Protocol

Protocol (1984)

Starring Goldie Hawn

View the trailer

Protocol is a comedy about an average girl named Sunny Davis. Sunny's life is radically changed after she takes a bullet meant for an important foreign diplomat. The selfless act lands Sunny a great job with the United States Department of Protocol. Only, it's all a set up to dupe Sunny into marrying the diplomat, so the U.S. can build a military base in his country.

Goldie Hawn's character is fun, well intentioned, a bit naive, but mostly uninformed. She is bound by a sense of patriotic duty, and she is flattered when the President personally calls to congratulate her. The whole saga is closely followed by the press who treat Sunny as a media darling, but quickly turn on her as the story unfolds.

This movie is a commentary on current political and social events disguised as a comedy. The villains of the movie are the U.S. government because they lie to Sunny under the guise of patriotism. The movie shows one of the first signs of the media's emerging role as spin doctors, not the unbiased observers. The closing scene of the movie reminds the viewer that it is all Americans' civic responsibility to pay attention and question the government. Whether out for a casual laugh or a political barb, Protocol delivers both.

What happened in the 80's