Put simply, if the late Leslie Nielsen was still among us and acting out his brand of slapstick physical humor, then he would be playing the movie's title role. Instead, the 32nd President of the United States is played by Barry Bostwick (Spin City, Rocky Horror Picture Show) who picks up the role and plays it just as well as Nielsen could have. Bostwick's portrayal of Franklin Delano Roosevelt is hilarious and while I wasn't laughing out loud during the whole movie, there was always a smile on my face.
FDR: American Badass starts off while "The Delano" was still governor and survives a werewolf attack. Unfortunately, the monster's bite transmitted the Polio virus and leaves the man in a wheelchair. When FDR's best friend, Louis (Bruce McGill), discovers that the werewolf was apparently German and a part of the fledgling NAZI movement, he convinces FDR that he should run for President so that he can attempt to uncover and stop whatever plot the werewolves are putting together.
It isn't long before General Douglas MacArthur (Ray Wise) tells the newly inaugurated president of an alliance between Germany, Italy and Japan. It seems these three nations, who seem to all be made of werewolves, are plotting to take over the world, and even though their early plans fall short, the axis' decision to take over neighboring countries sparks WWII and The Delano has no choice but to take the ammo-packed wheelchair Albert Einstein (Ed Metzger) designed for him to the front lines and take out Hitler (Jesse Merlin), Emperor Hirohito (Jamison Yang) and Mussolini (Paul Ben-Victor) face-to-face.
Other supporting characters include Lin Shaye (There's Something About Mary, Insidious) as Eleanor Roosevelt, Kevin Sorbo as a pot-induced hallucination of Abraham Lincoln, Paul Wilson as Winston Churchill and Ross Patterson as Cleavon Buford, a Southern supporter of FDR and the Vice President of Hot Tubs.
It should go without saying that no one should attempt to use FDR: American Badass for any kind of historical reference, at least I hope not. Unlike the film it is spoofing, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, American Badass doesn't really attempt to weave it's fantastical tale around factual events. Sure it contains WWII and historical figures, but it doesn't try to ground itself in reality, which gives it a lot of leeway and areas to have fun.
If you like slapstick films in the vein of Airplane or Naked Gun, then you won't want to pass on FDR: American Badass.
