Political Humor - California Screaming; The Movie

June 12th, 2009 posted by admin
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Political Humor – California Screaming; The Movie

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Genre:  Surreal Horror
Theatrical Release:  July 4, 2009
Starring:  Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Governator, other cast have asked for their names to be withheld
Director:  Rob Reiner
Expected Cost:  untold billions

Summary:
Hollywood announced this week a release date for the newest disaster megafilm starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.   California Screaming is a modern horror story largely void of heroes, set in the Golden State.  Facing complete economic catastrophe, Schwarzenegger reprises his role as state Governor to face down the litany of problems a citizenry has created for itself, including:

·    Budget shortfall of over $24 billion
·    Only 50 days from catastrophe before the State is completely out of money
·    Revenues falling nearly 18% over the prior year
·    Expected revenues $800M short of expectation

Synopsis:
This film and story are complete disasters.  Impossible circumstances conspire to deliver the most outrageous set of human-created challenges occurring at precisely the most inopportune moment.  The situation is compounded by Californians’ sudden and unexplained unwillingness to fork over larger chunks of their earnings.  Putting trophy social programs at risk, the many governmental characters insist that population knows not what it is doing.  The Governator and the Legislature are pitted against the population as well as against one another. 

State congressional leaders are out of ideas.  Each tax increase proposal meets resounding defeat, leaving the once vaunted, socially responsible leadership without any tools to continue building utopia on the world’s most beautiful coast.  Trying to be the voice of reason, Schwarzenegger fails in his attempts to find a middle ground between new taxation and spending cuts.    A poignant moment occurs when the Governator laments taking the job on the Jay Leno Show.

Although the film is without a clear protagonist, there are multiple bad guys, leaving the audience feeling helpless as the storyline spirals downward.    State revenues from personal income taxes decline by nearly 40% percent.  Revenues from corporate taxes fall by over 50% percent and revenues from sales taxes sink by over 7 percent.

Assembly Speaker Karen Bass describes one reconciliation plan as having “something for everyone to hate.”  It provides something for every audience member to hate as well.  The film is a tragedy of errors when former adversaries try to come together on a plan to solve the crisis but are confronted with a public unwilling to participate in the reconciliation.

As the state is confronted with difficult choices including scrapping the prized welfare programs or dumping benefits to illegal aliens, a climax is reached as the July 4 holiday approaches when California faces a drop-dead date.  At that point, CA will be completely out of money.   Schwarzenegger, on a last gasp effort, contacts the President for help because he is unwilling to undertake the difficult duty for which he was hired.  The President, well… viewers will have to find that out on release day.

The complexity of the storyline is made difficult to understand because of the extreme simplicity of the solution.  All could have been avoided had sanity prevailed earlier in the decade before spending was allowed to spiral out of control.  Director Rob Reiner fails to insert the responsibility message preferring to develop the tragic leadership characters of those that have found themselves in now unwanted political roles. 

Painfully missing is the usual assignment of responsibility for the troubles.  Political leaders are reluctant to confront voters with the fact that demand for excessive services and benefits combined with an unwillingness to pay has lead their state to the brink.  Voters believe they were hoodwinked into believing they could have these services and benefits and compel someone else to bear the cost.  Deceit and mistrust runs through every on-screen relationship.  California Screaming wants for a single adult role; an adult to just say ‘no’ to the clowns that are more interested in re-election than in problem resolution.  But maybe this is just California in microcosm.

The film attempts to reconcile combatants.  Moments of introspection appear as the Governator confronts state congressional leaders with proof of their past misdeeds while admitting his own faults.  These fail to provide any direction to the story.  Sadly, when the Governator’s efforts turn up some good will but no results and both sides slip back into posturing that originally contributed to the problem. 

Ultimately, the film takes a circular route back to its starting point – no resolution, just characters campaigning  for support from a public that has long since given up.  Completing the tragedy, the public ultimately rejects its own role in the disaster.  Breaking the cycle requires a brave hero (restate the need for a truly adult character) to throw himself or herself on the sword of electoral defeat to do the right thing and lead the charge to severely cut programs.   

‘California Screaming’ at least is an apt title.  The circular storyline is predictable and awaits a hero from outside to bail the state and its people out of the trouble.  The film leaves hanging the childish dream that the President or some benevolent force will recognize the people’s agony and intervene with money from heaven and an admonition to work together in the future. 

The film opens – tragically- around July 4.  Will California realize independence or sink to new levels of dependency.  You may be buying a ticket to this disaster whether you choose to or not.

 

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