly empty (especially some protest sequences) and the whole movie seems a little slapped together and low-budget.

But is the movie funny? Sometimes.

Some of my favorite scenes involve a low-budget terrorist training video, a courtroom sequence in which ACLU attorneys are depicted as zombies, and a future sequence in which Hollywood has been taken over by terrorists and re-named “Bin Laden City.”

Unfortunately, most of the other jokes fall flat. A lot of the humor is pretty slapstick, which worked in some of director David Zucker’s other films like “Airplane!” but here seems way out of place.

It also doesn’t help that the movie gets up on something of a soapbox near the end, getting away from the comedy completely.

Although “An American Carol” is below average by comedy standards (or at least below what average comedy standards should be) it is not impossible to recommend. It could become something of a cultural gem; an insight into how some on the right view the left.

It’s also probably the best way for the right to deal with Michael Moore.