Homecoming
- Episode aired Dec 2, 2005
- Not Rated
- 58m
IMDb RATING
6.1/10
4.6K
YOUR RATING
A hotshot White House speech writer deals with the publicity nightmare of his life when recently deceased soldiers return from beyond the grave.A hotshot White House speech writer deals with the publicity nightmare of his life when recently deceased soldiers return from beyond the grave.A hotshot White House speech writer deals with the publicity nightmare of his life when recently deceased soldiers return from beyond the grave.
- Awards
- 1 win total
Karen Elizabeth Austin
- Mom
- (as Karen Austin)
J. Winston Carroll
- Rev. Clayton Poole
- (as J.W. Carroll)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
For about 3 years of George W. Bush's first term in office, you couldn't find a liberal angrier (but also lazier) than Yours Truly. Like so many others, I was disenchanted with the reckless abandon by which the country was being steered toward catastrophe (endless war, endless spying, the erosion of civil liberties); and, like so many others, I thought John Kerry was our knight in shining armor, a Vietnam Vet who could do no wrong (or so we wanted to believe--hell, anyone would have been better than Bush, right?). In the 2004 elections, both sides (sorry, Ralph) were convinced their guy was The One, which led to a suspenseful November 2nd that ended in a fizzle. Not long after, this once-hardcore liberal packed his bags and moved to apathy.
Which brings me to 'Homecoming,' Joe Dante's brazenly opportunistic entry in the "Masters of Horror" anthology series. America is involved in an anonymous war that has come under scrutiny by liberals and the general public during an election year; when campaign adviser John Tenney wishes for a grieving mother's felled son to return, he quite literally wakes the dead. Returned home in flag-draped caskets, the dead rise--not for tasty human flesh, not for a trip to the mall, but to vote against the administration that put them in harm's way for a lie.
In the supplements, Dante makes no secret of his disdain for the current administration, and indeed, some of the characters in 'Homecoming' barely stray from CNN--Karl Rove, Ann Coulter, Katherine Harris, and Cindy Sheehan all get fictional counterparts.
While sporadically engrossing (including a few effectively tender moments) and humorous, the sledgehammer-obvious satire 'Homecoming' hinges on comes off as forced and ultimately unfulfilling. With material like this, timing is everything (Michael Moore knew to release "Fahrenheit 9/11" before the 2004 elections), and the real tragedy of Dante's film is that it didn't come out 2 years ago, when its message would have carried an energy that would have energized the dissidents further. In 2006, mockery of the well-settled Bush Administration hardly seems as controversially compelling (or imperiled) as it did then.
'Homecoming' shouldn't be faulted for any of this, but it doesn't necessarily help the episode, which is well-executed in concept. Decent production values, fine performances, and a few chuckles at the expense of the media and far-right Holy Rollers helps, and Dante keeps things moving at a reasonable pace (though the third act seems to rush through things due to time constraints).
It's just...too...unfortunate, damn it.
Which brings me to 'Homecoming,' Joe Dante's brazenly opportunistic entry in the "Masters of Horror" anthology series. America is involved in an anonymous war that has come under scrutiny by liberals and the general public during an election year; when campaign adviser John Tenney wishes for a grieving mother's felled son to return, he quite literally wakes the dead. Returned home in flag-draped caskets, the dead rise--not for tasty human flesh, not for a trip to the mall, but to vote against the administration that put them in harm's way for a lie.
In the supplements, Dante makes no secret of his disdain for the current administration, and indeed, some of the characters in 'Homecoming' barely stray from CNN--Karl Rove, Ann Coulter, Katherine Harris, and Cindy Sheehan all get fictional counterparts.
While sporadically engrossing (including a few effectively tender moments) and humorous, the sledgehammer-obvious satire 'Homecoming' hinges on comes off as forced and ultimately unfulfilling. With material like this, timing is everything (Michael Moore knew to release "Fahrenheit 9/11" before the 2004 elections), and the real tragedy of Dante's film is that it didn't come out 2 years ago, when its message would have carried an energy that would have energized the dissidents further. In 2006, mockery of the well-settled Bush Administration hardly seems as controversially compelling (or imperiled) as it did then.
'Homecoming' shouldn't be faulted for any of this, but it doesn't necessarily help the episode, which is well-executed in concept. Decent production values, fine performances, and a few chuckles at the expense of the media and far-right Holy Rollers helps, and Dante keeps things moving at a reasonable pace (though the third act seems to rush through things due to time constraints).
