If you thought the world was laughing at us NOW ... "C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America"

I live in the South, or as some call it, Jesusland. Even if the politics can be warped, there aren't as many cases of the Stars and Bars flying outside homes as you might think. Sure, you'll see a bumper sticker here and there, and the occasional "Rebel Yell" T-shirt. (I keep telling my wife to throw that out.) But it's safe to say that in the 21st century most people have gotten the picture that thrusting a Confederate flag at someone's face isn't that cool.

This, of course, makes the idea behind "C.S.A" intriguing: What if the South had won? I'm sure there have been books on such a scenario, but c'mon ... who reads books anymore? (I kid, but I also think we're 2-3 years away from the Book Reading Channel, where you can sit on your couch and watch someone read a book to you. I'm serious. Mark this date down.)

In "C.S.A.," a film professor from the University of Kansas gives us a fake British documentary on the Confederate States of America, from the time the South won the Civil War -- with the help of the French and Germans, if I recall correctly -- to the present day, where the latest member of a fictional Kennedy-type family is running for president. Along the way, we see what happened to Abraham Lincoln, how the North was brought into the fold, how Canada became a haven for African Americans and an enemy of the C.S.A., and other fun stuff.

Like I said, good concept, and made more fun by the fake ads during the commercial breaks. In these, we get smacked in the face by modern-day inequalities and complete lack of respect for black people. Most of it is in the product names, from Coon Chicken to N!ggerhair cigarettes. It's pretty bold stuff, the kind of parody that makes you laugh and squirm at the same time.

The "documentary" on the C.S.A. isn't bad, although the script is better than the production, which looked a little cheap at several points. But hey, this is a college professor's pet project, and even with Spike Lee's bankroll, you're not going to get "Best in Show" quality.

My biggest problem with the narrative and the fake history came about two thirds into the movie, when we get to the 1960s. Earlier, we learned how Lincoln was imprisoned as a war criminal, then exiled to Canada. OK, that makes sense. But in the '60s, we still get a President John F. Kennedy, who now has a different kind of civil rights mission. Some might say it makes sense to keep Kennedy in the mix given the cry from some for better treatment of slaves. I didn't buy it, though. Just too hard for me to believe that a JFK could emerge in a C.S.A.

Even with those stretches -- and a revelation at the end that was a bit much -- "C.S.A." was interesting, not to mention short enough (90 minutes) that you won't waste much time. There's also a little reward at the end -- sort of a "Huh, how about that?" moment -- that offsets the uneveness immediately before that. I don't want to ruin it for you, but ... what the heck. You know Lincoln? Turns out he was Keyser Soze! I know! Who knew?