FDR: American Badass! (2012)

Really Surprised!

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Gov. Roosevelt, a man's man of a badass if there ever was one, is stricken with polio after being bitten by a Nazi werewolf sent to eliminate him. The plan backfires. With his resolve strengthened by adversity, FDR goes on to become president and takes a hands-on approach to defeating the Axis werewolves in World War II.This is an absurd film which intentionally shoots for a high level of camp. The mostly juvenile humor, which is not particularly clever or witty, relies heavily on the comic acting ability of the stars to make it work. It does work most of the time because Barry Bostwick is hilarious in his over-the-top performance as a Badass FDR and he gets excellent support from Bruce McGill playing his ever-present right-hand man.As you might expect, this is a very hit-or-miss kind of humor. This isn't a problem if moving briskly from one gag to the next, but this movie chooses instead to draw out each gag as long as possible. It's fun when the gag is working but tedious on those many occasions when it isn't. The excessive make-up on the Axis werewolves makes it impossible for them to do any acting, which means that every scene with them in it falls completely flat. Several more scenes are weakened by supporting actors who try to out-emote Bostwick rather than playing straight-men for him. On the whole, however, it was a very fun movie to watch and is a must-see film for anyone who enjoys intentional camp.

Truth be told, then I wasn't really expecting much from this movie. I mean, look at the title, the concept and the plot. Was I surprised with what I saw, not, I can't honestly say that I was. I was mortified. This was unbelievably boring and anything but funny."FDR: American Badass!" tries to follow in the spoof footsteps of movies such as "The Naked Gun" and "Airplane!", however, it just failed on a monumental scale, and it was almost physically painful to witness.I will go as far as to say that the people hired for the various roles and characters were doing good enough jobs with what they had to work with - which wasn't much to begin with. And it was a losing uphill battle against a really horrible script and plot.For a comedy, then "FDR: American Badass!" was surprisingly devoid of anything that would even remotely get close to making you laugh. The jokes were bad and under the belt, and the humor found in the movie might not just be suitable for everyone. If you are easily offended, I would suggest viewer discretion here.This was also a losing uphill battle to just sit through the entire movie without losing interest in the screen, and I must admit that I gave up on this movie. It was just too much of a drag to get through. It took forever to get nowhere and spewing lots of pointless jokes and profanities at you while getting nowhere. As much as I enjoy comedy classics like "The Naked Gun" and "Airplane!", then "FDR: American Badass!" was like a really bad punch to the gut.I can't really recommend this movie, unless you are a hardcore fan of anyone on the cast list.

The spoof genre is one that most of the time goes horribly wrong. There are some that have worked really well over the years like Airplane, Naked Gun, Scary Movie, and Top Secret, but sadly very few really do much more than just annoy viewers. The latest FDR American Badass is not so much a spoof of other films, but just a silly over the top tale of history and violence. Is it possible that this silly premise could actually deliver a fun film or will it be another of the plain stupid ones that will be forgotten? FDR American Badass follows Franklin D. Roosevelt as a werewolf hunter tracking down the like of Adolf Hitler, Mussolini and Hirohito in his customized wheelchair of death. Let's start by admitting that there is nothing about this idea that is just ridiculous. This isn't the first of the presidents to tackle supernatural creatures, but it is the first to realize how silly it is and dive in head first. This is a really silly, over-the-top dumb film that will entertain if you let it. Barry Bostwick plays up his version of FDR while channeling Roosevelt, with a dash of Burgess Meredith's Penguin from the Batman series. His version is over the top and far from politically correct that really makes this film work. Set in a world that makes little to no sense with characters that seem to fit right in makes this film work. The effects and action are silly and low budget, but if they had done much more than that it just wouldn't work. They clearly knew what this film was and never tried to take itself seriously. Filled with over the top characters, silly make-up effects, a ridiculous storyline and a gaggle of nasty jokes, FDR delivers exactly what it sets out to do and brings the laughs with it.Make no mistake, this isn't a good movie by any means, it's one that if you can get in on the joke you will have a fun time. This film sports a surprising cast of recognizable actors besides Bostwick including Lin Shaye, Bruce McGill, Ray Wise, Kevin Sorbo, William Mapother, Paul Wilson, Ahmed Best, Deon Richmond. How can any movie not work with Sorbo as Lincoln, Kenny from the Cosby Show, as well as Hitler, Mussolini, and Hirohito as werewolves?

Alright so I saw this movie and it was absolutely ridiculous! As in crayz hilarious! FDR was sooooo nuts in this movie it was hilarious, just imagine Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter, but Scary Movie style. FDR the Werewolf Hunter! Not to mention that had these great cut scenes with Hitler, Mussolini, and Hirohito as Werewolves! FDR is kickin werewolf ass in a supped up Wheelchair with silver bullet machinegun wheels and rocket launchers! What really made me think of Scary Movie was the very Slapstick and sexualized jokes that were in the whole film. It also didn't mind using jokes about black people in the 1930s and 40s or some marijuana in the white house. FDR even has a stoned dream of flying with Abe Lincoln! It's hilarious! What's also funny is that they make FDR use a lot of hip hop lingo and speak over the radio as if he was a DJ, "You're listenin to the Delan-O!" What made the film work was that it knew it was ghetto and tried to be, and that ghettoness was what made it soooo funny! I really enjoyed it and I think if people like the Scary Movie style films that should totally check this out, it was a great spoof knock-off!