DVD Review: ‘Al Franken: God Spoke’

Al Franken is a lefty commie pinko and he wants the world to know it (though most of the lefty commie pinkos already do) whose goal in life is to discredit the frequently-fabricating right-wing waterboys like Sean Hannity, Michael Medved and Bill O’Reilly. And that’s sort of the gist of this breezy documentary from Chris Hedgus (”The War Room”), which follows Franken on a book tour, through the launch of the Air America Radio Network and to the Democratic and Republican National Conventions.
The film feels like a 90-minute version of those third-act “60 Minutes” fluff pieces, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing (we like “60 Minutes” just fine), but which is also akin to being the cover story in a major entertainment magazine (read: not likely to generate much controversy). Franken comes off as a smart, likable everyman, whether at home watching C-SPAN with wife Franni or meeting the sales force at Air America, this is a guy who clearly eats, breathes and lives this stuff.
“Left of the Dial,” an HBO documentary from a few years ago, tells the story of Air America’s launch in great detail, including its financial woes, which are merely glossed over in “God Spoke.” For that matter, aside from Franken’s political ideology, little else about his life is addressed. Even though it may be unfair to criticize the film for its one-sidedness, since that seems to be its intent, we can’t help but feel that the film ends up a little flimsy.
The film concludes with Franken assessing his chances at a run for the Senatorial seat in his home state of Minnesota, a bid which he has since officially announced. The job was previously held by Paul Wellstone, a friend of Franken’s and one of the Senate’s straightest-shooters. There’s no doubt Franken would make a fine Senator with his excellent speaking skills, political satire background and no-bullshit attitude. And he would surely be a refreshing presence on the Senate floor compared to the chummy posturing of most politicians. In one particularly memorable scene, Franken attends a Newsweek party during the RNC, and while he’s polite to most of the evening’s guests (including Henry Kissinger, whom he impersonates to his face), he doesn’t hesitate to give a couple of adversaries a piece of his mind — to their faces. Which as far as we’re concerned should be applauded. If the Right is going to lie to his face, why not combat that the best way he can: telling the truth to theirs.
If you’re a Franken fan you’ll no doubt enjoy the documentary. You may not learn a ton about his politics, his mission or his personal life, but you will get an interesting glimpse into the daily life of one of this country’s premiere political realists, and perhaps a future Senator of Minnesota.
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05.13.07 at 5:46 pm
[...] Al Franken is a lefty commie pinko and he wants the world to know it (though most of the lefty commie pinkos already do) whose goal in life is to discredit the frequently-fabricating right-wing waterboys like Sean Hannity, … Original post by yuppiepunk Share This [...]
05.15.07 at 7:52 pm
Al Franken is not funny because he can’t talk. He’s a “you knower “, “aher” and “but ummer.” Not unlike most talking heads, he stumbles and mumbles almost every other word in his conversations.