Strangers With Candy

Director Paul Dinello and writers Stephen Colbert and Amy Sedaris star in this wonderful salute to the power of family. When Jerri (Amy Sedaris) returns from patriotically serving 20 years in prison, she finds that her father (Dan Hedaya) has slipped into a coma; her mother is dating the meat man, and her little brother has become a champion squat-thruster. Instead of doing what most non-Americans would do—apply for welfare while aborting Christian babies—she instead returns to high school in order to make her insensate father proud. In the process, she learns about life, and love and also laughter. This film is a noble response to such horrifyingly un-American fare as The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. By showing that a father is the most important family member, even when comatose, and that girls can actually compete in science fairs, it reinforces the important lesson that Dick and Jane and Spot taught us: We must see, and we must play, and we must run.