Product Description

Bradley Whitford, Conchata Ferrell, Dan Aykroyd, Dana Gould, Esther Rolle, Everett Mc Gill, Jack Lemmon, James Garner, James Rebhorn, John Heard, Lauren Bacall, Marg Helgenberger, Peter Segal, Scott Burkholder, Sela Ward, Wilford Brimley

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9957 in DVD
• Brand: Warner Brothers
• Released on: 1997-06-17
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Original language: English, French, Spanish
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish, French
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 101 minutes

Amazon.com
Call this "The Odd Couple Goes to the White House." Jack Lemmon and James Garner play ex-presidents in this lousy comedy, each of them having served only one term as chief executive and each the other's lifelong enemy. The best jokes in the film are front-loaded into the first five minutes. We meet both men living life after the White House, one (Lemmon) making speeches for whoever will front his large fee, while the other (Garner) writes relevant books no one reads. Any time they show up at the same function, they insult each other like snarling schoolboys. It is pretty funny, but after a brief introduction My Fellow Americans goes downhill rapidly, becoming yet another stupid road movie traveled by characters who hate each other. (How many of these is Lemmon going to make?) The jokes get dumber and cruder, the actors embarrass themselves, and the whole enterprise becomes tedious. The DVD release contains production notes, theatrical trailer, bloopers, optional Spanish and French soundtracks, optional full-screen and widescreen presentations, and Dolby audio. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews

Hail to the chiefs
At first glance, this looks one of Hollywood's freakier genetic experiments: implanting the genes of a political thriller into a road-trip comedy. The surpise is that the offspring is not just viable, but a good healthy comedy. It surely helps to have two fathers like James Garner and Jack Lemmon bringing it to life.

They play the roles of two ex-presidents, living out their retirements in their respective ways: grubbing every dollar to be had on the lecture circuit (Lemmon), or grabbing every babe to be had (Garner). Dan Aykroyd, improbably cast as the current president, detects a scandal brewing and tries to nail it to the previous administration. Garner and Lemmon, one-time political opponents, are thrown together and the chase begins.

The comedy comes largely from the series of cheap shots and snide recollections the two hurl at each other. The feel-good part comes from their bonding over shared experiences as past presidents, under the pressure of pursuit. The political thriller builds as the hired guns keep trying to assassinate the ex-pres, and to bury the scandal with him. As long as you're not looking for any great subtlety, it works.

It's a bit goofy, but it's a good, safe comedy with just enough plot twists to keep it from becoming completely predictable. It couldn't have worked without Garner and Lemmon in the lead roles, though - their experience in such roles is what made the movie work.

//wiredweird

A Great, Entertaining Film!
First of all, I don't know how the critic, Mr. Keogh, could possibly call this a "lousy" film! I'm a big fan of Garner and Lemmon, two of the all-time greats. This movie is one hilarious joke after another, with some serious moments thrown in for good measure. It certainly is a heck of a lot better than some of the garbage hailed by critics as masterpieces; it's a straightforward, non-stop entertaining affair, one that makes you feel as though you got your money's worth after watching it. The supporting cast is great, too, with Bacall, Heard, Ackroyd, and others putting in some solid performances.

Still funny after the Gore-Bush fight!
"My Fellow Americans" has wonderfully funny and snappy dialouge and comes with a wonderful bunch of supporting comic characters like the bumbling veep, the NSA chief ("Hello, sirs. No need for concern. It's only me. The twisted psycho.") and the ever-so-clever Republican's wife ("Russell Kramer: It's a kick in the balls! Sorry, sweetheart; Margaret Kramer: Please, I'm a politician's wife. I have a set of my own!) All these come together to bring out the best of American political comedy. "Dave" was great and I enjoyed "Running Mates", but so far this one is the best! The two leads whose characters hate each other's guts, come together harmoniously create the best comedy ever.

Hail to the comedy chiefs 'cause they're the chiefs and they need hailing....