GAME CHANGE

GAME CHANGE
Written by Danny Strong
Directed by Jay Roach
Starring Julianne Moore, Woody Harrelson and Ed Harris

Although I will never fully understand it, I was just another Canadian glued to my television set nightly leading up to the 2008 American presidential election. On the one hand, I was consumed by the idea of the change that then senator, Barack Obama, could bring to a country that so badly needed it, to say nothing of the historical possibility of an African-American president. But I will not deny that I was also deeply fascinated, and often just as disturbed, by the circus that was the John McCain campaign. GAME CHANGE, from the team who previously went behind the political curtain with RECOUNT to explore the 2000 election recounts in Florida, is not going to blow anyone’s mind with revelations about that campaign but it does make the whole insanity seem much more human than it came across.

Unlike the novel of the same name that GAME CHANGE is based on, by authors John Heileman and Mark Halperin, this HBO feature does not focus on the Democratic and Republican primaries. Instead, writer, Danny Strong, and director Jay Roach, introduce the film at a pivotal point in the McCain campaign and take it from there. Senator McCain, played by a reserved Ed Harris, is trailing Obama (not dramatized in the film) by far too many points to win the election and refuses to play dirty politics. So in order to win, his campaign manager (Woody Harrelson) suggests that they need a real game changer to compete with the celebrity status Obama had risen to. And so, McCain’s team heads out in search of a running mate that could somehow eclipse Obama’s star with one that shines even brighter. Unfortunately, their search did not include nearly enough research. Enter Sarah Palin.

And enter Golden Globe winner, Julianne Moore, in what seems like an effortless and yet beautifully layered portrayal of the former Governor of Alaska. While GAME CHANGE does make many a statement about the blunders that went into the rushed decision to bring Palin on to McCain’s ticket, the bigger focus is on Palin’s personal journey. Roach presents Palin as a patriotic woman with only the best of intentions to do right by her country when we first meet her and a bit power crazed by the end. Moore than takes that cue and reminds the viewer that she is also a caring mother, who genuinely connected with a great deal of the American people and who, after realizing she may have bit off more than she could chew, completely retreats from the outside world. Moore makes her human, shows us how scary it must have been for her to go through what she did, coming from where she came from. She isn’t painted as a saint by any means but showing us Sarah’s softer side reminds us that perhaps we too should be showing ours more often than we are now. Who knows? We just might change the game.

THE CAMPAIGN

THE CAMPAIGN
Written by Shawn Harwell and Chris Henchy
Directed by Jay Roach
Starring Will Ferrell, Zach Galifianakis, Jason Sudeikis and Dylan McDermott

Marty Huggins: Bring your brooms because it’s a mess!

One of my biggest complaints with politics is that they are often far too transparent to be truly taken seriously. At times, it seems that some politicians are hardly even trying to mask that they are not acting in the best interest of the people they are elected to represent but rather in their own. Why then should I lend any more credence to a film that makes about as much effort when it comes to crafting an original take on the modern electoral process, as these politicians do pretending like they care about anything more than their bank account balances?

THE CAMPAIGN promises a good race but really only delivers about as much excitement as one would ordinarily expect from a tiny district congressional election. It isn’t because there isn’t enough talent to make it happen; THE CAMPAIGN boasts talent aplenty in fact. Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis play Cam Brady, a four term congressman looking for his fifth, and Marty Huggins, a local man with no real mind for politics, or much else for that matter. Their characters are ferocious in their competition with each other and Ferrell and Galifianakis are even more intense with their portrayals. These boys commit but unfortunately, they aren’t committing to the right material. Shawn Harwell and Chris Henchey’s screenplay is nowhere near as funny as it could be and even less satirical than it needs to be. What is an American political comedy without bite anyway? A soggy apple pie? Who wants to eat that?

An election movie in an election year is far too easy an opportunity to pass up and director, Jay Roach, takes a far too easy approach to the subject. THE CAMPAIGN is like modern American politics for dummies, but written by the dummies.

086. Game Change

086. (11 Mar) Game Change (2012, Jay Roach) 60



Decidedly not as good their Recount, Jay Roach and Danny Strong's reteaming still has its moments. They present behind the scenes moments of the McCain-Palin campaign here that are downright irresistible, namely whenever there's a major confrontation. Julianne Moore pretty much locks down an Emmy win as Palin, convincingly inhabiting the role with a degree of comfort that's astounding considering how prolific the former governor remains. Her major blowouts with Woody Harrelson and a scene-stealing Sarah Paulson are high points.

Editing is the biggest issue here. The film feels in no way fluid, transitioning roughly from one phase of the campaign to the next. The scenes here don't offer an encapsulation of the entire McCain-Palin drama.

Ed Harris is also a liability. His John McCain is physically unconvincing, but the character's also peripheral to a point he barely serves a purpose. Harris also doesn't present McCain's coldness or awkwardness. It's apt though that, like how Palin stole McCain's thunder, Moore easily overtakes Harris.