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Arizona Daily Star critic Phil Villarreal reported this morning that An American Carol director David Zucker shot a cheapshot bit aimed at Sen. Ted Kennedy but apparently (and understandably) decided to cut it due to Kennedy's recent struggles with brain cancer.
Zucker "had a Ted Kennedy look-alike offer a ride to someone at a convention," Villareal reports. "When he opened the car door, water spilled out. It's a reference to the 1969 incident in which Kennedy drove off a bridge with Mary Jo Kopechne as his passenger. Kennedy survived but Kopechne died.
Villareal says he "got this tidbit from former Tucsonan Jillian Murray, who has a role in the film. 'It was a cool stunt,' Murray told Villareal. 'Fish were coming out.'"
Zucker's scumbag sense of humor aside, the fish-coming-out-of-a-car is a bit from Paul Brickman's Risky Business. Remember? It was followed by the Porsche car-dealer guy coming up to Tom Cruise and his friends and asking, "Who's the U-boat commander?"
Posted by Jeffrey Wells on October 6, 2008 at 11:11 AM
comment #1
actionman
says ...
This movie sounds like one of the biggest pieces of shit of all time.
Posted by actionman
at October 6, 2008 11:22 AM
comment #2
Amazing Larry
says ...
Well, at least Zucker cut the bit. The right wing has always found the Kopechne incident hilarious, so I'm really surprised.
But I've got 5 bucks that says it'll be on the DVD as a "completely outrageous!" deleted scene. Y'know, because it's a real "pro-America" kind of movie and all.
Posted by Amazing Larry
at October 6, 2008 11:28 AM
comment #3
T. S. Idiot
says ...
What happened to the fish?
Posted by T. S. Idiot
at October 6, 2008 11:31 AM
comment #4
D.Z.
says ...
"Zucker "had a Ted Kennedy look-alike offer a ride to someone at a convention," Villareal reports. "When he opened the car door, water spilled out. It's a reference to the 1969 incident in which Kennedy drove off a bridge with Mary Jo Kopechne as his passenger. Kennedy survived but Kopechne died."
Did Bush apologize for his DUI yet?
Posted by D.Z.
at October 6, 2008 11:37 AM
comment #5
Yuval
says ...
Didn't he describe himself as a "Kennedy Democrat"? I guess he only likes the Dead Kennedys.
Hey, I have a great joke for his next movie - McCain offering Palin a ride on his clunky plane when a Vietnamese falls out with cable wires. That's funny AND satire.
Posted by Yuval
at October 6, 2008 11:37 AM
comment #6
62Lincoln
says ...
Cheap shot? Ted has enjoyed almost 40 more years of life than Kopechne. He will never outlive that moment, nor should he.
Posted by 62Lincoln
at October 6, 2008 11:39 AM
comment #7
mitchtaylor
says ...
What enrages me about this anecdote is it shows poor comedic sensibilities across the board. You're making a movie pointing the finger at liberals, decrying their very philosophy as dangerous and Un-American. Fine. If the jokes are good, I'll laugh right along with you, but given the summary here it's a shit joke anyway. But then you pull a punch because one of these strawmen has a bout with cancer? Grow a fucking pair and stop bowing to PC sensibilities, chickenshits. Have the fucking courage of your convictions. If Kennedy's worthy of mockery without cancer, he's worthy of mockery with cancer.
Posted by mitchtaylor
at October 6, 2008 11:41 AM
comment #8
D.Z.
says ...
Lincoln: "Cheap shot? Ted has enjoyed almost 40 more years of life than Kopechne."
And Bush enjoyed 62 years more of life than that frog he blew up with a firecracker.
Posted by D.Z.
at October 6, 2008 11:47 AM
comment #9
SaveFarris
says ...
Did DZ just call Mary Jo Kopechne a frog? That's weird, even by his standards. And just a little bit sexist.
Posted by SaveFarris
at October 6, 2008 11:59 AM
comment #10
iamwhoiam
says ...
New McJerk ad:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjEKRIBDv6Q
Posted by iamwhoiam
at October 6, 2008 11:59 AM
comment #11
Howlingman
says ...
