My Fellow Americans MPAA Rating: PG-13 Entertainment: +3 Content: -2

Grumpy Old Presidents could be a suitable title for this comedy about two former Chief Executives caught up in a plot against them. Budget-conscious Russell Kramer (Jack Lemmon) and womanizer Matthew Douglas (James Garner) waged two antagonistic campaigns for the Oval Office. Kramer was elected President first, but Douglas took over four years later. Now both are out of that job as Kramer's former V.P., William Haney (Dan Aykroyd), resides in the White House. Kramer hears rumors about his receiving a kickback from a government contractor while in office and wants to clear his name. Douglas gets involved because it could open the door for his return to the Presidency. The situation turns dangerous when a witness is killed and the former Presidents manage to get off a helicopter just before it explodes. In order to prove Kramer's innocence, they journey cross country to his presidential library in Ohio to locate some key evidence. With potential dangers around every corner a spirit of cooperation develops, yet the pair manage to continually antagonize each other along the way. This contradictory relationship is the source for most of the film's often uproarious humor, and older viewers will probably enjoy the pairing of Hollywood vets Lemmon and Garner.

Discerning viewers won't like the scripting of the insult humor in MY FELLOW AMERICANS, however. Instead of attacking with sharply written lines about the other's political inadequacies, the ex-Presidents sound like foul-mouthed senior citizens. Crude language is employed constantly, along with various obscene words and several regular profanities. Sexual relations are implied when Douglas is shown dressing in a hotel room talking to his female book publicist, who is covered only by a bedsheet. A White House staffer is seen in bed with a woman and sex is implied. On the run from federal agents, Kramer and Douglas inadvertently wander into a "gay pride" parade, with many homosexuals dressed in women's clothing. MY FELLOW AMERICANS is a potentially winning comedy destroyed by a screenplay that goes for cheap laughs by having politicians talking dirty.

Preview Reviewer: Mark Perry
Distributor: Warner Bros., 4000 Warner Blvd., Burbank, CA 91522