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:

Refugee | Congressman | Airport | Los Angeles California | Nuclear Weapons

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:

Godfrey: I came across another great line. 'The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity.'
Jim Kalla: That is a great line.
Godfrey: The poets. Nobody pays enough attention to them anymore.

Movie Connections:

References "All My Children" (1970)

Timely political farce

A funny, old-fashioned political farce set in an up-to-the-minute situation. An aggressive woman who heads an organization to "save the children" plans to move Pakistani orphans to Idaho. The governor of that state (Beau Bridges) decides to play to anti-immigrant sentiment by saying he will close the borders against further immigration.

The American President (Phil Hartman) is a simpleton who managed by his political adviser (James Coburn). They're only interested in re-election, and are perfectly willing to resort to civil war to make it happen.

A CNN-like news organization, "NN", which employs a rainbow of immigrants, and whose announcer is James Earl Jones, plays the potential conflict for all the advertising dollars it's worth.

The governor (Beau Bridges) is really much more interested in his affair with a Mexican American reporter for "NN", and she seems to be the only person aware of the irony.