Evengyny Thanks for the memories!

Moustroll Good movie but grossly overrated

GazerRise Fantastic!

Odelecol Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

Hollywood_Yoda "The Second Civil War" is a film that may touch the hearts of many people or it may make your blood boil, depending on which side of the fight you're on! I am talking about IMMIGRATION. In the film, the governor of Idaho does not want to grant amnesty to a group of immigrant refugees and it causes national tension thanks to the news channel covering the incident.Beau Bridges plays Jim Farley, the governor of Idaho who himself is in love with a woman who is an immigrant and of Spanish origin, but blocks the refugees from another nation from entering his state. Meanwhile, the President of the United States (played by Phil Hartman) threatens to send in troops if Farley does not allow the immigrants' entrance to Idaho.The whole fiasco of a civil war could have been avoided if it wasn't for the reporters covering the event. Hearing the wrong thing said, the reporters put pressure on the President to fire on the Idaho National Guard, conflict ensues. Denis Leary plays a reporter on the front lines in Idaho when the first shots are heard.This is not a comedy! This film is meant to be something we should all think about. Do we go so far to protect immigrants over citizens that it causes a civil war?

Claudio Carvalho In a near future, after the nuclear explosion of a bomb dropped by India in Pakistan, an American non-governmental group decides to bring the Iranians orphans to Idaho. The silly governor of Idaho (Beau Bridges) is the political opponent of the American president (Phil Hartman) and decides to not permit the immigration of the children to his state. Indeed his greatest concern is relative to his sexual and affective life with the American-Mexican journalist Christina (Elizabeth Peña) and he does not give much importance to his statement. The stupid president decides to follow the advice of Jack Buchan (James Coburn) and his advisors, and sends the U. S. Army to the border of Idaho, which is protected by the National Guard troops. Due to the last chapter of a famous soap opera, the president gives sixty-seven and half hours to Idaho permit the ingress of the children. The greatest American network covers all of this confusion in a sensationalist way. All of these absurd misunderstandings together culminate in the American Second Civil War. This movie is a great dark and dramatic comedy, made before the tragedy of September 11th. In Brazil, it was not promoted and I found the VHS by chance on sale. When I saw the name of Joe Dante and the cast, I decided to buy and watch it. It was a worthwhile entertainment. It is a sort of `tribute' to the politicians, lobbyists and press in USA, and without the participation of Michael Moore. Martyn Burke and Joe Dante explore the warrior spirit and the racial segregation of the American people, the immigration problem, the lack of common sense and the search for votes of the politicians, the unreasonable advices of lobbyists and civilians and military advisors and the performance of the manipulative press in a funny (and even sad) story. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): `A Segunda Guerra Civil' (`The Second Civil War')

MovieAddict2016 Political satires are interesting films, and they can sometimes be especially good. "Wag the Dog," with Robert De Niro and Dustin Hoffman, is one of the best political satires in decades, and "The Second Civil War," though not nearly as smart as the former, is pretty darn funny in its own right, and -- if you can find it on TV or home video -- you'll probably find yourself smiling at it.I hadn't expected too much sitting down to watch "The Second Civil War." I had never heard of it before, and my TV guide didn't give it an especially favorable review. But it is a surprisingly good TV film."Since when was the country run by a soap opera?" asks US President Phil Hartman in the deliciously dark political satire "The Second Civil War." Star-studded and laugh-packed, the film may seem like mediocre fodder at first, but you'll soon find yourself getting caught up in the mild genius and clever wit of it all. Yes, the film is a public TV production, but that does not reflect its position as a film.The plot: Orphans from Pakistan are being immigrated to Idaho, but the Governor of Idaho doesn't like this idea one little bit, so he closes the border of Idaho and refuses to permit any Pakistanis into his state. This causes problems, of course, and immediately news and media from around the world start to monitor the entire situation in anticipation of something dreadful to happen.The US President, played by Phil Hartman, likes Dwight D. Eisenhower, but lacks the smarts to be President -- he covers behind the image of an all together man and quotes Eisenhower in speeches. He shifts his nationwide announcements so that they do not interfere with soap operas. His advisor reminds him that women got mad last time he did that.Idaho threatens to separate from the United States of America, and "The Second Civil War" is essentially a satire of the political scene and the newspeople surrounding it. "Boys, it looks like Idaho is going to war," says news anchorman Denis Leary. "I smell another emmy."Anticipating Idaho's separation from the USA, the President and his staff make a last ditch effort to save their country by placing the Pakistanis in the middle of the battle. But this only makes matters worse.Dennis Leary ("The Ref") is funny, but other great actors include Dan Hedaya ("The Addams Family"), Beau Bridges, James Earl Jones and James Coburn, to name a few of the A-list cast members. They all play pivotal roles in the plot, and when the film gets them in lengthy word fights it is at its best.To top it all off, the film is directed by Joe Dante, who has brought Gremlins and werewolfs to life in the past. Dante is great at making imaginations come to life -- his kiddy action film "Small Soldiers" was even fun to sit through. Like Robert Zemeckis, Dante uses film as a medium for wit and imagination. He's made some great films. Here is another one.4/5 stars.John Ulmer

Phroggy If Joe Dante was Inferno's king, I'd like to go there… seriously, this guy is a dangerous terrorist who can't help destroying from the inside every convention, every cliché in the book, like some offspring of Tom Robbins and Roger Corman meeting on Rabelais' grave.(See what he did with "Small Soldiers" : an anti-militarist toys movie made to sell militarist toys !) Here he destroys everything that propaganda movies like "Top Gun" has been doing for a while - and, like our Italian friend up there judiciously pointed out, this one is too close to the bone to be taken just as comedy - it might better be described as "satire". This one wasn't theatrically released in France, unlike in Italy, but played on a film festival called "Les inédits d'Amérique"