Click on image to see it full-size.

The subject of politics always makes for good movie fodder, especially now as the current Presedential candidates are pretty much all we hear about in the news. The new movie OUR BRAND IS CRISIS looks at the behind the scenes aspects of elections, in this particular story using South America as a backdrop. Originally intended as a theatrical vehicle for George Clooney, the main character was changed to a woman so that Sandra Bullock could take the lead. Clooney is producing with partner Grant Heslov, and Texas-based David Gordon Green serves as director. This political comedy/drama may be one of the more honest of its type, but in the end that may also be what hurts it most.

Jane (Sandra Bullock) is a political strategist living her life in snowy mountain seclusion, far away from the world she once inhabited. She’s approached by Nell (Ann O’Dowd) to take on a Presidential candidate in Bolivia named Castillo (Joaquim de Almeida), who is in desperate need of some image consulting. Jane (once called “Calamity Jane”) wants nothing to do with the job, but gives in when she finds out the opposition is being groomed by Pat Candy (Billy Bob Thornton), a James Carville-like strategist that also happens to be her biggest rival from the old days. With the assistance of campaign helpers Ben (Anthony Mackie) and Buckley (Scoot McNairy), and a young investigator named LeBlanc (Zoe Kazan), Jane begins her mission to turn things around for her losing horse in the Presidential race.

While the basic story here is very much politics and elections, there’s actually plenty of humor along the way. Based on the documentary by Rachel Boynton, the screenplay by Peter Straughan (TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY) finds some great beats and keeps things moving at an engaging pace. Bullock is very likable as Jane, a woman who isn’t just determined to succeed, but really needs this win to feel complete. There’s an underdog quality to her character that is instantly identifiable to the audience, almost like an Erin Brockovich sort of archetype. Billy Bob Thornton does a great job playing the cocksure competitor trying so hard to be charming, but mostly coming across as creepy and annoying – the perfect foil for our heroine. Joaquim de Almeida is excellent as the Bolivian candidate who seems like the lesser of two evils, but there a nice layer of ambiguity to the role that keeps the film from feeling like this character is just pandering to the audience. We never really know if he’s in fact the best guy for the job, but that’s part of the charm, as his team is just doing their part without really feeling like they “know” him. Everyone else gives 110% with the material, making the most of their respective roles and complimenting the leads nicely. Ann O’Dowd is always good, Anthony Mackie is very endearing, and Scoot McNairy is terrific. Only Zoe Kazan feels underwritten, like there was more to her character that never gets explored, but there’s an intentional layer of mystery to her part which may explain why.

The biggest failing of OUR BRAND IS CRISIS is the ending, which while respectably realistic and daring just drags down the whole vibe of the proceedings. I appreciated the fact it doesn’t wrap things up in a neat little bow, but instead it feels like a downer for the audience in a bad way. I think most of the good will the film builds up in the first few acts is sort of destroyed by the finale, and it’s the sort of thing that will leave most moviegoers walking out of the theater feeling unsatisfied. This may also be the result of Peter Straughan’s writing, as in looking at his filmography many of his films have this same problem – HOW TO LOSE FRIENDS & ALIENATE PEOPLE, THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS, THE DEBT, TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY and even FRANK all sort of leave you feeling cold or disconnected at the end. While the bulk of OUR BRAND IS CRISIS is solid entertainment, the final moments may hurt it at the box office, though my biggest hope is it puts David Gordon Green on the map even more as an A-list director, considering his contribution here is perhaps its biggest strength.

Be Sociable, Share!

• 
•