Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that God Bless America is a dark, dark comedy from Bobcat Goldthwait, the maker of World's Greatest Dad. The movie takes an angry stance against the media for its extreme vulgarity and stupidity -- but its "solution" is violence and killing. There are violent, gory slayings, especially in the opening few minutes, when the main character imagines killing a family (including a crying baby). Language is very strong and constant, with just about every swear word imaginable. There's also strong sexual innuendo and uncomfortable sexual tension between the two main characters, a late-40s man and a late-teen girl, though no sex. Both characters smoke cigarettes, the man drinks beer, and there are drug references. And though the movie is anti-consumerist, it has lots of references to real brands as well as spoofs of brands and fake TV ads.
Sexual
Content
Plenty of sexual innuendo and some disturbing sexual tension between the two main characters; the man is in his late 40s, and the girl is in her late teens. She shows sexual interest in him, but he rebuffs her. No sex or nudity. On a reality TV show, a woman reaches under her dress, removes a tampon, and throws it at another woman.
Violence
The movie begins with its most disturbing image: The main character imagines shooting both a crying baby (off screen) and the baby's father, leaving the mother screaming and covered in blood. There are several other violent, bloody killings as well, mostly with guns. In the finale, the characters shoot everyone on stage, as well as the audience members of an American Idol-type show. There's also a general undercurrent of anger and hate, especially when the characters watch TV news and reality shows.
Language
Very strong language throughout, including "f--k," "s--t," "balls," "p---y," "suck it," "c--k," "a--holes," "oh my God," "t-ts," "goddamn," "c--t," "whore," "queef," "c--ksucker," the "N" word, and "motherf----r." Characters hold signs that say "God Hates Fags."
Social
Behavior
In a world where everyone is obsessed with reality TV celebrities and vulgar, extreme content, God Bless America suggests that violently exterminating the worst offenders is a good (and funny) idea. The violence has little or no consequences, and it's shown to be a much more appealing alternative than the characters' normal lives.
Consumerism
Though the movie is very much anti-consumerism, it mentions many real brands, as well as spoofs of real brands: Escalade, iPhone, BlackBerry, Disneyland, Glee, and Rambo. There's an American Idol spoof and spoofs of other reality shows and TV ads.
Drugs / Tobacco /
Alcohol
The main character, a teen girl, is seen smoking a cigarette in one scene. The main character smokes cigarettes and drinks beer occasionally. There are drug references, but no drugs are shown.