It's just...too...unfortunate, damn it.
" While sporadically engrossing (including a few effectively tender moments) and humorous, the sledgehammer-obvious satire 'Homecoming' hinges on comes off as forced and ultimately unfulfilling. With material like this, timing is everything (Michael Moore knew to release "Fahrenheit 9/11" before the 2004 elections), and the real tragedy of Dante's film is that it didn't come out 2 years ago, when its message would have carried an energy that would have energized the dissidents further. In 2006, mockery of the well-settled Bush Administration hardly seems as controversially compelling (or imperiled) as it did then."
frankly anyone that could be convinced of anything by a ham fisted zombie flick has questionable intelligence.
and if you didn't notice, michael moore didn't exactly help to defeat bush.
there was nothing engrossing about this film. i just felt disgust at how blatant and frankly stupid the film was, it was painful to watch. if you are going to do something like this you need a bit of wit. sadly this has none. a poorly done satire actually has the opposite of its intended effect. as they say, with friends like these who needs enemies.
frankly anyone that could be convinced of anything by a ham fisted zombie flick has questionable intelligence.
and if you didn't notice, michael moore didn't exactly help to defeat bush.
there was nothing engrossing about this film. i just felt disgust at how blatant and frankly stupid the film was, it was painful to watch. if you are going to do something like this you need a bit of wit. sadly this has none. a poorly done satire actually has the opposite of its intended effect. as they say, with friends like these who needs enemies.
They parody Ann Coulter, Karl Rove, George W. Bush, and Cindy Sheehan. They use such phrases as "Bring It On", "Mission Accomplished", etc... They give homage to such luminaries as Jacques Tourneur, George A. Romero, Jean Yarbrough and Delbert Tenney.
And there's zombies.
While the horror aspect is minor (no gore or psychological stuff or anything like that), the political satire is brilliant if you have a slightly left-wing bias. The way they present the Iraq War and the Ohio voting machine scam in here is precious.
What to say? It's short, it's funny and it has zombies. Think I covered my bases. Not sure if it will have the long-lasting appeal of Joe Dante's other work (The Howling and Gremlins) but for now it really made me feel good to be an American.
And there's zombies.
While the horror aspect is minor (no gore or psychological stuff or anything like that), the political satire is brilliant if you have a slightly left-wing bias. The way they present the Iraq War and the Ohio voting machine scam in here is precious.
What to say? It's short, it's funny and it has zombies. Think I covered my bases. Not sure if it will have the long-lasting appeal of Joe Dante's other work (The Howling and Gremlins) but for now it really made me feel good to be an American.
While I liked the sentiment, it did not seem horrifying at all to me. The dead were not out to do anything mindless at all. Thus, the fact that their bodies are decaying doesn't actually make them dangerous. The closest they get to being dangerous is when the one dead guy attacks the "Rove" character. But even that seemed to be carefully handled. The dead guy is provoked, and has nothing to lose.
So anyway, a brief recount of the story. A political consultant appears on a Larry King-esquire show and says that if he could, it would be great to have all of the dead in this current war (although unnamed, it's clear that it's our involvement in Iraq) to come back so they could let us know that it was worth it. Then the dead come back, and it becomes clear that they are interested in voting for any candidate that will end the war.
The story this is based on is called Death and Suffrage, which I'm interested in reading. It is not a war-related story exactly, but it's about gun control. Joe Dante adapted the story to his own purposes. I've seen a fair amount of Dante's work. The Howling, Gremlins, Explorers, Innerspace, Matinée, Small Soldiers, as well as handful of his TV episode credits. His work consistently has a certain amount of wildness to it, the stories seem almost too big to effectively handle in the confines of a standard feature film. This one feels more like he didn't have enough material.
I find myself wondering if this film would be more horrifying to someone conservative enough to not recognize that they're making fun of them. I also kept thinking of The Simpsons and "Oh no! The dead have risen and they're voting Republican!" There are other details that should make it more ambiguous; no party is ever named. The only clues that they're picking on the current administration is the facts that 1) we're in a war, similar to their mentioning, that is of this administration's doing. 2) characters are similar to other well known political figures. There's Rove, there's a Bush character that we see very fleetingly on a TV, and hear him talking in "his way" and one of the key characters is very much Ann Coulter. At least the way that I imagine her behaving off camera. I'm sure I'm wrong.
