An American Carol
Encyclopedia
An American Carol is a 2008 American comedy film
directed by David Zucker and starring Kevin Farley
. In some other countries the film is known as Big Fat Important Movie. Presented from a conservative
-leaning perspective but more about the concept of loving America instead of hating it, the film is a parody of liberal
filmmaker Michael Moore
that "lampoons contemporary American culture, particularly Hollywood." It uses the framework of A Christmas Carol
but moves the setting of the story from Christmas
to Independence Day
. The screenplay is written by Myrna Sokoloff and Zucker. The supporting cast includes Kelsey Grammer
, Jon Voight
, Dennis Hopper
, Trace Adkins
, Gary Coleman
, Jillian Murray
and Leslie Nielsen
. The film was released on October 3, 2008.
), a parody of Michael Moore
, is campaigning to end the celebration of the Fourth of July. Malone holds pronounced anti-American views and truculently argues that America's past and present are both offensive, and therefore should not be celebrated. Josh Malone, Michael's nephew, is an officer in the United States Navy
and is about to deploy to the Persian Gulf
. His uncle, however, regards him with disgust. At an awards ceremony hosted by Paris Hilton
, Malone receives the Leni Riefenstahl
Award for his documentary Die, You American Pigs.
The film starts off with Michael at a special premier in Cuba for his new documentary about health care in the United States
and how it is far inferior to the health care system in communist Cuba
, which he declares to be an "island paradise" As his film closes, he informs those waiting in the long line to a Cuban medical clinic that he is "off to America," causing many, if not all, to flock to his tiny boat, causing an annoyed Michael to shoo and beat them with a paddle. Michael narrates saying that the masses were thanking him (not trying to board his boat).
On the evening of July 3, Malone is watching a speech from President John F. Kennedy
. However, when Malone accidentally takes part of his speech to mean avoiding war at all costs, the disgruntled long-dead President steps out of a television set, corrects Malone, and tells him that he will be visited by three spirits.
The next morning, Malone is then visited by General George S. Patton
(Kelsey Grammer
), who tries to make him rethink his view of America. Arguing that sometimes war is necessary for the greater cause, Patton shows him an alternate world where slavery
still exists because Abraham Lincoln
chose not to fight the Civil War
. He then shows the filmmaker how British Prime Minister
Chamberlain
(Oliver Muirhead
) appeased Adolf Hitler
(Benton Jennings
), even allowing Malone to attempt to communicate with Hitler, who blatantly ignores him. After this, Patton shows a college classroom, setting it to a musical tune and having the professors sing about how their views on peace and life have not changed since when they were hippies in 1968, and will give good grades to students who agree with their views. The students openly admit to Patton that their parents merely are 'glad that they were out of the house". Calling it 'indoctrination' rather than 'education', Patton leaves after making a comment to some parents who walked in the room that this was "what you (the parents) spent your life savings on".
However, Michael refuses to even reconsider his extremely leftist views and a despondent Patton apologizes for his failure before the altar of a Manhattan
church to his 'father'. To Malone's shock, he learns that the General was addressing not God, but the ghost of George Washington
(Jon Voight
), who reveals that this is the very church where he prayed for his country every day of his Presidency. When Michael comments about the large amount of dust there, Washington opens a door and reveals that it comes from the destruction of the World Trade Center
in the September 11 attacks in 2001.
Shaken but still unmoved, Malone is visited by the angel of death (Trace Adkins
), who takes him to a future Los Angeles
which has been taken over by radical Islamists
. Victoria's Secret
has switched to selling burqa
s and the Hollywood Sign
now reads Allahu akbar
. Later, he is taken to the ruins of his hometown in Michigan
, which has been destroyed by a nuclear bomb planted by Al Qaeda. In a makeshift morgue, Malone learns that he will be killed in this attack, leaving nothing behind but his trademark hat and "big ass". Malone pleads for his life with the Angel, promising to change.
Later, Malone arrives at an anti-Fourth of July protest rally and publicly renounces his former views. The outraged protesters call him a traitor and charge the podium intending to murder him. He is rescued, however, by American servicemen and pulled inside of a country music
concert where he is formally welcomed to "the real America". After barely preventing a terrorist bombing there, he runs to the docks in time to see his nephew Josh off to the Persian Gulf
. He tells Josh how very proud he is of him and promises to look in on his wife and family during his deployment. Even then Malone can't help but to cause the disabled children on the dock to fall overboard.
