Screenwriters make up an extreme left-wing activist group called "Eat the Rich" referred to as a "Next Generation Occupy Wall Street." In the opening scene, they break into a mansion, violently destroy everything they see, and the ringleader calls Spanish police pigs and claims the government is corruptly letting the wealthy owner evade sanctions. An activist also posted, "die, rich bitch, die" online about the wife. And the kicker is that everything they say and do is completely subverted. There is revealed to be no corruption whatsoever and actually the opposite -- the $75 million mansion they vandalized was in the name of the philanthropist wife who intended to donate it to environmental charities and move back to the USA with her husband leaving her corrupt father-in-law. It is also later exposed that the group leader doesn't actually care about the issues and instead does it to meet women and promote his social media. In this regard, the activist followers are depicted as non free-thinkers who are easily manipulated to violence (which is the opposite in real-life).
Staff Aside
This ridiculously absurd episode is perfectly crafted to trigger false conservative beliefs about liberal economic issue protesters who in real-life do not lead, condone or encourage criminal or violent behavior. There are no liberal groups remotely like this one in the USA and in contrast the right-wing is filled with activist groups condoning and engaging in violent behavior.
A terrorist from Portland, Oregon burns down the home of a member of the Republican National Committee and then tries to blow up a large conference of the right-wing Federalist society. He also has a bulletin board full of pictures of conservative targets at his home.
Staff Aside
This episode is so completely ridiculous spreading false propaganda making liberal terrorism seem like a problem when it's actually the other way around. And additionally, they make the terrorist from Portland which is certain to further trigger conservatives who received constant propaganda falsely depicting liberals in the city negatively by the right while ignoring actual extremists like right-wing Proud Boys. And in the process, they also depict the far-right extremist Federalist Society as sympathetic victims.
The plot centers around left-wing terrorists with ties to Venezuela who are planning an attack on a building that symbolizes American capitalism in New York City.
A Occupy Wall Street hacker who called detective Javi a tool of the 1% takes a subway hostage with a bomb in order to free his girlfriend who went to prison for six years for hacking the federal reserve failing to find information that the federal reserve "colluded" with big banks.
A woman portrayed as overly annoying makes a vapid comment, "First I'm freezing, and then I'm sweating. It's like, global warming is so upsetting."
A protester leader for a liberal 99% movement (based off of Occupy Wall Street) stages a false flag bombing of his protest to gain sympathy and attention from the media, but it backfires when the bomb is moved to a place where it kills 5 people.
Rick "Owen Wilson" and Fred's (Jason Sudeikis) friend Ed says "you see the Prius? We're going green!" as the group walks past the Prius that's parked next to a massive gas-guzzling SUV Ed obviously has no intention of getting rid of.
Andy (Steve Carell) repeatedly gets made fun of for riding a bike as his primary form of transportation.
A group of animal rights activists break into a laboratory conducting experiments on chimpanzees with the intent to release them from captivity. A scientist pleads with them to stop because the chimpanzees are "infected with rage," but they ignore him and begin opening up the cages. One of the chimpanzees immediately attacks an activist, thereby unleashing an apocalyptic virus that turns people into rage-filled zombies.
The Dude is depicted as a quintessential caricature of a lazy stoner. He has no job nor desire to get one and would rather spend his time smoking pot, drinking White Russians, and bowling with his friends.
Kenny (Harland Williams) asks the guys what munchies they want him to pick up at the store right after they finish smoking some marijuana together and Brian (Jim Breuer) says he wants "some sour cream and onion chips, man. Some beef jerky. Some peanut butter" and proceeds to list a whole bunch of other random items stoners are caricatured as craving after smoking pot.
David is depicted as an over-the-top caricature of an environmentalist who is more concerned about someone not putting an aluminum can in the recycling bin instead of the much more pressing concern -- an alien ship intent on destroying earth.
Steve (Jon Lovitz) smokes "a doobie" and then devours a plate of food before ransacking Monica's (Courtney Cox) kitchen where he grabs random foods like taco shells, sugar cereal, macaroni and cheese and gummy bears.
The school is depicted as so overly politically correct that nobody has parties. Droz says, "the majority of students today are so cravenly PC, they wouldn't know a good time if it was sitting on their face, but there's one thing that will always unite us and them. They're young. They may not realize it yet. They've got the same raging hormones, the same self-destructive desire to get boldly trashed and wildly out of control. Look out that window! That's not a protest! That is cry for help! They're begging us...Please have a party! Feed us drinks!"
College president Garcia-Thompson is depicted as an over-the-top liberal foil who takes political correctness to extreme levels.
One protest lampoons a bunch of people protesting against eating red meat because it's "murder."
An over-bearing in your face student protester yells, "gays in the military now!"
Staff Aside
That was a very important issue at the time with "Don't Ask Don't Tell" enacted as policy four months before PCU was released. Rather than serious, normal protests supporting this issue, the movie makes light of it with protesters -- and by extension their causes -- depicted negatively.
An over-bearing in your face student protester yells, "save the whales!" while pushing flyers into fellow students' faces.
The crew at Bayside High were chosen to make an anti-marijuana commercial starring (fictional) teen heartthrob Johnny Dakota. They spend an inordinate amount of time doubling down on the dangers of marijuana and fearmongering that trying it even once can ruin your life. Later on Johnny Dakota has the crew over for a party at his house and - spoiler alert! - starts smoking a marijuana joint with his friends. He even casually offers it to Kelly (Tiffany Amber Thiessen), who is then cruelly mocked for not wanting to smoke by everyone at the party. Thankfully, Zach (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) comes back to the party and saves Kelly. The crew is demoralized to find out their icon is a pot-smoking loser and wonder how they could ever make the anti-marijuana commercial. Thankfully, Mr. Belding swoops in to save the day and produces none other than the actual president of NBC to step in for the disgraced Johnny Dakota and help make the commercial a reality.
Chris (Elisabeth Shue) and the kids she's babysitting are riding in an empty L-Train cart in Chicago when rival gangs enter from opposing sides ready to fight with switchblade knives during which Brad (Keith Coogan) has a knife thrown into his foot which Chris then grabs to make their escape.
The Democratic NYC mayor's office is depicted as getting in the way and hindering the Ghostbusters from saving the city -- even having them committed after the ghosts all escaped. The mayor finally lets the Ghostbusters save the city but not before Peter says that if they succeed, he will have "saved the lives of millions of registered voters."
Staff Aside
The false notion that all politicians really care about -- and in this case a Democrat since it's NYC in the 80s -- is getting re-elected is presented with humor in a way that it is accepted as matter of fact.
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9 Movies
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