
America: The Motion Picture is a 2021 American adult animated science fiction-comedy-fantasy-war-adventure film directed by Matt Thompson (in his feature directorial debut) and written by Dave Callaham. The film stars Channing Tatum (who also produced), Jason Mantzoukas, Olivia Munn, Bobby Moynihan, Judy Greer, Will Forte, Raoul Max Trujillo, Killer Mike, Simon Pegg, and Andy Samberg. It is an R-rated, animated parody of George Washington and his fight against the British. Netflix released the film on June 30, 2021. It received generally negative reviews from critics, with criticism for its writing and humor but praise for its concepts, animation, and voice performances.
Plot[]
In January 1776, just after signing the Declaration of Independence, Benedict Arnold appears, murdering all its signatories, destroying Independence Hall, and stealing the Declaration. He then goes to Ford's Theatre where George Washington and his childhood best friend, Abraham Lincoln, are watching a play. Arnold turns into a werewolf and kills Lincoln and destroys the Declaration. Before his death, Lincoln asks Washington to bring the American Revolutionary War to an end and to name the recovered country "America."
At Lincoln's funeral, Washington meets Martha Dandridge, who urges him to continue the revolution after the two have sexual intercourse. In order to build a strong team, Washington teams up with party animal Samuel Adams, female Chinese scientist Thomas Edison, Native American hunter Geronimo, and equestrian champion Paul Revere. They manage to track down Arnold at the Vietnam bar. Although the enemy has fled, they conclude that the events in Vietnam were not a failure. They ask for help from master blacksmith John Henry, who is to make a silver bullet for them to kill Arnold. To get the silver, they go to Boston to steal the supply of silver spoons from the Titanic. On board the ship, they learn that the British are bathing people in tea to come over to their side. They also discover plans of a secret British superweapon but fail to retrieve them because they sink the ship prematurely. Sam then proposes to the others they will say the Titanic had hit an iceberg and that they were never there.
Arnold kidnaps Martha, who is to become the future wife of King James. Washington manages to find out about a Gettysburg address where Arnold meets the king at a secret meeting. The place turns out to be an ambush in which Clyde, Revere's horse, dies, sacrificing himself. King James appears at the Gettysburg address in the form of a hologram and offers Washington a battle the next morning at Attrition field, to which Washington agrees. Soon after, Arnold kills the king to take over the world himself. The next day, the British army stands up against the American army hastily assembled by Washington. On the side of the British, there are, among others, Elizabeth Tower in the form of a Transformer, London buses in the form of AT-ATs and Arnold flying in a crown-shaped ship. The side of the Americans consists of a hundred-foot tall Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox, as well as Indians, Mexicans, African Americans, Asians, and Arabs, ravers and Revere who had fused himself with what was left of Clyde with nano-cybernetic technology by Clara Barton.
During the war, the British were trying to turn all revolutionaries British by tainting the clouds with tea and causing a tea rain. Edison, thanks to the power of science, manages to use the British weapons against them, turning tea into beer. When the beer rain falls, the British transform into American frat bros, and it also cures Martha from being one of the British, transforming her into a living Statue of Liberty. A final confrontation occurs against Arnold, who becomes a Mega Wolf until he is eventually defeated with a silver bullet from Henry, who kills him with America's pastime.
Six months later, on July 4, 1776, Washington inaugurates the grand opening of America at the monument of his name. As George plans for I. M. Pei to build another memorial for his best friend to stare at his monument, the spirit of Abe comes back. It gives him the Declaration, repaired with tape, while Samuel becomes George's uncle for his newborn son Denzel. The inauguration is disrupted as the crowd engages in a fight with each other, arguing over racism, abolitionism, women's rights, giving back the land to the natives, right to keep and bear arms, same-sex marriages, religious beliefs, free health care, and fair trials, making Washington nervous about the future of the country.
Cast[]
- Channing Tatum as George Washington
- Jason Mantzoukas as Samuel "Uncle Sam" Adams.
- Olivia Munn as Thomas Edison.
- Bobby Moynihan as Paul Revere
- Judy Greer as Martha Washington
- Will Forte as Abraham "Abe" Lincoln
- Raoul Max Trujillo as Geronimo
- Killer Mike as John Henry / Blacksmith
- Simon Pegg as King James
- Andy Samberg as Benedict "Cosby" Arnold.
- Carlos Alazraqui as Clyde
- Dave Callaham as I.M. Pei / LGBTQ Rights Activist
- Jeff Fastner as Ben Franklin
- Kevin Gillese as John Wilkes Booth / Titanic Guard
- Zebbie Gillese as Transporter / Bros / Manchester the Soccer Ball
- J. Larose as Native American Rights Activist
- Megan Leahy as Clara Barton
- Amber Nash as Women's Rights Activist / Anti-LGBTQ Rights Activist
- Eric Sims as Thomas Jefferson
- Mike Schatz as Fredrick Xavier Kinko / Hancock Supporter
- Matt Thompson as John Hancock / Colonist / Stand Your Ground Rights Activist
- Lucky Yates as Baseball Announcer / 2nd Amendment Rights Activist