WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
An absolute defiance of expectation. There are those things in life which seem straightforward, logical, well thought out, planned to the letter, hence leading to the results one would come to anticipate and appreciate. But, then comes along the most unexplainable of notions, a concept so outlandish it is immediately thrown aside as rubbish, a pipe dream–impossible. And then–it happens anyway. The time has come for the 2016 election run, and the Master Of Lies known as the Devil (Eddie Griffin) and his stalwart minions Shame (Robert Amico), Misery (Dawna Lee Heising), and Anger (Justin Shenkarow) conspire to make the insanely improbable happen for the sake of inciting utter chaos in the U.S. and across the world–see Donald Trump (Jeff Rector) become President of the United States. Laughable. Hilariously laughable. Completely out of this world nuts. It will never happen. Right??
Next, my Mind:
Not surprisingly, there are ratings from 1/10 to 10/10 stars found on the IMDb Page for this scathingly satiric, irrefutably unflinching, highly irreverent, yet scarily accurate, brazenly comedic 90-minute indie feature film effort from writer/director/producer Param Gill, writer John Buchanan, co-producers Robert Amico and Deepak Singh, and executive producers Eddie Griffin, Mark C. Andrews, Richard Miranda, and Jeff Rector. As with anything that deals with waxing political (especially in such a, sadly, polarized country as we currently inhabit), it’s by no means out of the question a project such as this might just ruffle a few feathers. Yet, what stuck out to me was that despite its deeply unapologetic execution when it comes to depicting the story of how the most unanticipated President ever to get nominated (much less elected!) to office actually managed to manifest, the narrative is admittedly so well founded in truths both humorous and unsavory that one cannot help but acknowledge the filmmakers for being this forthcoming in their approach.
Purposefully exaggerated in a multitude of degrees in order to make it’s mocking and sheer absurdity of the rise of Trump from 5-time bankrupt businessman to President that much more a sordid tale of impossibility and raging ego run amok, the film decides to put an entirely different twist on exactly what forces were at work to see him succeed in the endeavor, utilizing numerous facets of the country’s own state of affairs and societal atmosphere as a springboard to buoy its “the Devil made me do it!” foundations while still being outrageously over-the-top in “colorful” language and other cheeky content (far too much for my tastes, regardless of the subject at hand) along with an overall searing lampooning of the character and manner so many have come to “love” about the man who would become White House king. Again, what impacts you is that while so much IS played for the satiric cornerstone the film is built on, as well as ridiculous goofiness, you sit there in shock that so much of it IS true about the man! Plus, just to see all the powerful individuals he had in his corner and those who wanted to see him fail, it’s supremely nuts!
Hence, the endgame is to have you, along with so many other Americans and nations around the world, ask that ultimate question–just HOW did THIS guy manage to win the Presidency!!?? Whether or not you are a Trump supporter, there’s no getting past just how spot on so much of this film is, tackling with jeering glee the notions of everything from “Making America Great Again!”, The Wall, the overinflated egoism in play, the womanizing and associated scandals (Stormy Daniels, anyone?), racist diatribes he was caught saying, the Russian interference scandal, long speeches, the infamous tax returns, and complete unwillingness to concede anything, all on display in hyper-sensationalized glory for your entertainment. Griffin most assuredly plays up his role as the Evil One with beautifully intentional joy and straightforward (albeit profane) abandon, painting a picture of the Prince of Darkness as both menacing and deviously clever, manipulating events to bring about what he believes will be a true ambassador of mayhem to the White House while berating his minions and just being what we would expect from said entity–remorseless, selfish scheming.
It won’t be considered Griffin’s greatest role by any means, but he fits the bill here and carries it off with all the bravado and undisguised excess in delivery the role calls for. Rector, likewise, does a truly fantastic job embodying his role as Trump, complete with the crazy hair and trademark speech pattern we’ve all come to “love” in our current (but, literally, at this very moment, possibly not for much longer) President. Rector wastes no time presenting the Donald as the flagrantly extravagant personality he is, but does so in a magnificently overstated way that simply magnifies what really becomes a roasting of Trump and all the myriad of faults he’s displayed, again both genuinely heinous and just plain farcical. It’s unsettling when we see that for all the ways Trump managed to recover from bankruptcy and everything else leading up to the Presidency, he still just cannot seem to keep his ego or mouth contained, and that is so blatantly explored through Rector’s performance throughout, truly making an impression and indelible mark through his acting.
Supporting appearances are just so numerous here that covering them all in detail would entail another entry into “The Greatest American Novel–EVER!” contest. But, suffice it to say, all the mentioned actors here did absolutely wonderful in their respective parts, each making their own contribution (big or small) memorable, as I always wish to give kudos to supporting cast. Not at all to be overlooked, these individuals include Robert Amico, Dawna Lee Heising, Justin Shenkarow, Melanie Marden (as Melania Trump), Paul Lauden ( as Donald, Jr.), Mac Hines (as Eric Trump), Becca Buckalew (as Ivanka Trump), Mark McClain Wilson (as Michael Cohen), Jack Merrill (as Rupert Murdoch), Richard Lippert (as Tom Barrack), Joey Sagal (as Michael Bloomberg), Phil Proctor (as Bob Greenblatt), Charles Christopher (as Anderson Cooper), Chris Spinelli (as Tom Sullivan), Brad Stein (as Corey Lewandowski), Christine Szabo (as Tiffany), Wrenn Woods (as Hope Hicks), Jose Rosete (as Keith Schiller), Kevin Indio Copeland(as Putin), Katarina Bucevac (as Nathalia), Joyce Jones (as Alexandra), Peyton Leigh (as Olga), Stormy Daniels (as herself), Alice Prime(as Pamela Brown), and Don Baldaramos (as Mike Emmanuel) among many others.
So, in total, “Bad President” represents indie film as it so often can be–bold, brash, unafraid, and in this case, entirely off the wall in order to make its political statement via a methodology that really could, and perhaps SHOULD, resonate with people on either side of the party fence. It makes us look back on these last 4 years now and, on the cusp of potential change again, put into perspective all the factors that brought this country to a place where one party’s best bet was to nominate the last man we’d ever expect to be the most powerful man in the country, even world. Truthfully, as a whole, we as the United States need to reconsider many of the decisions that are being made in the name of “improving” or “advancing” our causes as a free country and very much realize that if some things don’t change for the better and national unity isn’t re-established, we’re on a path to a not so joyful fiery place. And THAT ain’t fake, or fun, news, folks.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