As the film concludes, Malone is a changed man who loves his country and realizes how precious freedom is while sticking to his liberal views. Taking Patton's advice to advocate American values in film, he begins filming a JFK biopic, which he intends to be more accurate than Oliver Stone
's movie
.
and conservative personalities such as Rush Limbaugh
, Sean Hannity
, Glenn Beck
and Mark Levin
. On October 3, 2008, actors Kevin Farley and Kelsey Grammer appeared on the Fox News program The O'Reilly Factor
to promote their film, in which show host Bill O'Reilly
made a guest appearance. An American Carol has also been described by newspapers such as the Dallas Morning News as being "for the right wing".
The American Conservative reported, "The movie has been promoted by bloggers on National Review Online. The Leadership Institute, an activist group that maintains contact with College Republicans
nationwide, urged its charges to see the movie on opening weekend, even handing out tickets to its interns."
Based on 40 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes
, An American Carol currently has a 11% approval rating from critics, with an average
score of 3/10. Among Rotten Tomatoes' Top Critics, which consists of popular and notable critics from the top newspapers, websites, television and radio programs, the film holds an overall approval rating of 0%. Metacritic
, which assigns a normalized
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film has received an average score of 20, based on 12 reviews.
An openly Conservative contributor to Ain't it Cool News
said the film featured "ingenious comedy that we remember from Airplane!
" as well as "funny and inventive." Kathleen Parker
of Washington Post Writers Group called the film "'An American Carol' may not be The Best Movie You Ever Saw, but it’s something. It’s radical in its assault on the left wing; it’s brave given the risk of peer ridicule and the potential for career suicide. And it’s funny — if you like that sort of thing. Generally, I don’t."
However, the film did have detractors, even among conservatives. Michael Brendan Doherty of The American Conservative
wrote that:
Finally, Steven Rea of The Philadelphia Inquirer
gave the movie one star out of five, called it "jaw-droppingly awful," and "about as not-funny as a comedy can get." Lou Lumenick of the New York Post wrote, "Even if it weren't three years too late to parody Moore (ineptly played by Kevin Farley), Moore's ridiculous tribute to Cuban health care in Sicko is far funnier than anything in this desperately laughless farce from David Zucker."
On September 5, 2008, Michael Moore was a guest on Larry King Live
and was shown a clip from the film where Malone (while lying down on his bed, drinking a Big Gulp and watching archival footage of JFK's inaugural address
) is startled by Kennedy, who materializes out of Malone's television screen, and confronts him on his misguided views of American history. Moore said that he was vaguely familiar with the film, and then jokingly said he thought it was Viggo Mortensen
that would be portraying him. When King asked him his opinion, Moore shrugged and said, "I hope it's funny."
receipts and dropped to #15, grossing $1,505,000 at 1,621 theaters or $928 per screen.
The film faded in the box office in its third weekend dropping 73.8 percent and finishing #21 at 599 theaters grossing $365,000 or $609 per screen. In its fourth weekend, it dropped to #41 at 109 theaters grossing $60,000 or $550 per screen.
As of October 2009, An American Carol has grossed $7 million after having a production budget of $20 million.
Zucker, in an interview with National Review Online, had suggested a sequel as his next possible project, but now says he is done making conservative comedies. Zucker stated that the audience for this type of film is one who waits for it to be available on DVD
.
on December 30, 2008 by Vivendi Entertainment
.
It includes a full length audio commentary by David Zucker and Kevin Farley
along with several scenes and footage cut from the theatrical release. Some of these included:
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
directed by David Zucker and starring Kevin Farley
Kevin Farley
Kevin Peter Farley is an American actor, production designer, singer, dancer, occasional composer and aspiring stand-up comic.-Early life:...
. In some other countries the film is known as Big Fat Important Movie. Presented from a conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
-leaning perspective but more about the concept of loving America instead of hating it, the film is a parody of liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
filmmaker Michael Moore
Michael Moore
Michael Francis Moore is an American filmmaker, author, social critic and activist. He is the director and producer of Fahrenheit 9/11, which is the highest-grossing documentary of all time. His films Bowling for Columbine and Sicko also place in the top ten highest-grossing documentaries...
that "lampoons contemporary American culture, particularly Hollywood." It uses the framework of A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol is a novella by English author Charles Dickens first published by Chapman & Hall on 17 December 1843. The story tells of sour and stingy Ebenezer Scrooge's ideological, ethical, and emotional transformation after the supernatural visits of Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of...
but moves the setting of the story from Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
to Independence Day
Independence Day (United States)
Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
. The screenplay is written by Myrna Sokoloff and Zucker. The supporting cast includes Kelsey Grammer
Kelsey Grammer
Allen Kelsey Grammer is an American actor and comedian. He is most widely known for his two-decade portrayal of psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane on the sitcoms Cheers and Frasier...
