Review: The Oath

Thanksgiving, that wonderful time of year when families nominally gather to give thanks for the blessings in their lives but realistically undergo a marathon of stress, button-pushing, and escalating tensions. In The Oath, a sharp but often all-over-the-place satire on a deeply divided America, the usual holiday trauma is even more exacerbated by the looming deadline to sign "The Patriot's Oath," in which citizens pledge their allegiance to the president and the country and vow to defend both from enemies both foreign and domestic.

Technically, signing the Oath is optional but, in the eyes and minds of the government and the majority of the population, not signing it is essentially equivalent to treason. Opposition leaders are being arrested, anti-Oath activists like actor Seth Rogen are disappearing without a trace, heated and sometimes violent confrontations are constantly erupting between those on opposite sides of the issue. Those who end up signing it have done so either out of some warped sense of patriotism or because it's just easier to do it than to have to deal with the consequences of not signing it.

The country's divide is reflected in Chris and Kai's (writer-director Ike Barinholtz and Tiffany Haddish) home, where their relatives have gathered to spend Thanksgiving. Chris is vehemently opposed to the Oath, reasoning that it violates everyone's First Amendment rights. Kai shares his view though, as Chris soon discovers, everyone else not only disagrees but they've already signed the loyalty waiver. This sends Chris into heights of apoplectic self-righteousness, railing against his family and demonstrating in the process that both liberals and conservatives can be stubborn, narrow-minded and obnoxious fools.

Just when viewers settle in for what appears to be a black comedy in the vein of mordant holiday classics like The Ref, The Oath decides to zag in a different direction with the appearance of Peter (John Cho) and Mason (Billy Magnussen), two agents from the Citizens' Protection Unit who have arrived to inform Chris that they have received information from an anonymous source that he has violated the Oath. If things weren't out of control before, then they certainly and very quickly spiral into chaos and craziness.

Barinholtz has a genuinely intriguing premise here, but whatever insights he offers are often drowned out by the shrill and screeching exchanges. Cho and Magnussen make for such a hilarious yin and yang team, with the mellow Peter often drifting in and out of concussed consciousness and Mason frequently resembling the calmest but most chilling psychopath one could ever hope not to encounter. Haddish, though quite restrained here in comparison with her other roles, provides a steady stream of laughs, most of which derive from when Kai is dressing down Chris, calling him out for "acting like the white Nelson Mandela," or setting him straight.

The Oath

Directed by: Ike Barinholtz

Written by: Ike Barinholtz

Starring: Ike Barinholtz, Tiffany Haddish, John Cho, Carrie Brownstein, Billy Magnussen, Meredith Hagner, Jon Barinholtz, Norah Dunn, Jay Duplass, Max Greenfield