I love living dead movies. I tend to have a great time with even the worst of them, but this one falls short in the horror category. I found that I liked certain sequences, particularly some of the phrases that the Coulter character uses. The fact that those phrases are used as selling points for policy indicates something has been going wrong.
But I strongly defend Joe Dante for having the conviction to make this movie. It's fairly creative, and the message makes a decent point. While it's possible to make a pro-war or "let's wipe them out" sort of movie, I don't think that would be effective. The closest we can get to that is something like Independence Day. Stir up patriotism, that'll make you willing to go out and kill. But only for your country.
As I said, there's nothing too horrifying in it. If you're liberal, you'll find some of the Coulter comments to be horrible. If you're conservative, you'll be dismissive and bored. Probably the weakest point in the series, but it's still a pretty high point, but for all the wrong reasons.
So anyway, a brief recount of the story. A political consultant appears on a Larry King-esquire show and says that if he could, it would be great to have all of the dead in this current war (although unnamed, it's clear that it's our involvement in Iraq) to come back so they could let us know that it was worth it. Then the dead come back, and it becomes clear that they are interested in voting for any candidate that will end the war.
The story this is based on is called Death and Suffrage, which I'm interested in reading. It is not a war-related story exactly, but it's about gun control. Joe Dante adapted the story to his own purposes. I've seen a fair amount of Dante's work. The Howling, Gremlins, Explorers, Innerspace, Matinée, Small Soldiers, as well as handful of his TV episode credits. His work consistently has a certain amount of wildness to it, the stories seem almost too big to effectively handle in the confines of a standard feature film. This one feels more like he didn't have enough material.
I find myself wondering if this film would be more horrifying to someone conservative enough to not recognize that they're making fun of them. I also kept thinking of The Simpsons and "Oh no! The dead have risen and they're voting Republican!" There are other details that should make it more ambiguous; no party is ever named. The only clues that they're picking on the current administration is the facts that 1) we're in a war, similar to their mentioning, that is of this administration's doing. 2) characters are similar to other well known political figures. There's Rove, there's a Bush character that we see very fleetingly on a TV, and hear him talking in "his way" and one of the key characters is very much Ann Coulter. At least the way that I imagine her behaving off camera. I'm sure I'm wrong.
I love living dead movies. I tend to have a great time with even the worst of them, but this one falls short in the horror category. I found that I liked certain sequences, particularly some of the phrases that the Coulter character uses. The fact that those phrases are used as selling points for policy indicates something has been going wrong.
But I strongly defend Joe Dante for having the conviction to make this movie. It's fairly creative, and the message makes a decent point. While it's possible to make a pro-war or "let's wipe them out" sort of movie, I don't think that would be effective. The closest we can get to that is something like Independence Day. Stir up patriotism, that'll make you willing to go out and kill. But only for your country.
As I said, there's nothing too horrifying in it. If you're liberal, you'll find some of the Coulter comments to be horrible. If you're conservative, you'll be dismissive and bored. Probably the weakest point in the series, but it's still a pretty high point, but for all the wrong reasons.
This one had us laughing our asses off and thinking as well. An unexpected dose of satire, wit and political commentary wrapped up into a clever and poignant piece that will be doubly enjoyed by zombie fans and anti Bush people. A few touching moments are also to be found as are a high level of self aware campiness and intelligent parody. Not a horror per se, but a fun piece nonetheless and good fodder for the typical horror junkie wanting to partake in some lighter fare. This is a real popcorn piece and may be desirable to those who loved "They Live" or any old zombie picture for that matter. The zombies are not particularly scary, but the new twist had us thoroughly enjoying this one and as long as the tongue remains planted firmly in the cheek it's one to watch. Recommended!
Did you know
- TriviaWhen the zombie soldiers come out of their graves, their tombstones have the names of veterans of the horror and zombie genre. Easy to read are Jacques Tourneur, G.A. Romero ( George A. Romero), Jean Yarbrough, and Delbert Tenney (Del Tenney). Harder to read are Lucio Fulci, Victor Halperin, and Gordon Douglas. The (readable) graves have this order: Romero and Tenney in the first line, behind them Fulci and Halperin, and in the last line behind Fulci is Tourneur, who is in the middle of Douglas and Yarbrough.
- GoofsThe talk show host Marty Clark says that David Murch's brother Phillip is buried in "Silver Springs, Maryland." Although commonly but mistakenly called "Silver Springs," the city is actually "Silver Spring."
- ConnectionsReferences Frankenstein (1931)
Details
- Runtime58 minutes
- Color
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