Opening with the most elaborate—and arguably historically inaccurate—reenactments of the Battle of the Alamo ever put together, The Republic of Rick is awkwardly hilarious right from the get-go. TRofR is set in 1998 in West Texas, following Rick Launer (Dave Abed), the Ambassador for the Republic of Texas Club, as he is impeached from his position, leads a handful of extremists loyal to his cause to start a commune of sorts in tents outside of his trailer home and slowly begins to work towards a Waco situation. Loosely based on Rick McLaren, TRofR contains acting so spot on conservative republican, there may be several points throughout this film that make you wonder if it might actually be a documentary—Becky Leigh, as Rick's "Ambassadress" wife Tandy, is particularly on-target and provides a nearly flawless performance. With the overwhelming number of serious, heavily emotional films at Slamdance this year, give yourself a break and go have a laugh with this fun film.