, Jon Voight
Jon Voight
Jonathan Vincent "Jon" Voight is an American actor. He has received an Academy Award, out of four nominations, and three Golden Globe Awards, out of nine nominations. Voight is the father of actress Angelina Jolie....
, Dennis Hopper
Dennis Hopper
Dennis Lee Hopper was an American actor, filmmaker and artist. As a young man, Hopper became interested in acting and eventually became a student of the Actors' Studio. He made his first television appearance in 1954 and appeared in two films featuring James Dean, Rebel Without a Cause and Giant...
, Trace Adkins
Trace Adkins
Tracy Darrell "Trace" Adkins is an American country music artist. He made his debut in 1996 with the album Dreamin' Out Loud, released on Capitol Records Nashville. Since then, Adkins has released seven more studio albums and two Greatest Hits compilations...
, Gary Coleman
Gary Coleman
Gary Wayne Coleman was an American actor, known for his childhood role as Arnold Jackson in the American sitcom Diff'rent Strokes and for his small stature as an adult. He was described in the 1980s as "one of television's most promising stars". After a successful childhood acting career, Coleman...
, Jillian Murray
Jillian Murray
Jillian Leigh Murray is an American Actress. She perhaps best known for her role as Portlyn on Sonny With a Chance and as Heather in An American Carol .-Life and career:...
and Leslie Nielsen
Leslie Nielsen
Leslie William Nielsen, OC was a Canadian and naturalized American actor and comedian. Nielsen appeared in more than one hundred films and 1,500 television programs over the span of his career, portraying more than 220 characters...
. The film was released on October 3, 2008.
Plot
Left-wing activist and filmmaker Michael Malone (Kevin FarleyKevin Farley
Kevin Peter Farley is an American actor, production designer, singer, dancer, occasional composer and aspiring stand-up comic.-Early life:...
), a parody of Michael Moore
Michael Moore
Michael Francis Moore is an American filmmaker, author, social critic and activist. He is the director and producer of Fahrenheit 9/11, which is the highest-grossing documentary of all time. His films Bowling for Columbine and Sicko also place in the top ten highest-grossing documentaries...
, is campaigning to end the celebration of the Fourth of July. Malone holds pronounced anti-American views and truculently argues that America's past and present are both offensive, and therefore should not be celebrated. Josh Malone, Michael's nephew, is an officer in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
and is about to deploy to the Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
. His uncle, however, regards him with disgust. At an awards ceremony hosted by Paris Hilton
Paris Hilton
Paris Whitney Hilton is an American businesswoman, heiress, and socialite. She is a great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton . Hilton is known for her controversial participation in a sex tape in 2003, and appearance on the television series The Simple Life alongside fellow socialite and childhood...
, Malone receives the Leni Riefenstahl
Leni Riefenstahl
Helene Bertha Amalie "Leni" Riefenstahl was a German film director, actress and dancer widely noted for her aesthetics and innovations as a filmmaker. Her most famous film was Triumph des Willens , a propaganda film made at the 1934 Nuremberg congress of the Nazi Party...
Award for his documentary Die, You American Pigs.
The film starts off with Michael at a special premier in Cuba for his new documentary about health care in the United States
Health care in the United States
Health care in the United States is provided by many separate legal entities. Health care facilities are largely owned and operated by the private sector...
and how it is far inferior to the health care system in communist Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, which he declares to be an "island paradise" As his film closes, he informs those waiting in the long line to a Cuban medical clinic that he is "off to America," causing many, if not all, to flock to his tiny boat, causing an annoyed Michael to shoo and beat them with a paddle. Michael narrates saying that the masses were thanking him (not trying to board his boat).
On the evening of July 3, Malone is watching a speech from President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
. However, when Malone accidentally takes part of his speech to mean avoiding war at all costs, the disgruntled long-dead President steps out of a television set, corrects Malone, and tells him that he will be visited by three spirits.
