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Obamaland: Rise of the Trumpublikans

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Our film review this time out screens a visual feast for fans of silly political satire.

Set in 2040, the premise of this comedy is that President Donald Trump died falling from the balcony of Trump Tower in 2017, opening the door for Barack Obama to reemerge and declare himself "president-for-life," renaming the country Obamaland in the process. You should get the picture just from that brief description that "Obamaland" presents a wild ride full of satire that ranges from politically astute to complete absurdity. In other words this film is meant to be taken as pure entertainment; it is not a work to get bent over because it doesn't suit your political beliefs, because it is so weird that it doesn't fit anyone's political beliefs. And that leaves the door wide open to just have a fun time with the presentation, and that's easy to do. Don't worry too much about the plot, which roughly follows the attempts of the "Trumpublikans," scheming from their headquarters at various abandoned "Applecheez" restaurants, to take back America. Along the way you'll meet a little girl named Hope White, see Nancy Pelosi as a skeleton, witness sight gags, and endure skewed (and not-so-skewed) shots at gun laws, racism and other societal concerns. The subject of border control and drug trafficking pops up too, in a skit featuring the "Sinaloa Tribe" and during a musical moment featuring punk band the Initiators performing "Kill the Gringo." And again, everything here is pushed to absurdity, so it's very unlikely that anyone will be offended by anything in the film, which is a goofy but welcome respite from the daily headlines that it reflects. Directed by Greg Berman, "Obamaland" features a cast of lesser-known and unknown actors, but Chris James notably portrays a Muslim, Kenyan and fully white-bearded Barack Obama.


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