Red State
Director: Kevin Smith
Year Released: 2011
Rating: 2.0
Three teens - who apparently have given up trying to date girls their own age - take to the Internet to find a "casual encounter," which leads to them in a trailer with batshit Melissa Leo, which leads to them almost being executed by a batshit Minister of Hate (Michael Parks) and his Westboro Baptist-esque church, which leads to a standoff between the bigots and the ATF (led by John Goodman). Give Smith kudos for stepping outside his safety zone to make this - no dick and fart jokes within a thirty mile radius - though the results are mixed: it's an obvious condemnation of bigotry (Parks' character is encouraged to rant on and on ... and on) and federal policy (the ATF/loon gun battle echoes Waco), but lacks texture and nuance to go along with its malice. The performances are surprisingly good, and Leo and Goodman work wonders with Smith's verbiage.