The next morning, Malone is then visited by General George S. Patton
George S. Patton
George Smith Patton, Jr. was a United States Army officer best known for his leadership while commanding corps and armies as a general during World War II. He was also well known for his eccentricity and controversial outspokenness.Patton was commissioned in the U.S. Army after his graduation from...
(Kelsey Grammer
Kelsey Grammer
Allen Kelsey Grammer is an American actor and comedian. He is most widely known for his two-decade portrayal of psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane on the sitcoms Cheers and Frasier...
), who tries to make him rethink his view of America. Arguing that sometimes war is necessary for the greater cause, Patton shows him an alternate world where slavery
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
still exists because Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
chose not to fight the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. He then shows the filmmaker how British Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
Chamberlain
Neville Chamberlain
Arthur Neville Chamberlain FRS was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May 1937 to May 1940. Chamberlain is best known for his appeasement foreign policy, and in particular for his signing of the Munich Agreement in 1938, conceding the...
(Oliver Muirhead
Oliver Muirhead
Oliver Muirhead is an English character actor known for often portraying pompous country gentlemen. In 1986, he also directed the musical pantomime A Christmas Held Captive. In addition to acting, Muirhead has also lent his voice to various animated series such as P.J...
) appeased Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
(Benton Jennings
Benton Jennings
Benton Jennings is an American film, television, and stage actor, based in Los Angeles, CA.- Career :He attended Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas with a BFA in Theatre Arts, London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art , and The Film Actors Lab in Dallas, Texas studying under Adam...
), even allowing Malone to attempt to communicate with Hitler, who blatantly ignores him. After this, Patton shows a college classroom, setting it to a musical tune and having the professors sing about how their views on peace and life have not changed since when they were hippies in 1968, and will give good grades to students who agree with their views. The students openly admit to Patton that their parents merely are 'glad that they were out of the house". Calling it 'indoctrination' rather than 'education', Patton leaves after making a comment to some parents who walked in the room that this was "what you (the parents) spent your life savings on".
However, Michael refuses to even reconsider his extremely leftist views and a despondent Patton apologizes for his failure before the altar of a Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
church to his 'father'. To Malone's shock, he learns that the General was addressing not God, but the ghost of George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
(Jon Voight
Jon Voight
Jonathan Vincent "Jon" Voight is an American actor. He has received an Academy Award, out of four nominations, and three Golden Globe Awards, out of nine nominations. Voight is the father of actress Angelina Jolie....
), who reveals that this is the very church where he prayed for his country every day of his Presidency. When Michael comments about the large amount of dust there, Washington opens a door and reveals that it comes from the destruction of the World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
in the September 11 attacks in 2001.
Shaken but still unmoved, Malone is visited by the angel of death (Trace Adkins
Trace Adkins
Tracy Darrell "Trace" Adkins is an American country music artist. He made his debut in 1996 with the album Dreamin' Out Loud, released on Capitol Records Nashville. Since then, Adkins has released seven more studio albums and two Greatest Hits compilations...
), who takes him to a future Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
which has been taken over by radical Islamists
Islamism
Islamism also , lit., "Political Islam" is set of ideologies holding that Islam is not only a religion but also a political system. Islamism is a controversial term, and definitions of it sometimes vary...
. Victoria's Secret
Victoria's Secret
Victoria's Secret is an American retailer of women's wear, lingerie and beauty products. It is the largest segment of publicly-traded Limited Brands with sales of over US$5 billion and an operating income of $1 billion in 2006...
has switched to selling burqa
Burqa
A burqa is an enveloping outer garment worn by women in some Islamic religion to cover their bodies in public places. The burqa is usually understood to be the woman's loose body-covering , plus the head-covering , plus the face-veil .-Etymology:A speculative and unattested etymology...
s and the Hollywood Sign
Hollywood Sign
The Hollywood Sign is a landmark and American cultural icon in the Hollywood Hills area of Mount Lee, Santa Monica Mountains, in Los Angeles, California. The sign spells out the name of the area in and white letters. It was created as an advertisement in 1923, but garnered increasing recognition...
now reads Allahu akbar
Takbir
The Takbīr or Tekbir is the Arabic term for the phrase ' . It is usually translated "God is [the] Greatest," or "God is Great". It is a common Islamic Arabic expression...
