When I first saw the trailer for this, back well before the theatrical release, I was a little shocked. It's a bit of a contradictory idea - wanting to murder, because the victims aren't nice people. It's easy to feel like you're going to be disturbed by the execution of this idea. Luckily, as casual as the targets seem to be, the script is very careful to establish how terrible they are.
The start of the movie is the most brutal part. Frank lives a kind of terrible existence. He's divorced, his job is dull, and he's ostracized because he isn't interested in following pop culture. He gets fired for being politely flirtatious with a homely receptionist. Then the doctor tells him he has a brain tumor.
All of this is framed against satires of modern TV. In particular, reality shows that focus on either cruelty, or praising greed, ignorance, and wealth. I'm not as familiar with any shows being directly parodied, but there's something that is dead on, and the satire is so accurate, it's hard to say that it qualifies as satire. It's not as absurd as "Ow My Balls." But it's roughly the same idea.
The heart of the movie is the relationship between Frank and Roxy. Their relationship is platonic, but I felt like it was somehow deeper and a little more affecting than the typical 'lovers on a rampage' kind of story. They clearly don't agree on everything, and he finds her a bit annoying in certain ways, but… I kept expecting him tell her at some point that he wishes his daughter would grow up to be like her.
Like most of these movies, the pair go out in a blaze of glory, he gets an opportunity to announce his philosophy on TV, then they're gunned down. It's hard to feel bad for them, but it's easy to understand where he's coming from.
The people who are killed are not realized as full individuals, but they represent specific problems with our culture. From memory:
- Chloe, a teen reality-TV star who is famous because she's a bratty rich kid, who throws a tantrum when she doesn't get the car she wanted for her birthday. She's cruel, especially mean to her parents, and clearly doesn't like anyone.
- a handful of people in a movie theater who won't stop talking on their cell phones, throwing food, and making fun of the main characters.
- a trucker who strongly suggests that he is interested in raping young girls.
- a bullying, conservative TV personality. Even in death, he calls the girl a "feminazi."
- the equivalent of the Westboro Baptist Church. They mix things up a little with them. Their signs are both "God hates Jews" and "God hates fags."
- and the judges and some of the audience of the equivalent of American Idol.
Strangely, I don't think that this American Idol-esque show is the right primary target. While the show does contribute to a decline in American music, it's not quite as evil as other sources probably are. I don't know if I could name any though.
This was categorized as a comedy. It has black comedy elements, but it's not quite that. There's something more serious in this movie, and it's hard to categorize a warning as a drama.
Oh, and I found the girl playing Roxy very cute.
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