All of them, except Bodine, have already taken jobs as political consultants in other countries. What part should morality play in politics? We root for Jane to win and feel guilty for caring more about the game than the country. The cinematic trope has retroactively kept a light on devilish George H.W. She insists Castillo express regret, but not to apologize. Sandra Bullock (who shares producer credits with, among others, George Clooney and Grant Heslov) is the reclusive political strategist Calamity Jane Bodine, who turned her back on her profession after one dirty trick too many. Crisis management examples are easy to find these days: We've seen Uber lose 200,000 users in the wake of #DeleteUber and United lose $800 million in value in just a few hours. Mick LaSalle is the film critic for the San . Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. Jane yells out the window to Candy that Rivera has dropped 6 points. In a Netflix comedy by Katharine McPhees stepdaughter. That was almost certainly the final straw. OUR BRAND IS CRISIS NOTE: This spoiler was submitted by Jason The film starts with Jane Bodine (Sandra Bullock) being interviewed. And sometimesin fact, I daresay oftenyou know about a half hour into a film that youre going to have to censure it. She will work on the campaign of anybody, provided the money is right. Since Im reviewing this film for its DVD release, Ive already taken into consideration the opinions of other reviewers. When Jane leaves the meeting with LeBlanc, she instead instructs her to dig up dirt on Castillo, their own candidate. The campaign believes Castillo should apologize as soon as possible but Jane disagrees. In my review of the documentary, I wrote: The process of framing Goni to look like something he isnt could be the stuff of a rambunctious campaign comedy like Primary Colors or, for that matter, the documentary The War Room And parts of Our Brand Is Crisis are darkly amusing. The 2005 Our Brand Is Crisis was the second documentary about Carvilles political work, following 1993s The War Room, in addition to Carvilles dramatic acting rsumand cable news career. Andrew O'Hehir is executive editor of Salon. Bodines character loosely channels celebrity political consultant James Carville, one of the Americans who worked on the 2002 Bolivian campaign and a consistent fascination of Hollywood. ", "Toronto Review: Sandra Bullock Carries Our Brand Is Crisis", "Sandra Bullock Adds Gravity to Bolivian Political Satire", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Our_Brand_Is_Crisis_(2015_film)&oldid=1134072378, Tilda Del Toro as Pedro Castillo's secretary, This page was last edited on 16 January 2023, at 22:01. Our Brand Is Crisis. The 2005 Our Brand Is Crisis was the second documentary about Carville's political work, following 1993's The War Room, in addition to Carville's dramatic acting rsum and cable news career.. When Jane realizes how much she hurt the country, shes so upset that she actually quits her business and joins the protesters. That is, of course, when you can get her out of 'retirement' and give her a good reason to . Busy Phillips Is Not Like a Regular Mom, Shes a Cool Mom, Theres nothing wrong with Busy Phillips being cast as Mrs. George in the upcoming, In Search of Tom and Katies Bubba Painting, Maybe punting on the larger plot can be forgiven if we get a sweet. "Our Brand Is Crisis" is a fictionalized treatment of the 2005 documentary of the same name, which focused on Bill Clinton's former campaign manager James Carville. The way Jane and her team approaches politics makes them good at their job, but it also makes them cynical people, and the movie rarely questions their behavior until the very end when it does so in the most heavy-handed manner possible. A montage shows the crisis message is working and support for Castillo is growing. [11] More casting was also announced, which included Reynaldo Pacheco, Dominic Flores, Louis Arcella, and Octavio Gmez. Password must be at least 8 characters and contain: As part of your account, youll receive occasional updates and offers from New York, which you can opt out of anytime. She tells him shes going home tomorrow. He suggests maybe later they can go out. The more you understand politics, the more it obliterates idealism and eventually all you see is a rigged game masquerading as a grand-scale optimism. [16], On August 21, 2014, Bullock's casting was confirmed, playing a retired political consultant called 'Calamity' Jane Bodine, and David Gordon Green was set to direct the film. But the fact that it wants to also squeeze in a redemptive tale. He cant reconcile that her success also makes her a bad person. On a bus trip to a mountainous countryside, protesters start throwing rocks at the bus. Digital rental or purchase allows you to instantly stream and download to watch anywhere and anytime on your favorite devices. A man in a mask jumps the barrier and smashes an egg on Castillos forehead. Jane has accepted the offer and their plane lands in La Paz, Bolivia, which has an elevation of nearly 12,000 feet above sea level. ***SPOILER*** Castillo wins the election, and immediately breaks all his promises and turns out to be a tyrant. Castillo and the campaign team are on the outdoor set of a commercial for the Senator. *Sorry, there was a problem signing you up. But it seems as though screenwriter Peter Straughan and director David Gordon Green realized near the end that theyd written a feature-length film celebrating consultants ability to install a lying, oligarchic, IMF-beholden stooge to a South American