. Later, he is taken to the ruins of his hometown in Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, which has been destroyed by a nuclear bomb planted by Al Qaeda. In a makeshift morgue, Malone learns that he will be killed in this attack, leaving nothing behind but his trademark hat and "big ass". Malone pleads for his life with the Angel, promising to change.
Later, Malone arrives at an anti-Fourth of July protest rally and publicly renounces his former views. The outraged protesters call him a traitor and charge the podium intending to murder him. He is rescued, however, by American servicemen and pulled inside of a country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
concert where he is formally welcomed to "the real America". After barely preventing a terrorist bombing there, he runs to the docks in time to see his nephew Josh off to the Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
. He tells Josh how very proud he is of him and promises to look in on his wife and family during his deployment. Even then Malone can't help but to cause the disabled children on the dock to fall overboard.
As the film concludes, Malone is a changed man who loves his country and realizes how precious freedom is while sticking to his liberal views. Taking Patton's advice to advocate American values in film, he begins filming a JFK biopic, which he intends to be more accurate than Oliver Stone
Oliver Stone
William Oliver Stone is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Stone became well known in the late 1980s and the early 1990s for directing a series of films about the Vietnam War, for which he had previously participated as an infantry soldier. His work frequently focuses on...
's movie
JFK (film)
JFK is a 1991 American film directed by Oliver Stone. It examines the events leading to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and alleged subsequent cover-up, through the eyes of former New Orleans district attorney Jim Garrison .Garrison filed charges against New Orleans businessman Clay...
.
Cast
- Kevin FarleyKevin FarleyKevin Peter Farley is an American actor, production designer, singer, dancer, occasional composer and aspiring stand-up comic.-Early life:...
as Michael Malone - Kelsey GrammerKelsey GrammerAllen Kelsey Grammer is an American actor and comedian. He is most widely known for his two-decade portrayal of psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane on the sitcoms Cheers and Frasier...
as General George S. PattonGeorge S. PattonGeorge Smith Patton, Jr. was a United States Army officer best known for his leadership while commanding corps and armies as a general during World War II. He was also well known for his eccentricity and controversial outspokenness.Patton was commissioned in the U.S. Army after his graduation from... - Robert DaviRobert DaviRobert John Davi is an American actor and singer. He has played such roles as Vietnam veteran and Special Agent Johnson in Die Hard, the villainous Jake Fratelli in The Goonies, and Al Torres in Showgirls...
as Aziz - Serdar Kalsın as Ahmed
- Sammy SheikSammy SheikSammy Sheik is an Egyptian actor. Sammy is best known for his recurring role of "Masheer" on the hit Fox series 24.-Life and career:...
as Fayed - Geoffrey ArendGeoffrey Arend-Life and career:Arend was born in the Manhattan borough of New York City, to a Caucasian father and a Pakistani mother. He graduated from New York City's Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in 1996. In 2000, he began providing voices for video games such as Daria's...
as Mohammed - Jon VoightJon VoightJonathan Vincent "Jon" Voight is an American actor. He has received an Academy Award, out of four nominations, and three Golden Globe Awards, out of nine nominations. Voight is the father of actress Angelina Jolie....
as President George Washington - James WoodsJames WoodsJames Howard Woods is an American film, stage and television actor. Woods is known for starring in critically acclaimed films such as Once Upon a Time in America, Salvador, Nixon, Ghosts of Mississippi, Casino, and in the television legal drama Shark. He has won three Emmy Awards, and has gained...
as Todd Grosslight - Chriss AnglinChriss AnglinChriss Anglin is an American actor best known for his role in the film Dead Man Walking. He also plays the ghost of John F. Kennedy in the film An American Carol, and appeared as Captain Flint in the 2006 film Pirates of Treasure Island by The Asylum. Chriss Anglin also voiced President John F...
as President John F. Kennedy - Leslie NielsenLeslie NielsenLeslie William Nielsen, OC was a Canadian and naturalized American actor and comedian. Nielsen appeared in more than one hundred films and 1,500 television programs over the span of his career, portraying more than 220 characters...
as Grampa - Jillian MurrayJillian MurrayJillian Leigh Murray is an American Actress. She perhaps best known for her role as Portlyn on Sonny With a Chance and as Heather in An American Carol .-Life and career:...
