A well made, if mostly forgotten 1996 dark-comedy films starring Jack Lemmon and James Garner as two politically (and personally) opposed former-Presidents who are forced to go on the run together after they find themselves on the receiving end of a conspiracy to hide the current President having taken a kickback. While not the best film ever made, it's funny and enjoyable and manages to have more brains than the average buddy comedy.
Tropes used in My Fellow Americans include:
- Accidental Kidnapping: When Kramer and Douglas plan on stealing Wayne and Genny's car to continue on their trip to Kramer's Library, they only turn back when they see a child in the backseat.
- Actor Allusion: James Garner's character rides expertly. James Garner's career began primarily in Westerns.
- Axe Crazy: Tanner.
- Batman Gambit / Xanatos Roulette: Vice-President Matthews has a fairly impressive one going on.
- Camp Gay / Invisible to Gaydar: Ralph Flemming manages to be BOTH. Impressive.
- Chekhov's Gun: The Freedom Ring necklace.
- Chekhov's Gunman: Ralph Flemming.
- Curse Cut Short:
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My Fellow Americans... |
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- Doubles as a Call Back to a Running Gag.
- Delusions of Eloquence: Matthews. Justified because, well, he is a Vice President (and he's clearly modeled after Dan Quayle.)
- Fantastically Indifferent: Hollis.
- Gallows Humor: "...They're down."
- Groin Attack: From riding a horse: "When this is over promise me we'll come back and look for my balls."
- Hey, It's That Guy!: The diabeetus guy is the head of the Democratic National Committee.
- Historical In-Joke: Oh so many.
- Indy Ploy: "What am I, fuckin MacGyver? I'm makin this up as I go."
- Lawyer-Friendly Cameo: Douglas is clearly modeled on Bill Clinton whereas Kramer is clearly modeled on George H. W. Bush.
- Not So Different: The entire point of the movie is that if Douglas and Kramer hadn't spent so much time trying to politically destroy each other, they might have been friends.
- Precision F-Strike: Subverted. The movie's one use of the F Word goes by so quickly that if you're not paying attention you might miss it.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: Douglas and Kramer, respectively.
- Title Drop: See above.
- Torture Always Works: Subverted. He never actually gets tortured, he cracks under the threat.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: By the end of the film.
- What Could Have Been: This was supposed to be another entry in the revived Jack Lemmon-Walter Matthau series of comedies that Grumpy Old Men revived. Matthau bowed out due to illness.
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