Yes, and you thought that I just queue glorious skip-through cheese. Joke’s on you, then—apparently, I also queue deeply flawed mockumentaries as well. Annie Wagner reviewed CSAback in March (all the way at the bottom of the link), when it was at the Guild 45th for a week or so, but it was just released on DVD this past Tuesday. (In case you missed its week in the sun: CSA is a fictional documentary about the South winning the Civil War.)
Although Annie’s review is right—the movie is paced poorly and not thought through in any real way—I still feel as though CSA is worth a toss in the queue, especially because the humor probably works best at home. It’s funny in the way that good standup about race relations is funny: you laugh, and then you squirm, and then you wonder exactly why you laughed in the first place. It’s certainly more effective than—if not as reliably funny as—Sarah Silverman. Plus, it’s always kind of academically exciting to see a mainstream American movie question Abraham Lincoln’s motives—it’s when they put Abraham Lincoln in blackface and make him sing “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,” that you begin to wonder if the whole thing is a good idea. I’m glad I rented it, but I’m glad I only rented it, if you catch my drift.