as Heather - Dennis HopperDennis HopperDennis Lee Hopper was an American actor, filmmaker and artist. As a young man, Hopper became interested in acting and eventually became a student of the Actors' Studio. He made his first television appearance in 1954 and appeared in two films featuring James Dean, Rebel Without a Cause and Giant...
as Judge Clarence Henderson - Kevin SorboKevin SorboKevin David Sorbo is an American actor best known for the roles of Hercules in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Captain Dylan Hunt in Andromeda and Kull in Kull the Conqueror.-Early life:...
as George Mulrooney - Travis SchuldtTravis SchuldtTravis Schuldt is an American actor. He originated the role of Ethan Winthrop on the NBC soap opera Passions from 1999 to 2002, and played a recurring role of Keith Dudemeister in the sitcom Scrubs from 2006-2008.-Career:...
as Josh - Trace AdkinsTrace AdkinsTracy Darrell "Trace" Adkins is an American country music artist. He made his debut in 1996 with the album Dreamin' Out Loud, released on Capitol Records Nashville. Since then, Adkins has released seven more studio albums and two Greatest Hits compilations...
as the angel of death / himself - Bill O'ReillyBill O'Reilly (commentator)William James "Bill" O'Reilly, Jr. is an American television host, author, syndicated columnist and political commentator. He is the host of the political commentary program The O'Reilly Factor on the Fox News Channel, which is the most watched cable news television program on American television...
as Himself - David Alan GrierDavid Alan GrierDavid Alan Grier , also known as "D.A.G." , is an American actor and comedian known for his work on the sketch comedy television show In Living Color.-Early life:...
as Rastus Malone (Michael's slave) - Gary ColemanGary ColemanGary Wayne Coleman was an American actor, known for his childhood role as Arnold Jackson in the American sitcom Diff'rent Strokes and for his small stature as an adult. He was described in the 1980s as "one of television's most promising stars". After a successful childhood acting career, Coleman...
as Slave - Mary HartMary HartMary Hart is an American television personality and was the host of the syndicated gossip and entertainment round-up program Entertainment Tonight from 1982 to 2011.-Early life:...
as Herself - Fred TravalenaFred TravalenaFrederick Albert "Fred" Travalena III was an American entertainer, specializing in comedy and impersonations.-Early life:...
as President Jimmy Carter
Marketing
An American Carol was strongly advertised by notable RepublicansRepublican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
and conservative personalities such as Rush Limbaugh
Rush Limbaugh
Rush Hudson Limbaugh III is an American radio talk show host, conservative political commentator, and an opinion leader in American conservatism. He hosts The Rush Limbaugh Show which is aired throughout the U.S. on Premiere Radio Networks and is the highest-rated talk-radio program in the United...
, Sean Hannity
Sean Hannity
Sean Hannity is an American radio and television host, author, and conservative political commentator. He is the host of The Sean Hannity Show, a nationally syndicated talk radio show that airs throughout the United States on Premiere Radio Networks. Hannity also hosts a cable news show, Hannity,...
, Glenn Beck
Glenn Beck
Glenn Edward Lee Beck is an American conservative radio host, vlogger, author, entrepreneur, political commentator and former television host. He hosts the Glenn Beck Program, a nationally syndicated talk-radio show that airs throughout the United States on Premiere Radio Networks...
and Mark Levin
Mark Levin
Mark Reed Levin is a lawyer, author and the host of American syndicated radio show The Mark Levin Show. Levin served in the cabinet of President Ronald Reagan and was a chief of staff for Attorney General Edwin Meese...
. On October 3, 2008, actors Kevin Farley and Kelsey Grammer appeared on the Fox News program The O'Reilly Factor
The O'Reilly Factor
The O'Reilly Factor, originally titled The O'Reilly Report from 1996 to 1998 and often called The Factor, is an American talk show on the Fox News Channel hosted by commentator Bill O'Reilly, who often discusses current controversial political issues with guests.The program was the most watched...
to promote their film, in which show host Bill O'Reilly
Bill O'Reilly (political commentator)
William James "Bill" O'Reilly, Jr. is an American television host, author, syndicated columnist and political commentator. He is the host of the political commentary program The O'Reilly Factor on the Fox News Channel, which is the most watched cable news television program on American television...
made a guest appearance. An American Carol has also been described by newspapers such as the Dallas Morning News as being "for the right wing".
