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SUNDANCE 2007
Forgiving the Franklins
"Forgiving the Franklins" by Zack Roddy
Directed and written by Jay Floyd, Forgiving the Franklins will probably be one of the most controversial films to come out of the Sundance Film Festival this year. A spoof on how Christianity can change the people around us, The Franklin family, father Frank (Robertson Dean), mother Betty (Teresa Willis), older son Brian (Vince Pavia), and younger daughter Caroline (Aviva) are as God fearing a family as any. They go through life day-to-day, praying for the things they want, passing judgment on others (including members of their own family), and being as conservative as any other good Christian would. But when a fatal car accident kills Frank, Betty and Brian, they are instructed by a cross desecrating Jesus (decked out in tattoos and a wife beater tank top) to "change the way they were before". The Franklins then wake up from a coma in the hospital, literally changed people. Now Caroline, left crippled by the car wreck, watches in horror as her mother, father and brother traipse around the house completely naked, apparently unaware that what they are doing is offensive, stop attending church, feeling it is a waste of time, and are uncaring of Brian's now openly homosexual affair with his football coach. She turns to Peggy Lester (Mari Blackwell), leader of the Christian Parent's Association (though she has no children of her own) for guidance, unaware that Peggy will go to drastic lengths, including murder, to save Caroline from corruption by her family.
Forgiving the Franklins is hilarious. But I fear for it. Distribution to mainstream theatres might be difficult for this film, considering the full frontal nudity by the mother and father, and the subject matter (satire on Christianity) could possibly get this banned from theatres. But the film is genius, and it will find a way to pull itself through. Each of the actors has just the right amount of over the topness in their performances, and Mari Blackwell as Peggy presents a new kind of enemy: the best friend next door. One woman even stood up in the audience during the Q and A and asked the director if she could bitch slap Mari, so if that's not enough of an idea of this movie, I don't know what is.
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