Al Franken - God Spoke

I feel as though I must start this review by saying that I am not American. I am Australian, a Democrat supporter (or should that be, a Bush basher?), and love reading or watching evidence which shows your current Administration in their true light. That is, liars, self serving, incompetant, embarrassing and arrogant.I am a fan of Franken, and as we also receive the Fox News channel down here, I have come to despise O'Reilly, Hannity, Coulter, and company. This is why I was hoping I could highly rate this DVD.I found it extremelly slow and at times, simply boring. I have laughed with delight at Franken's books, together with an array of his TV and audio commentaries.The official Amazon review states, "The filmmakers, longtime associates of cinéma verité pioneer DA Pennebaker, take a fly-on-the-wall approach towards Franken's activities around the time of the 2004 presidential election and afterwards as he explores a run for the US Senate in 2008."True. However, when I think "fly on the wall" approach, I usually think about interesting items which the public don't usually get to see, and which help to show the true nature of a person or situation. It seems their version of this simply means following Al around with a camera and recording nothing of any great value.One of the main selling points of this DVD for me, was this line. "They look at the (unsuccessful) lawsuit Fox News filed against him for swiping their tagline." I would have loved to have seen the true story behind this, however it was simply mentioned, not discussed at length.Also, "and his dust-ups with Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity, Michael Medved, and Bill O'Reilly, who describes him as a vile human being." Disappointed again. Anyone who is a fan of Al, or indeed a fan of the other players mentioned, would already know about the fueding. Although I learnt nothing new, it confirmed to me that O'Reilly and Hannity are annoying, insignificant pests, and that Coulter indeed belongs in an institution. I was reminded a couple of times during this film how disturbed Coulter is. If she was not a 'long legged blonde', would anyone even listen to her?Although warned in the review, "... there isn't a ton of new material here, but this "fair and balanced" profile represents an entertaining introduction to a multi-talented individual." I was still disappointed. Not so much at the lack of new material, but really at the lack of anything.24 hours later and I am still waiting for a light bulb to shine over my head, and to realise what I have missed. So far, nothing.Keep up the great work Al, I'll forgive you for this one.

Captures the real Al Franken: earnest, caring, smart, funny, and dedicated to Minnesota. He made me laugh out loud with his physical humor that the director thankfully included. So happy this film was made before he ran for office. Wish it was available on a streaming service so I could share it with more friends and watch it without a DVD player. Must have for Minnesotans who love politics.

After writing a book about who he thinks lies he goes on a book tour. He joins an aspiring liberal radio network and visits the 2004 Presidential Conventions to argue with other (more successful) talkers. Clips from SNL appear. He goes on a USO tour.When John Kerry loses al considers running for office. He objectifies women and tells a raw joke and does not understand why it is not appropriate. Swearing.

It was cool to see the behind-the-scenes video from events, but it would have been REALLY nice to see his campaign for MN Senate race.

After hearing all the press about Al Franken, I thought this would be an interesting and insightful movie to watch. A comedian turned politician sounded interesting, but it was anything but! This documentary showed the true nature of Al Franken as a potty mouthed extreme liberal. I could not stand the fact that he would put down those he was friendly with as soon as they would walk away. A really nasty individual and extreme waste of my time!

LOVE Al Franken and loved this!

Was there to be a part two? The 2006 documentary AL FRANKEN: GOD SPOKE leaves the viewer hanging as it concludes with comedian/poltical commentator Al Franken leaving it all behind to run for the United States Senate.Did he win? We'll just have to wait for part two to find out!Along with most Dan Aykroyd sketches my favorite segment on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE was "The Franken and Davis Show," featuring Franken and the late Tom Davis. Of all the S.N.L. skits that became movies, Franken's funny and heartwarming STUART SAVES HIS FAMILY is the best I've seen.The Al Franken book LIES AND THE LYING LIARS WHO TELL THEM, which exposes the Republican noise machine, "Saved my life," according to someone who told me she started reading it after a distressing day on the job and laughed so much she was able to get the night's sleep she thought she would miss.Al Franken was the cornerstone of Air America radio, where his talent lost no punch in the theater of the mind. As a bonus, I discovered Thom Hartmann, who replaced Franken when he left to run for the Senate and has become one of my favorite talk show hosts.Some of the above is in AL FRANKEN: GOD SPOKE and some isn't. I realize I'm reviewing Al Franken's career as much as this documentary but the film ties it together neatly for me because watching it, I realize the man's done everything he's tried well. How many others can claim success as an actor, author, radio commentator and politician? (Okay, I ruined the surprise of part two if it's ever made; Al Franken won the election!)

On behalf of hearing-impaired people I give this DVD a big ZERO. It is a totally useless product to us. Thanks for nothing Docurama! Heck, Docurama captions about virtually none of their DVD releases.Al Franken, you should use your clout to twist their arms.Meanwhile, don't buy Docurama releases and vote thumbs down!