The American Conservative reported, "The movie has been promoted by bloggers on National Review Online. The Leadership Institute, an activist group that maintains contact with College Republicans
College Republicans
The College Republican National Committee is a national organization for college and university students who support the Republican Party of the United States...
nationwide, urged its charges to see the movie on opening weekend, even handing out tickets to its interns."
Critical
The film was not screened for critics, as director David Zucker said the studio did not believe it would get a fair hearing due to its conservative political viewpoint.Based on 40 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, An American Carol currently has a 11% approval rating from critics, with an average
Weighted mean
The weighted mean is similar to an arithmetic mean , where instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others...
score of 3/10. Among Rotten Tomatoes' Top Critics, which consists of popular and notable critics from the top newspapers, websites, television and radio programs, the film holds an overall approval rating of 0%. Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, which assigns a normalized
Normalization (statistics)
In one usage in statistics, normalization is the process of isolating statistical error in repeated measured data. A normalization is sometimes based on a property...
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film has received an average score of 20, based on 12 reviews.
An openly Conservative contributor to Ain't it Cool News
Ain't It Cool News
Ain't It Cool News is a website founded and run by Harry Knowles, dedicated to news, rumors and reviews of upcoming and currently playing films and television projects, with an emphasis on science fiction, fantasy, horror, comic-book and action genres...
said the film featured "ingenious comedy that we remember from Airplane!
Airplane!
Airplane! is a 1980 American satirical comedy film directed and written by David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker and released by Paramount Pictures...
" as well as "funny and inventive." Kathleen Parker
Kathleen Parker
Kathleen Parker is an American syndicated columnist. Her columns are syndicated nationally by The Washington Post. Parker is a consulting faculty member at the Buckley School of Public Speaking, and is a regular guest on television shows like The O'Reilly Factor and The Chris Matthews Show....
of Washington Post Writers Group called the film "'An American Carol' may not be The Best Movie You Ever Saw, but it’s something. It’s radical in its assault on the left wing; it’s brave given the risk of peer ridicule and the potential for career suicide. And it’s funny — if you like that sort of thing. Generally, I don’t."
However, the film did have detractors, even among conservatives. Michael Brendan Doherty of The American Conservative
The American Conservative
The American Conservative is a monthly U.S. opinion magazine published by Ron Unz. Its first editor was Scott McConnell, his successors being Kara Hopkins and the present incumbent, Daniel McCarthy....
wrote that:
Finally, Steven Rea of The Philadelphia Inquirer
The Philadelphia Inquirer
The Philadelphia Inquirer is a morning daily newspaper that serves the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, metropolitan area of the United States. The newspaper was founded by John R. Walker and John Norvell in June 1829 as The Pennsylvania Inquirer and is the third-oldest surviving daily newspaper in the...
gave the movie one star out of five, called it "jaw-droppingly awful," and "about as not-funny as a comedy can get." Lou Lumenick of the New York Post wrote, "Even if it weren't three years too late to parody Moore (ineptly played by Kevin Farley), Moore's ridiculous tribute to Cuban health care in Sicko is far funnier than anything in this desperately laughless farce from David Zucker."
On September 5, 2008, Michael Moore was a guest on Larry King Live
Larry King Live
Larry King Live is an American talk show hosted by Larry King on CNN from 1985 to 2010. It was CNN's most watched and longest-running program, with over one million viewers nightly....
and was shown a clip from the film where Malone (while lying down on his bed, drinking a Big Gulp and watching archival footage of JFK's inaugural address
Inaugural address of John F. Kennedy
U.S. President John F. Kennedy delivered his only inaugural address at 12:51 Friday, January 20, 1961, immediately after taking the presidential oath of office administered by Chief Justice Earl Warren.-Background:...
) is startled by Kennedy, who materializes out of Malone's television screen, and confronts him on his misguided views of American history. Moore said that he was vaguely familiar with the film, and then jokingly said he thought it was Viggo Mortensen
Viggo Mortensen
Viggo Peter Mortensen, Jr. is a Danish-American actor, poet, musician, photographer and painter. He made his film debut in Peter Weir's 1985 thriller Witness, and subsequently appeared in many notable films of the 1990s, including The Indian Runner , Carlito's Way , Crimson Tide , Daylight , The...
that would be portraying him. When King asked him his opinion, Moore shrugged and said, "I hope it's funny."
