Look Who's Back
A film that makes you laugh as loud as you can, and leaves you dead silent by the end.
Probably one of the weirdest movie premises ever, what if Hitler came back to life? That question alone lends itself to incredible comedy, it's such an utterly absurd idea that it creates some of the most hilarious scenes I've ever had the pleasure of witnessing, but behind its absurdity, it unmasks a horrifying truth about our modern world.
Even though Hitler did die 80 years ago, he might as well still be alive. The movie unabashedly peals back to expose the ease with which fascism could still rise. Sure, the scapegoats may now be immigrants over Jews, it's not the National Socialist Party anymore but the National Democratic Party, but Hitler isn't dead.
The film isn't subtle about it in the slightest. Firmly standing in that subtly and ambiguity are for cowards, "They're afraid of missing the dramatic ambiguity. But there is no ambiguity with Mr. Hitler, he's just an asshole". The central metaphor is as on the nose as it possibly can be, the dialogue is cornier than Iowa, and the montages are as exaggerated as can be, because sometimes when Hitler is hiding under our noses the only way for people to notice is by stripping it all naked and exhibiting it in its barest, almost cartoonish form.
That being said, the movie isn't all just Hitler staches and Nazi jokes, as it takes its good time to critique that loud and "in your face" style of humor. Depicting talk shows that pride themselves in being edgy and offensive and "saying it how it is", that in reality only give Hitler himself a golden megaphone to speak to.
Even going as far as criticizing itself and analyzing this very film's place in the world and what it means, in its own weird metatextual way. How CAN you make a comedy about Hitler? Where's the line? When does it stop being ironic and when does it become "cool"? Does media profit off of fascism or is it the other way around?
This film deconstructs democracy, culture, politics, comedy, media, what Hitler means in the 21st century.
Believe me, I didn't expect this to be as weirdly complex and thorough as it was. What could've been a simple edgy comedy about the Führer being a goofball ended up being an incredibly honest analysis of fascism and modern culture.
I swear I could make 200 pages worth of analysis on this film, it's just so weird. I'm sorry if I'm rambling I just didn't expect this to be what it is.
Consider my mind blown (like Hitler's in the bunker).