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Date: 11/13/2015
I almost love politics as much as I love movies (movies still win out). Naturally I was attracted to “Our Brand is Crisis,” the new Sandra Bullock film that made headlines in the entertainment press for not having a very stellar opening week despite its star.
I would submit to you that political dramas are not necessarily big box office even if they are good films. Consider movies such as “Wag the Dog,” “The Candidate” or “Primary Colors.” Were they big hits? How about “The Ides of March?” It starred George Clooney and was seen as almost an art house offering.
The political films that tend to emphasize personality rather than process are potentially the most successful. “The American President” had more to do with a president rediscovering his own personal life and in the process reignites his political career. “House of Cards” on Netflix is almost Shakespearian in its depiction of how a pair of power-crazed sociopaths used their understanding of human nature to achieve power.
Filmmakers are clearly fascinated though by the process and, despite the long odds, continue to make films that are primarily aimed at looking at how a candidate is elected.
I thought this film was a pretty effective drama although it clearly was conflicted in its focus. Was it about the struggle to elevate a losing candidate to the role of winner or was it about a disgraced political consultant seeking redemption?
The answer is the film was about both with the latter edging out the former. The movie was clearly not intended to be a dark comedy such as “Wag the Dog” and does lack that edge.
The drama is based in part on a documentary of the same name that was released in 2005. Director Rachel Boynton chronicled the 2002 Bolivian presidential election.
Sandra Bullock plays “Calamity” Jane Bodine, a retired political consultant who is lured back into the game when she has the chance to work on the 2002 Bolivian presidential election; a contest her archrival Pat Candy (Billy Bob Thornton) is in as well.
Her candidate is a former president who is now a senator. He is arrogant and has none of the populist skills the frontrunner has. He does have Jane who sees this race as a way to vindicate herself and to possibly do some good.
There are moments that are undoubtedly satiric. Are rival political consultants willing to play the kind of dirty tricks we see in the film? Or is this hyperbole?
Most of the film is played pretty seriously, and Bullock does her usual professional job as an idiosyncratic political operative. Bodine may not always be likable but one can’t admire her dogged pursuit to find ways to push her candidate to the top while demoralizing Candy.
Few people are as good as Thornton in portraying a heavy and he excels here as the amoral consultant.
The film’s ending goes a course that audiences would expect. There are not any surprises here, but it is satisfying.
Director David Gordon Green has had a varied career that has included comedies such as “The Pineapple Express” and a number of acclaimed dramas. He does a good job here, although I wish the film had a little bit more of a dark tone.
Despite its poor box office showing, it is certainly a film worth your attention.
And now I want to seek out the documentary.