Commercial
An American Carol which opened on 1,639 screens nationwide, finished ninth at the box office that week, with a gross of $3.8 million, or a per-screen average of $2,325. For its second weekend, An American Carol had a 58.8 percent drop in box officeBox office
A box office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through an unblocked hole through a wall or window, or at a wicket....
receipts and dropped to #15, grossing $1,505,000 at 1,621 theaters or $928 per screen.
The film faded in the box office in its third weekend dropping 73.8 percent and finishing #21 at 599 theaters grossing $365,000 or $609 per screen. In its fourth weekend, it dropped to #41 at 109 theaters grossing $60,000 or $550 per screen.
As of October 2009, An American Carol has grossed $7 million after having a production budget of $20 million.
Zucker, in an interview with National Review Online, had suggested a sequel as his next possible project, but now says he is done making conservative comedies. Zucker stated that the audience for this type of film is one who waits for it to be available on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
.
Home media
This film was released on DVD and Blu-ray DiscBlu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage medium designed to supersede the DVD format. The plastic disc is 120 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm thick, the same size as DVDs and CDs. Blu-ray Discs contain 25 GB per layer, with dual layer discs being the norm for feature-length video discs...
on December 30, 2008 by Vivendi Entertainment
Vivendi
Vivendi SA is a French international media conglomerate with activities in music, television and film, publishing, telecommunications, the Internet, and video games. It is headquartered in Paris.- History :...
.
It includes a full length audio commentary by David Zucker and Kevin Farley
Kevin Farley
Kevin Peter Farley is an American actor, production designer, singer, dancer, occasional composer and aspiring stand-up comic.-Early life:...
along with several scenes and footage cut from the theatrical release. Some of these included:
- An extended scene of Malone watching Entertainment TonightEntertainment TonightEntertainment Tonight is a daily tabloid television entertainment television news show that is syndicated by CBS Television Distribution throughout the United States, Canada and in many countries around the world. Linda Bell Blue is currently the program's executive producer...
in which it is mentioned that he made a 2004 documentary called "Centigrade 9/11" (a parody of Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11Fahrenheit 9/11Fahrenheit 9/11 is a 2004 documentary film by American filmmaker and political commentator Michael Moore. The film takes a critical look at the presidency of George W. Bush, the War on Terror, and its coverage in the news media...
) which actually rallied up enough supporters to help George W. BushGeorge W. BushGeorge Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
win a second term as president, even though Malone insists it was supposed to help prevent a landslide victory for Bush. - A deleted section of a scene in which Patton reveals that Malone is the biggest slave owner in Alabama, where after Gary ColemanGary ColemanGary Wayne Coleman was an American actor, known for his childhood role as Arnold Jackson in the American sitcom Diff'rent Strokes and for his small stature as an adult. He was described in the 1980s as "one of television's most promising stars". After a successful childhood acting career, Coleman...
tells Malone not to worry about the bacon stains in his car, Coleman throws his rag to the side in multiple takes, telling various famous African-Americans, such as Shaquille O'NealShaquille O'NealShaquille Rashaun O'Neal , nicknamed "Shaq" , is a former American professional basketball player. Standing tall and weighing , he was one of the heaviest players ever to play in the NBA...
or Barack ObamaBarack ObamaBarack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
, to take over. This scene is billed as "Outtakes" on the DVD menu suggesting Coleman improvised his own lines. - An extended scene of the "1968" production number, in which Malone and Patton put on their own act.
- Trace Adkins approaching Malone in the graveyard dressed as the Grim Reaper.
- A deleted section of the Columbia UniversityColumbia UniversityColumbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
rally where Malone and Jimmy CarterJimmy CarterJames Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
speak at, in which Ted KennedyTed KennedyEdward Moore "Ted" Kennedy was a United States Senator from Massachusetts and a member of the Democratic Party. Serving almost 47 years, he was the second most senior member of the Senate when he died and is the fourth-longest-serving senator in United States history...
attends, and while in a bathroom, Malone imagines himself speaking in favor of liberalism; Patton tells JFK to take care of his brother, which JFK does, and Ted invites him to take a ride in his car, an older model Oldsmobile 88 which is overflowing with water and dead fish (a reference to Ted's Chappaquiddick incident). - Malone accidentally tears and burns an American flag during the concert scene.
- An extended version of a section during the finale.
- A post credits scene which appeared in the theatrical release but was deleted for the home media release of the film.