Al Franken: God Spoke is a documentary following the former ‘Saturday Night Live’ comedian from the publication of his 2003 book Lies, and the Lying Liars that Tell Them to the conclusion of the 2004 US Presidential elections. The film traces his efforts to make the voice of the American liberal heard in the face of an increasingly conservative media.

Passionate, funny and ultimately frustrated by the environment he lives in, Franken is presented as a more personable version of Michael Moore. Despite his obvious knowledge of the political system and well researched approach towards the right, there is no denying that it is Franken’s use of humour that serves as his most damaging weapon.

Any doubts the audience may have over the threat he poses to people such as Bill O’Reilly and Anne Coulter are soon laid to rest through the ferocity of their attacks on him. These figures in the film, as well as others like Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity, offer the most interesting insights to external observers of the US political system.

Australian figures such as Andrew Bolt and Alan Jones pale in comparison to Franken’s adversaries. Coulter asserts at one point in the film that if she could be any political figure in the past she would be Joe McCarthy, demonstrating the depth of conservatism in America today and the full extent of what Franken has taken on.

Although this film shows that people in authority are judged according to their ability to take a joke, it is Franken’s humour that makes him an easy target when he attempts to talk serious politics. This paradox drives him to a final dilemma over what he truly needs to sacrifice in order to progress on the political stage.