Invasion Iowa

Freaking Hilarious
I first saw this when it aired on Spike TV several years ago and kept it on my TIVO for TWO YEARS until I had to switch to DirecTV and sorrowfully lost it.

Why do I love this reality TV sendup so much? (1) William Shatner is a sweetheart. I thought he'd be snarky but instead he (like all of us viewers) falls hard for the people of Riverside, Iowa. (2) Yes, the show manipulates situations for shock value but there's no cruelty or exploitation of the locals who are taken in by the premise (3) William Shatner is the first to laugh at himself and the comedy of his life as Kirk... which gives us license to do so, too and (4) The show is FREAKING HILARIOUS. I live in a multi-story home. My husband works in an office three stories above the TV room. While I watched this show, he had to come down and ask me why in hell I was laughing so hard.

Shatner will SMITE you...with laughter
Riverside, Iowa is purported to be the town where in the future, James T. Kirk will be born. It seemed inevitable that William Shatner would show up there sooner or later. But only Shatner could have pulled off this stunt. Pretending to be making a sci-fi film using locals, Shatner and his eccentric entourage (improvisational actors playing his dim-witted nephew, buxom ditzy costar, and new age guru) descend on Riverside and commence the wackiest production imaginable.

Spoilers:

Most of the townsfolk seem only too happy to work on the production and indulge Shatner's eccentricities, which include eating off other people's plates, plugging his own brand of berets, and covering for another star's kleptomania. A younger local suspects very early on that this is a Reality TV gimmick, and he promptly disappears from the production.

Shatner is game throughout, bonding with the people of Riverside and displaying none of the aloofness that some of his Trek...

Very Funny!
I found this to be extremely funny, especially being from Iowa. It is a little on the cheesy side, but for the most part, just good fun. It was even emotionally touching at times. It really exposes the kind hearts and hospitality of Iowans.

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