'Proud American' a star-spangled bungle

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Red, white and blue run wild throughout "Proud American," but viewing this rah-rah patchwork quilt of American life will leave most people feeling green around the gills.Made, no doubt, with all the best intentions, "Proud American" is a series of cheesy vignettes strung together with overbearing arrangements of patriotic music, views of iconic national landmarks and the outdated comedy stylings of Yakov Smirnoff. If it seems like an extended late-night infomercial, consider this: Its "sponsors" include Wal-Mart and Coca-Cola."Proud American" is the kind of film that shows mean white-bread teen-age girls picking on a Vietnamese immigrant and immediately counters with a rainbow coalition of friendly femmes coming to the victim's defense. Oh yeah, that happens.When a Jewish family's menorah is ruined by window-smashing racists, neighbors rush over to check on the family's well-being and apologize for the backwardness of their WASP brethren. Soon, every house in the neighborhood has a menorah in the window.The stories in "Proud American" vary in length, but they're all simplistic and show a lack of respect for the people whose real-life experiences inspired them.The most bearable piece is probably the story of Curtis, played as a child by Terrance Hardy and as a young adult by Lee Thompson Young. Curtis is reared by his single mom and grandma to resist the temptations of gang life on Chicago's South Side and to follow his dream of becoming a doctor.Curtis' story has slightly more personality than the others, and it benefits from the performances of Young and acting veterans Ken Howard and James B. Sikking. Those three and Jonathan Banks, in a later tale, are the most believable actors in this would-be inspirational collection of American success stories.Most of the cast members are unknown for a reason. While their acting evokes several degrees of pain, it's hard to blame the players when the dialogue they've been given is so bad.The why-can't-we-all-just-get-along? sensibility comes courtesy of first-time feature director Fred Ashman, who co-wrote the screenplay with Rolland Smith. Ashman probably will not get the hate mail he deserves because Americans will invoke their freedom of choice and choose to give "Proud American" a miss.Rated PG for some mild thematic elements.1.5 stars (out of five)(Contact Knoxville News Sentinel film critic Betsy Pickle at pickle(at)knews.com.)