presidency, and decided they ought to wrap things up more palatably. When youre in the movie reviewing ministry, a variety of messages and agendas come and go. Oct. 29, 2015. Who paid for it? The front-runner, Victor Rivera, is a populist who is appealing to the basest emotions of that poor electorate. But at the end, their methods are exposed to the viewers as evil. (Vice) President Selina Meyers (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) has a stable of advisers including Dan Egan (Reid Scott) and Jonah Ryan (Timothy Simons) who have internalized and aspire to the Carville cult; its just that reality interrupts to remind them that things dont work like that. Some of her pranks, specifically one ploy to feed her candidates unsuspecting competitor a Nazi quotation during the campaigns final debate, are good for a laugh. Glenn Kenny was the chief film critic of Premiere magazine for almost half of its existence. [13] Peter Straughan was set to write the script, with Clooney attached as a potential director and star for the film, about the 2002 Bolivian presidential election's campaign by James Carville's Washington, D.C.-based political consulting firm Greenberg Carville Shrum,[14][15] which was hired by candidate Gonzalo Snchez de Lozada. Jane is on the set but is only seen in the background on a lounge chair, still looking unwell. A battle-hardened American political consultant is sent to help re-elect a controversial president in Bolivia, where she must compete with a long-term rival working for another candidate. Shes convinced to step up when she discovers the front-runner has hired consultant Pat Candy (Billy Bob Thornton), her arch-nemesis. Candy can be seen watching the action in the background. They plead with him that any negotiations with the IMF (International Monetary Fund) be preceded by a referendum so the people can decide. Verdict. Later Castillo is heard instructing interest rates to be raised to 15%. All rights reserved. Outside, a large groan is heard. "Our Brand is Crisis" was one of these pleasant surprises. By the way, the bus driver is paid to drive like a complete moron to do it. She opens with footage of an anti-government riot that came less than a year after the election. Jane gets blasted, leaks misinformation, vandalizes Candys room, and sabotages his candidates rallies the way he sabotaged her candidates. A one-stop-shop for all things video games. A shame, then, that the movie loses its cynical nerve with an utterly phoney finale that ties itself up in conscientious knots. Candy is outside the hotel in his chauffeur-driven SUV and offers Jane, Ben, and Nell a ride to the airport. Somebody on the Castillo bus says Jane has a great ass! (And she does. Have they learned nothing? Our Brand is Crisis may be director David Gordon Green's most sterile picture yet, but it's redeemed somewhat by Sandra Bullock's lead performance, as well as a talented ensemble cast . He is currently 28 points behind. Thornton is sleek, clammy, and leering. Filmcast "Our Brand is Crisis" November 6, 2015 Laura Seaman Features , Filmcast , Movies [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Join Laura Seaman as she reviews " Our Brand is Crisis " and previews " Spectre " and " The Peanuts Movie " on this week's episode of Filmcast. [4] It was theatrically released by Warner Bros. on October 30, 2015. Rated R Maybe Carville and the Clintonocracy were empowering democracy after all, even if it wasnt quite the variety they intended. It is revealed that she retired after violating election laws. LeBlanc discovers Rivera has purchased 27 vehicles with taxpayer money at the cost of about 35-40 vehicles. Comedy Drama A battle-hardened American political consultant is sent to help re-elect a controversial president in Bolivia, where she must compete with a long-term rival working for another candidate. The interviewer says she's been known by many names, most notably "Calamity Jane". The disillusioned Eduardo joins his brothers at a demonstration of people demanding change. Heres my idea for a Hollywood ending: People are inspired to seek out Boyntons great documentary, which throws a spotlight on one of Americas least-known but most consequential exports. That kind of consumer response is pretty remarkable, and it also says something about each brand's crisis management strategies. There just arent enough cigarettes or bottles of Scotch in the world to give any political consultant the power that we, in our fits of frustration, guiltily wish they had. Jane says its time to go negative. When it does, Jane moons the Rivera bus. Sandra Bullock and Billy Bob Thornton go head to head as strategists in a patchy satire about the 2002 Bolivian elections. She is approached by Candy, who tells her hes surprised shes working on an unwinnable campaign. She realizes that she was deceived by Castillo, just like she was attempting to deceive the people of Bolivia. The message I got from this movie was very positive. Eduardo, a young volunteer of the Castillo campaign, is deeply impressed by this show of commitment. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google This is a competent film that shows how foxy political campaigns can be. The deeply disappointed Eduardo visits Bodine in her hotel; Bodine replies that she is not responsible for Castillo's actions. An anti-government riot that came less than a year after the election and. To drive like a complete moron to do it our brand is crisis ending explained positive, Jane moons the Rivera bus a of. 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