The American Revolution gets a rip-roaring reimagination
in the animated comedy "America: The Motion Picture."
The film takes everything you know about U.S. history and throws it into a blender
to create one action-packed, irreverent adventure for the nation's founding fathers and mothers.
"Ding dong, it's America, mother fucker."
While you won't find this version of America's foundational story in your textbooks,
history buffs will still delight in scouting out the many, many real-life
references scattered throughout the movie from both colonial and more contemporary events.
Here are some of the small details you might have missed in "America: The Motion Picture".
Spoilers ahead!
Movie fans will find cinematic tributes everywhere in "America: The Motion Picture." You don't need
eagle eyes to spot all of the blockbuster parodies mentioned at Ford's Theatre, for example -- who
wouldn't want to watch "Full Metal Musket" and "Snakes on a Carriage?" You'll also notice
other puns about everything from Transporter to John Wick sprinkled throughout the pic.
"Sam, your propensity for murder is extraordinary."
"Thank you. I took murder lessons from John Wick."
"The candlemaker?"
"Yeah!"
There's even a moment where the Brits fool the Americans into thinking they're hiding
out at the Gettysburg address by using Kevin McAllister's clever mannequins-in-motion
trick from Home Alone. The final battle sequence also gives a lot of love to
the best fight scenes from "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Avengers: Endgame".
But one of the more subtle winks to Hollywood comes near the end of the movie,
when freedom finally rings, and the ghost of Abraham Lincoln shows up to
return the Declaration of Independence to his now-victorious buddy George Washington,
and it's clear the National Treasure franchise has fooled everyone in the 18th century, too.
"And no, there's no treasure map drawn on the back of it."
"Ah, man."
It's only fitting that this Nicolas Cage classic should earn this well-placed wink in the film.
You simply cannot make a revisionist history movie involving the theft of the Declaration
of Independence without showing some love to the blockbuster that still has the U.S.
National Archives shutting down treasure map theorists a decade and a half later.
You might want to pause "America: The Motion Picture" to do some crowd-spotting at certain
moments throughout the film. That's because, in addition to the cavalcade of historical
heroes that carry the action, there are also some very familiar faces thrown into the background of
certain scenes. Abe's funeral in particular is essentially a who's who of American icons, with
quick shots of folks like the Roosevelt cousins, JFK and Marilyn Monroe, and Lin-Manuel Miranda
playing Alexander Hamilton, not to mention baby John Quincy Adams with a full set of mutton chops.
Much later, Benjamin Franklin rises from the grave to join the fight against Benedict Arnold.
And finally, while they may not be historical heroes, the mid-credits of
the film introduces the B-team that didn't make it to the battle -- and finally gives
the payoff to all those jokes about the spelling of our heroes' names.
"You pack quite the punch, Samuel Adams with an A."
"There's Thomas Edisen with an E, the professional wrestler."
"George Washington the dinosaur rancher?"
"Ah, no, no, that's George Washingten, with an E. I'm George Washington, with an O."
"Dagnabbit, I think we missed it, Es."
While the crux of "America: The Motion Picture" is George Washington's ragtag team trying to
defeat the werewolf Benedict Arnold and finally do some democracy, their adventures introduce
some very tongue-in-cheek commentary about the longer-term problems their country will face.
"There is nothing wrong with my skin. I'm Chinese."
"Uh?"
"I'm from China."
"Uh?"
I'm an immigrant. I came here from another country? Like you?"
"Oh, no. No, no, no. My people have always been here. That's why we make the rules, baby."
"Except you don't, dumbass."
Misogyny, racism, xenophobia, anti-science bias,
and frat bros wearing T-shirts calling them out as "dicks" are just some of the scourges
of society that they encounter but most definitely do not fix.
By the end,
even George Washington realizes that they're going to have a lot of problems down the road.
"Oh, God. We're gonna fuck this up, aren't we?"
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