The fine folks behind “An American Carol” have come up with a curious new ad campaign.

It’s called “call in conservative” to work on Inauguration Day (Tuesday Jan. 20). By calling in “sick” to work, you’re protesting the new liberal administration.

Here’s the pitch direct from the e-blast:

On Inauguration Day, you can join the millions of God-fearing, gun-toting, America-loving conservatives as they “Call in Conservative.”

And what better movie to watch together, than AMERICAN CAROL, the newest political comedy out on DVD!

But unless there’s a conspiracy floating about I’m not aware of, President-elect Barack Obama won fair and square last November. So I’ll be showing up to work (the home office, to be precise) as scheduled Tuesday.

The campaign sounds about as effective as the film itself, a scattershot comedy which deserves more praise for bucking the ideological tide than making us laugh.

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Actors routinely use the word “brave” to describe a fellow actor’s performance or role selection.

Don’t believe them.

You want brave? How about making an unabashedly pro-American, anti-Michael Moore comedy to be released in the heat of election season? David Zucker’s “An American Carol” is the bravest film in a while, a movie that swims against the tide of 99 percent of what Hollywood exports.

But let’s not confuse brave with funny.

Zucker, the man who gave us “Airplane!” “The Naked Gun” and the brilliant TV series “Police Squad,” is too busy luxuriating in his conservative causes to make us double over with laughter.

“Carol” cleverly spins the classic Scrooge tale on its axis, casting Kevin Farley as a lefty filmmaker named Michael Malone out to squash Independence Day. Any resemblance to Moore is strictly intentional.

Malone’s latest anti-American rant has died at the theater, so he decides to work with a duo of Middle Eastern producers to fund his next project. The two are actually terrorists hoping Malone could make their next recruitment film.

Before Malone can step behind the camera he’s visited by the Ghosts of America’s past – Gen. Patton (Kelsey Grammer) George Washington (Jon Voight) and the Angel of Death (country star Trace Adkins).

Each tries to show Malone America’s virtues through historical snippets and chilling alternate realities. All three actors do standout work here, particularly Voight who has very little screen time but has gravitas to burn.

It’s all handled with the subtlety of an Ann Coulter column. Zucker’s stock in trade is obvious, sophomoric humor – why use a scalpel when a sledgehammer will do? – but that approach fails here.

“Carol” lacks the giddy, gag-a-minute template which energized movies like “The Naked Gun.” We’re asked to chuckle at routine slapstick far beneath Zucker’s best work.

A few inspired sequences do emerge, like a song-and-dance number mocking how colleges indoctrinate the young, and a smackdown of Rosie O’Donnell’s insipid comment that radical Christians are just as dangerous as radical Muslims.

“An American Carol” doesn’t deliver enough laughs, but it still ranks for its “shock and awe” value. Its content is so foreign to today’s movies that it feels like a major event even if it’s only a very minor comedy.

ALSO CHECK OUT

‘Carol’ keeps critics at arm’s length

Let the Zucker bashing begin

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Got a message in my inbox today telling me “why my ticket matters.”

No, it wasn’t about the upcoming presidential election directly, but in a way the e-mail IS connected to politics. The e-mail reminded me to support “An American Carol,” the new pro-American, anti-Michael Moore comedy opening this Friday.

Everyone is watching to see what happens.

Hollywood. The media. The Left. Yes, even Michael Moore.

This month Hollywood is giving us “Carol,” Bill Maher’s anti-religion documentary “Religulous” and Oliver Stone’s “W.”

It’s like the red state/blue state squabble is playing at a theater near you.

Who will win? Well, Maher’s documentary will likely fly in big cities but won’t make much cash. The press surrounding “W” should help it make some coin on its first weekend, but I can’t imagine movie goers will be eager to see a rehash of the last eight years.

“An American Carol” is the true wild card. We’ve never seen anything like it in theaters – a satire gunning for the left. Will conservatives turn out in droves to see it? And will Blue State types take kindly to the ribbing?

I’ll predict a $15 million opening weekend — enough for both sides to claim victory.

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How dare David Zucker mock the almighty Michael Moore?

Well, film reviewers and bloggers aren’t gonna let him get away with it. Zucker’s next movie, “An American Carol,” is a pro-American, anti-Michael Moore romp. And the battle lines have already been drawn.

What Would Toto Watch? will keep you posted on these developments. I mean, we don’t want an alternative view shown on the big screen, right?

For starters, here’s what Fancast: The Big Picture had to say about Zucker in a piece ostensibly about Kelsey Grammer.

Considering Grammer’s also appearing in An American Carol by David Zucker, who has essentially announced that he has no intention of being original ever again …

This will be mild compared to what’s to come, no doubt.

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