"Thanksgiving Holiday Goes Horribly South"

None | Light | Moderate | Heavy | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Language | ||||
Violence | ||||
Sex | ||||
Nudity |
What You Need To Know:
THE OATH is an unpolished movie that tries to comment on the current political divide in America. It has a few funny, positive moments about what happens when families argue politics during Thanksgiving. THE OATH ends on a kumbaya moment. Despite this, the movie leans left. For example, the most conservative character, the brother’s girlfriend, is depicted as the most ignorant. THE OATH also contains some excessive violence and lots of excessive foul language, plus a line mocking belief in God.
Content:
More Detail:
THE OATH is a dark comedy set in the near future that follows one family gathering together for the Thanksgiving holiday during a polarizing time in the United States. THE OATH has some funny, positive moments promoting trying to get along with people despite political differences, but it does lean left and contains excessive violence and especially excessive foul language.
Ten months before Thanksgiving, The White House announces that a nationwide oath will be available for citizens to sign, pledging their loyalty to the president. No repercussions will take place if citizens don’t sign it, but for those who do, there will be perks such as tax benefits. Signing for the oath will end the day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday, the biggest shopping day of the year. A married couple characters, Mason (Ike Barinhotlz) and Kai (Tiffany Haddish) decide right then and there not to sign and set an example of holding to your convictions for their young daughter.
Flash forward to the Monday before Thanksgiving, where THE OATH follows the events from that Monday to the following Saturday after Thanksgiving. Kai and Mason plan to host the Thanksgiving holiday for Mason’s family. Mason’s parents, his brother Pat, Pat’s girlfriend Abbie, and his sister with her husband and two children arrive. Mason has a hard time holding back his thoughts about the state of the country and his distaste for the oath from his rather conservative family members. Things get heated during the holiday meal, and Kai reveals that she signed the oath without Mason’s knowing. Mason leaves the dinner table in an upheaval and spends the night sleeping in his car in the driveway out of protest. The two make up the next morning but then things get out of hand.
Two agents from the Citizens Protection Unit appear, wanting to ask Mason about trying to prevent someone from signing the oath. Mason doubts their authority to question him. After some back and forth dialogue, the CPU agents end up being hit over the head and down for the count. The next scene shows the CPU agents essentially kidnapped in Mason and Kai’s living room, one tied up, and the other unconscious from a severe blow to the head. The more aggressive agent tied to a chair deliberately exacerbates Mason’s rage, and Mason is conflicted about setting them free and nervous that he might get hurt if he does.
Can this situation get any worse? It can, and it does.
THE OATH has a few funny moments. The best moments play off the idea about political disagreements when families gather together to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday. The movie is shot less professionally than a typical Hollywood movie, but that won’t deter viewers from being entertained by the movie in general. That said, the movie’s frequent foul language detracts from the script’s witty humor. THE OATH also contains some extreme and intense violence that’s a bit unbelievable.
THE OATH ends on a kumbaya moment, where the liberal-leaning Mason apologizes for his poor behavior. Despite this, the movie leans left. For example, the most conservative character, the brother’s girlfriend, is depicted as the most ignorant. Also, at one point, Mason mocks the idea of praying to a God that Mason doesn’t believe in himself. Overall, therefore, MOVIEGUIDE® labels THE OATH excessive and unacceptable.