White noise, SaveFerris, just white noise. Ignore it and it'll go away.
Posted by Howlingman
at October 6, 2008 12:06 PM
comment #12
Rosebudsthesled
says ...
Here are two reasons why the bit was cut:
1) It's not funny.
2) Most young people today have no idea what Chappaquidick was.
Posted by Rosebudsthesled
at October 6, 2008 12:10 PM
comment #13
Sean Means
says ...
Trust me, I sat through this crapfest. If they cut something for being not funny, there'd be nothing left.
Posted by Sean Means
at October 6, 2008 12:28 PM
comment #14
Craptastic
says ...
Laura Bush killed a man.
Posted by Craptastic
at October 6, 2008 12:50 PM
comment #15
Joshua Mooney
says ...
D.Z. says ..."And Bush enjoyed 62 years more of life than that frog he blew up with a firecracker. "
Here's my vision of Hell, D.Z., for Bush and anyone who blew up frogs, and you can mock it all you want but it's a Christian Hell based on the Bible: George Bush will be in Hell with that fire-cracker-snuffedfrog in his throat for all time. And that frog will keep producing eggs for all eternity, and those eggs will always hatch to tadpoles and they will swim in George Bush's entrails and feed on them, over and over, until they are ready to slip up past their momma in his throat and leap out there into the Hell-fire (by which he is concurrently being tortured forever and ever), and they will go on to do whatever frogs do once they leap into the sulfur-pits of Hell (annoy other Hell-dwellers, I suppose). The main point is, this frog will trouble George Bush for eternity, and her offspring will eat out his innards. That's the church as it was taught to me when it comes to wanton destroyers of God's creatures. As to George Bush's other sins, I have no immediate opinion, nor have I the time. I was only concerned with but the first one.
Posted by Joshua Mooney
at October 6, 2008 1:49 PM
comment #16
otownroger
says ...
Anybody see Phil V. on the Tomatometer? Only legit print critic in America to endorse An American Carol?
Did he miss the Danny Pearl beheading joke? A real knee-slapper, that one.
The movie's an abortion.
Posted by otownroger
at October 6, 2008 1:56 PM
comment #17
LYT
says ...
I forget which liberal blogger it was who coined the phrase, but it's apropos here:
"I used to be a liberal, but ever since 9/11, I'm outraged by Chappaquiddick."
Point being, it's funny how some people went so quickly from "Hey, maybe some leftists go too far in blaming America for 9/11" to suddenly adopting every single right-wing talking point about Democrats.
Posted by LYT
at October 6, 2008 2:16 PM
comment #18
D.Z.
says ...
Farris: "Did DZ just call Mary Jo Kopechne a frog?"
No, but McCain called Hillary a pig.
Posted by D.Z.
at October 6, 2008 3:49 PM
comment #19
Ogami Itto
says ...
Laura Bush killed a man. just to see what it felt like. Cold.
Posted by Ogami Itto
at October 6, 2008 5:02 PM
comment #20
EnglishBob
says ...
For what it's worth, Bill Murray played Ted Kennedy covered in seaweed in an SNL skit decades ago. He said he was out parking the car..
Posted by EnglishBob
at October 6, 2008 5:51 PM
comment #21
Josh Massey
says ...
"No, but McCain called Hillary a pig."
And freemasons like maple syrup. What's your point?
Posted by Josh Massey
at October 6, 2008 6:41 PM
comment #22
Hallick
says ...
Sadder still is the fact that they didn't have time to shoot the second take where a Jimmy Carter look-alike flees in terror when a rabbit spilled out with the water. Ho ho ho...
Posted by Hallick
at October 6, 2008 6:52 PM
comment #23
D.Z.
says ...
Bob: Bill Murray wasn't trying to help Nixon or Reagan win.
Josh: How do you know Freemasons like syrup? That's my point.
Hallick: "Sadder still is the fact that they didn't have time to shoot the second take where a Jimmy Carter look-alike flees in terror when a rabbit spilled out with the water."
I'd like to see a sketch where Cheney hides in a bunker and Bush is busy reading 'My Pet Goat' while terrorists attack the U.S.
Posted by D.Z.
at October 6, 2008 7:33 PM
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