My Fellow Americans

Starring: Jack Lemmon, James Garner, Dan Aykroyd, John Heard, Wilford Brimley, Lauren Bacall, Sela Ward, Everett McGill, Bradley Whitford, James Rebhorn, Esther Rolle, Michael Pena, Paul Feig, Ann Cusack, Marg Helgenberger (uncredited)
Directed by: Peter Segal
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy, Adventure
1996

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Two former U.S. Presidents (Jack Lemmon, James Garner) reluctantly team up when they are framed and marked for assassination to cover up a conspiracy.

Review:

Tim: My Fellow Americans is a bit of a ridiculous, farfetched comedy. That being said, Peter Segal's film assembles an incredible cast and I had fun watching the story unfold. Nothing in this movie is believable, but that doesn't stop it from being entertaining. Segal is a decent enough director and he manages to keep the ship mostly pointed in the right direction. The key here was just stepping to the side and letting his stars take the lead.

The story is definitely the weakest part of this movie. It asks us believe that two former Presidents would be able to go on the run together. It asks us to believe in a conspiracy involving the attempted assassination of two former Presidents. There's just so many failsafes in place, too much notoriety for anything like this to happen in real life. For viewers who are unwilling or unable to suspend their disbelief with the story, I would totally understand and sympathize with disliking this movie. The film certainly asks a lot of the audience.

For me, I wasn't able to suspend all my disbelief, but I was able to more or less go with the flow. If you're able to do that, this is actually a pretty good comedy. Now, the chief reason is the pairing of two all-time great actors in Jack Lemmon and James Garner. This is where the majority of the enjoyment from this film comes from. You get to see Lemmon and Garner in this antagonist relationship. It plays on the vitriol between Republicans and Democrats, but it also leverages the unique personalities of both actors. The end result is that you really like both of them and love seeing them hate each other. Their performances are both compelling and believable. It looks like they were aware of the opportunity in front of them and rose to the occasion to seize it. Lemmon is one of the funniest actors ever and I just love watching him work. He never takes himself too seriously and it draws you in. Garner, on the other hand, seems to take himself very seriously. That's a big reason why he is so good at comedy- when he's in on the joke and allows himself to look ridiculous, it's almost shocking. Lemmon and Garner are definitely two very different actors- Lemmon the classic comedy lead, Garner more of an action and drama one. Pairing them together was a stroke of genius and it's just a blast to see them hit the road together. That's mainly why I was able to forgive some of the weakness of the plot. The story might be absurd, but it affords us a chance to see Lemmon and Garner acting well and making us laugh. That's the big reason why this movie was so enjoyable for me.

The supporting cast is good, too. I always love seeing Dan Aykroyd, and while his role is smaller than I'd like, he fits right into the overall film. John Heard adds a nice supporting performance, too. I always love seeing Wilford Brimley and Lauren Bacall, although their roles definitely were limited. Bradley Whitford is great as usual and James Rebhorn does his thing so well. I always enjoy seeing Sela Ward, and it was a blast seeing Michael Pena in only his second film. Now, while the larger cast is enjoyable, the movie doesn't give them much room to breathe. The film is squarely focused on Lemmon and Garner. The supporting cast is good, but their roles are all minimal.

While much of the story is hard to take seriously, I appreciated the film's focus on politics, what it means to be an American, and some sly commentary about how our country so easily becomes divided. This is a film about two former Presidents on the run, but it's definitely a political comedy. I thought the commentary there worked well and it added to the story. The movie is pretty funny, too. I wish there were a few more belly laughs, but it was humorous and enjoyable.

My Fellow Americans certainly has some flaws, but that doesn't prevent it from being a fun, entertaining film. It doesn't have the staying power of the best comedies, but it's a solid, enjoyable movie. I had a good time watching it and I wouldn't mind seeing it again someday.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Primary Colors, The American President, Grumpy Old Men, Maverick