Let’s fix America with a good movie(it’s worth a shot)

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One year, the NBC comedy Community did a Claymation-esque Christmas special. The conceit was this: Christmas was broken for Abed (he used to spend it with his mom and she blew him off to be with her new family) and he was lost, trying to figure out what Christmas was all about.

In the end, this batch of outwardly cynical but inwardly loving friends decide that the meaning of Christmas is that it has a meaning. And as long as you believe that, it doesn’t have to be the same for everyone.

No one else’s meaning of Christmas needs to define your own.

That might be a helpful way to think about Independence Day in 2026.

As a Bicentenniel Baby, I’ve been looking forward to this July 4 my entire life. And…it’s been kinda ruined by a corrupt president who makes everything about him. Which sucks.

But I am an American. And July 4th means something to me and no one can take that away. And no one can take it from you either.

This is our holiday.

And patriotism is whatever we say it is.

Now with most of the country locked down by a deadly wave (even Philadelphia with the first parade I kinda wanted to go to since I was like ten!), you probably need to stay inside and crank the AC anyway. (I won’t tell you our temps by the Bay. You’re better off not knowing.) So why not watch a movie?

Movies are a great way to celebrate America. We make them, we watch them, we love them.

Here are some suggestions based on my own tastes and nostalgias.

But before I start, I should note that loving Americans is not quite the same thing as loving America. I decided to stay away from movies that only do the former in favor of ones that take a stab at revealing the latter. In part, that’s because America is a concept and so loving something like the First Amendment or the idea that all men are created equal is de facto being American and loving America.

Speaking of the First Amendment, you can’t hate on movies about those Great Americans, journalists—especially when they’re taking on the Federal Government. That’s patriotism, friends. And this is a grand tradition, but I suppose if you can only pick one (and you haven’t seen this before), it must be All the President’s Men.

But I don’t mean to imply that our government is the enemy of the people. That’s nonsense. Individuals can be awful (like Claude Rains in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington) or excellent (like James Stewart in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington) or dumb schmucks doing their best (like Dave in Dave), but goverment is an excellent source of patriots. I’d kinda like to (finally) watch Lincoln this weekend, myself.

 

Some movies call America to repentence, which is a deeply patriotic duty. Casablanca does this (and, bonus, is one of the greatest films ever made), but it’s most patriotic moment is French. But it’ll make you cry. So maybe save that for Bastille Day, later this month?

Uniquely American genres are a good source of American ideals. High Noon is about the individual standing up for right even when they must stand alone. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence is about how we use stories to create a better America. Neither is simple, clean, rah-rah patriotism. But it is patriotism.

Capitalism is America’s greatest blessing and curse, and movies can find ways to make you grapple with capitalism’s sins while still making you feel proud to be an American. Movies as different as The Solid Gold Cadillac and Annie have done that for me.

But ambivalence is an important part of being a thoughtfully patriotic American. The Mountain of the Lord captures this from my own tradition—we see both the Utah War when America once again tried to destroy the Mormons, and the Mormons delightful celebration of the Centenniel. Being a good American means grapping with contrary ideas. The Founders are our best evidence of that.

But this never goes away. I only recently learned the name of this movie (haven’t seen it since I was a kid and never knew how to locate it but it’s The One And Only, Genuine, Original Family Band), but its portrayal of how people feel when they put their all into an election only to lose has never left me. And now I know that feeling well.

I don’t want to dismiss big (often) dumb actioneers. These work for lots of people and they work on me too, when they have enough honest moments. So there is nothing wrong with watching Captain America: The First Avenger or Independence Day. Heck yeah.

Lots of movies are at their most American when they’re about immigrants. No one loves this country like someone who chose it. Maybe try An American Pickle? Most people haven’t.

Although I knew even as a kid that it’s final naturalization ceremony is manipulative and sentimental and kinda terrible, I have to recommend Short Circuit II, even though I’m shying away from anything AI these days. The scene where Johnny 5 reads all those books still gets me, and its unabashedly earnest equivalence between being human and being American makes me feel something even if I’m annoyed at it afterwards.

But the number one movie I want to recommend to you this holiday weekend is Born Yesterday.

As I wrote when I first saw it, only earlier this year, it’s a “a romcom for you and America. And you need that right now.”

I stand by that.

 

Watch this ditz learn to read and then discover America all on her own. It’ll make you want to sing Independence carols with your fellow citizens across America.

Don’t miss it.

And share with me your recs! I can use more!