The Second Civil War (1997) (TV)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Joe Dante

Writer (WGA):

Martyn Burke (written by)

Release Date:

15 March 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

A very uncivil comedy

Plot:

A simple immigration issue spins wildly out of control for those involved, ranging from the President of the United States, to a news producer.

Plot Keywords:

Governor | Idaho | Immigration | Civil War | Militia

Awards:

Won Primetime Emmy. Another 1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Beau Bridges	...	Gov. Jim Farley
Joanna Cassidy	...	Helena Newman
Phil Hartman	...	The President
James Earl Jones	...	Jim Kalla
James Coburn	...	Jack Buchan
Dan Hedaya	...	Mel Burgess
Elizabeth Peña	...	Christina
Denis Leary	...	Vinnie Franko
Ron Perlman	...	Alan Manieski
Kevin Dunn	...	Jimmy Cannon
Shelley Malil	...	Congressman Singh
Brian Keith	...	Maj. Gen. Charles Buford
Kevin McCarthy	...	Chief of Staff
Dick Miller	...	Eddie O'Neill
William Schallert	...	Secretary of Defense

MPAA:

Rated R for language and some war violence.

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Iceland:L | France:U | Portugal:M/12 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

City Hall - 200 N. Spring Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Baltimore Pictures

Trivia:

Executive producer Barry Levinson was originally supposed to direct the film, but had to bow out.

Quotes:

Mel Burgess: He's closing the borders, people! Thank God for arrogance, lust, and greed or we'd all be doing infomercials.

Movie Connections:

References "M*A*S*H: Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen (#11.16)" (1983)

Welcome to the Human Race.

In the near future, a planeload of immigrant orphans are on their way to a charity facility in Idaho when the Governor of the state closes its borders and refuses them entry. This sparks a division of military forces, between states government's National Guard and federal government's Army, each hell bent on protecting their own version of the American Dream, as well as their media images. At the center of this Constitutional storm is a President unable to make a decision without checking with his advisers and referencing one of his predecessors, a Governor more interested in liaisons with his immigrant news reporter mistress than dealing with immigration laws, a newsroom where facts and truth balance with viewer shares, and a TV audience more interested in their favorite daytime soap opera. The Great American Melting Pot is about to uncivilly boil over.

This HBO black comedy is an excellent mix of political and news media parody, race relations satire, and morality tale. Wonderfully quirky, and sometimes deeply meaningful, dialogue. Characters run the gamut from dignified to loony. Performances from a large cast are all vibrant and spot on. A movie gem. Favorite Line(s): "Can't make an omelet without busting some sacred eggs. We're making history here and you ain't with us, are you?" "No I'm not." "You should be. Why not?" "Maybe because I'm a reporter, I ain't with anybody. Maybe because too many sacred eggs are getting busted. See, I rode the buses back in the 60s to bring people together. Pretty unfashionable now, isn't it?" "Your wife, she's Jewish, ain't she?" "You know, I forgot what she is, all I remember is that we met on the back of a bus." "I'm trying to remember the words to the Pledge of Allegiance. I said it a million times when I was a kid. Right now I can't seem to remember the words."