The Sentinel
- Title: The Sentinel
- IMDb: link
Remember when it seemed like every other film was about the President of the United States? What happened to that trend? Oh yeah, Clinton left office. It’s telling when the only time Hollywood looks to the White House for material it’s either damning (see American Dreamz) or focusing on the underlings who make things run. One would think that In the Line of Fire closed the book on Secret Service films, but apparently that was not to be. Are we better off for having reopened the veiled windows of what goes on with the President’s bodyguards once more? Let’s find out, shall we?
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Parody is easy; satire is hard. Parody imitates and derides in an intentionally easy and often low-handed way for purely comic effect. Which isn’t to say it can’t be funny when done well. Satire however has a higher purpose than just imitation or mockery as it uses it’s humor and wit to showcase human folly, vice and frailty. As a parody American Dreams scores on all points; as a satire it struggles with an unwieldy amount of plot threads yet still manages to weave enough together for a very clever, if not perfect, satire of both American Idol and the Bush White House. Not as complete or as well crafted as David Mamet’s State and Main or Wag the Dog, but when the movie gets it right it gets it just right for hilarious results.