Silly but superbly crafted ramble through US history

Rating: Null/10 (5 September 2004)

"How do we provide a US history lesson, warts and all, that is both entertaining and sentimental?" may have been the question the script writers/producers asked themselves and settled on a slightly mentally and physically retarded boy in (of course) bigoted Alabama who just happens to later be present in most of the momentous occasions in US history of the second half of the 20th century. Well he doesn't stay physically retarded for very long, quite the opposite. We get to see to see quite a few American icons (OK, John Lennon was English, but like some of the other notable people we see he got assassinated by a mad gunman.) The film manages to maintain a didactically neutral attitude towards the events and people it shows - the facts alone - but is heavy on sentimentality, which no doubt is good for box office takings. Inane it certainly is, but has excellent set design and cinematography, has good flow, and great songs on the soundtrack. Worth watching. 8/10