"Our Brand Is Crisis" Review
Political satire is an art form. From Veep to SNL’s approach to the presidential candidates each year — the formula that generates great political commentary involves a delicate balance of humor, tact, intelligence and a willingness to take everything to the next level. “Our Brand is Crisis”, directed by David Gordon Green (“Pineapple Express”), mixes politics and humor, creating a film with genuine insight and a laugh-out-loud approach to the world of political campaigns.
Jane Bodine (Sandra Bullock), or Calamity Jane as she is known in the political world, has retired from politics. For years she rolled with the top-dogs, working on some of the biggest campaigns, but her dedication to the craft took a toll on her personal life — resulting in several stints in rehab. Seemingly content with her cabin in the mountains and pottery-making, bad news comes knocking in the form of Nell (Ann Dowd), a former colleague. Nell is currently working for a Bolivian candidate, Castillo (Joaquim de Almeida), and she wants Jane on the campaign. Castillo is 28 points behind in the polls and in desperate need of Jane’s expertise. Jane isn’t convinced to join the team until one name is brought up: Pat Candy (Billy Bob Thornton), her political campaign nemesis. At the mere mention of his name Jane is on a flight to Bolivia, off to save Castillo’s campaign.
“Our Brand is Crisis” is Sandra Bullock at her finest. As Jane, she delivers a bull-headed personality, perfectly countered by an off-kilter charm and sense of humor. There is something classically physical and consistently effortless about Bullock’s comedic chops and this role allowed her to bring what she does best to the table. Her performance turns what could’ve been a deeply-flawed, stoic woman into a riveting, can’t-wait-to-see-what-she-does-next character. An added bonus to Bullock’s performance: Billy Bob Thornton as Pat and Zoe Kazan as political ingenue, LeBlanc. The relationship between Jane and Pat is dark and twisted and to watch this play out onscreen is a pure delight. Time slows down as Pat and Jane come together in a series of biting and witty conversations and Billy Bob Thornton plays his character to a twisted tee. Zoe Kazan’s LeBlanc is mysterious, but Kazan stands as the perfect partner to Bullock’s comedy.
As a lazy, but always intrigued, political junkie what I found so fascinating about this film is its ability to touch on the truth of political campaigns while also managing to have a lot of fun. As Jane and her team work to bring their candidate up in the polls, you really get to see the art of political communication — how it is not about honesty or doing what it is right, but it is about telling the right story at the right time and convincing the people to believe in that story. It’s as simple as that. “Our Brand is Crisis” tells the story of the type of people it takes to get the political job done, and its humor comes from the eccentricities of their different personalities. The writing is fantastic, and if you’ve ever wondered what might lead Sandra Bullock to flash her bare bottom at a passing bus of political enemies, this movie is definitely for you!
Grade: B+
"The Judge" Review
As I drove to the screening of “The Judge” I thought to myself, “I’m not looking forward to another stubborn father/son relationship movie”. In fact, I wasn’t looking forward to seeing Robert Downey Jr. play Tony Stark minus the billions of dollars. Imagine my surprise when I viewed a movie about Tony Stark minus the billions of dollars that actually had heart!
Hank Palmer (Robert Downey Jr.) is a big time Chicago lawyer who left behind the simple town he came from. When the death of his mother brings him back to Carlinville, Indiana, Hank has to face the demons he left behind. One particular demon being his father, Judge Joseph Palmer (Robert Duvall), who has served as the town judge for the past 42 years. No matter what Hank has done that may impress most people, his father doesn’t seem to care. In fact, he doesn’t seem to care that he came back for the funeral outside of a handshake.
Once the funeral is over, Hank is ready to get on the next flight out of town, but a mysterious car accident involving the judge keeps him there. It seems the aging judge hit and killed Mark Blackwell (Mark Kiely), an ex-con that he let off easy that wound up committing murder soon after. With Judge Palmer’s memory on the fritz, a courtroom drama plays out with the judge being the on the other side of the fence and Hank choosing to stand by his father’s side. Amidst the trial, Hank also tries to tidy up his relationship with his father and loved ones.
There are plenty of great performances in the film. Robert Duvall will probably receive award nominations as the aging judge. Billy Bob Thornton plays the slick, and equally brilliant prosecuting attorney Dwight Dickham, who’s bent on getting Judge Palmer convicted. Vincent D’Onofrio is as real as it gets as the brother who stayed behind, and has the weight of the family at large on his shoulders. Vera Farmiga helps give us a heartfelt look into who Hank was before he left Carlinville as Hank’s ex-girlfriend Samantha. Robert Downey Jr. is a low budget Tony Stark in the film, but he does it so well that you wind up believing he’s Hank Palmer shortly after the film gets underway.
Regardless of its’ sappy overtones, there is something about “The Judge” that speaks to the human experience. Wether it’s family grudges, unforgiven history, or the inevitable certainty of death we all must face, this movie touches on it all. Stemming from personal experience, director David Dobkin (Wedding Crashers, Change-Up) does a great job of spearheading a universal story. Sure, it may be a little melodramatic in it’s handling of said topics, but it handles them in such a way that you automatically think about your own life experience while watching the film.
In lesser hands, “The Judge”, may not have worked. With a random heart to heart in the middle of a tornado scene, and a son who no matter how much he says he hates his father, keeps trying to please him, the film could easily derail into Hokeyville, USA. Fortunately, the combination of veteran actors come together to create a film that speaks to the human experience.
Rating: B