Kristen Bell to Befriend an Unorthodox Rabbi. OUR BRAND IS CRISIS barely holds together as the story moves from campaign incident to campaign incident. The protagonist, Jane Bodine a.k.a. This is yet another film that could have been PG (maybe PG-13 due to a mooning scene) with a cleaner script. Written by Peter Straughan, and according to its credits inspired by the 2005 documentary film of the same name, Our Brand is Crisis uneasily mixes the star vehicle with the screwball-political-comedy/satire with the (half-heartedly, in the end) impassioned call to social consciousness arms. [11], Principal photography on the film began on September 29, 2014 in New Orleans, Louisiana, using 35mm film. Not all movies preach, for example, action movies are usually more about the entertainment of watching good triumph over evil. This email will be used to sign into all New York sites. Whats ultimately most frustrating is the evidence that the makers of this movie were fully capable of creating something as smart and ruthless as its lead character. That is, of course, when you can get her out of 'retirement' and give her a good reason to . Our Brand is Crisis hits a lot of clunky notes and the end is unforgivably cornball, but its still one of the liveliest political black comedies Ive seen in a while. We know this stuff happens, but its still clarifying to see the curtains pulled back. 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. Principal photography began on September 29, 2014, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Among the many achievements of HBOs Veep is its discovery of a new, post-Carville political consultant character, one thats just as cuttingly entertaining but truer to reality. 2023's Most Anticipated Sequels, Prequels, and Spin-offs. So they cop out, closing on an unlikely, feel-good character turn for Bodine. Well, this is the rambunctious comedy version of Our Brand Is Crisis, framed by director David Gordon Green and the British writer Peter Straughan not with a dead boy but the personal odyssey of a fictional character. Slate is published by The Slate Group, a Graham Holdings Company. Before a campaign stop, Jane tells Eddie to help Castillo roll up his sleeves. The disillusioned Eduardo joins his brothers at a demonstration of people demanding change. That remains a question shrouded in mystery, but we could probably come up with some decent guesses. Another graphic shows the race at 22% for Castillo and 26% for Rivera with 16 days to go. See list of Relevant Issuesquestions-and-answers. When she starts giving it back to himpsyching him outthe movie gets really good. What part should morality play in politics? Its yoked to an impoverished Bolivian teenager who believesdespite the angry effusions of his brother and friends in their hillside slumthat Castillo is sincere in trying to bring about economic equality. Back on the bus, Castillo explain to Eddie that an effective leader is a father to the people, and that sometimes a father must be strict. Around the edges of this story about Bullocks character, an especially ruthless consultant known as Calamity Jane, there are a few intriguing hints of other stories about the international financial system, the power of fear in politics and the American understanding of what democracy means when applied to other people in other countries. Terms of Service apply. Its educational and leaves you with serious thoughts about political power. [6] On September 15, Billy Bob Thornton joined the film,[7] and on September 18, Anthony Mackie joined the cast. What the hell was James Carville and Stan Greenbergs consulting firm with its close ties to Bill and Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party leadership class doing in one of South Americas smallest and poorest nations? Entertaining and provocative, Our Brand Is Crisis is a satirical political drama. She looks across the large foyer to see Candy sitting outside his room. 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. Jane is seen having a moment of introspection. 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 . And yet in David Gordon Greens tale of political fixers, Our Brand Is Crisis, he wants to find hope. One woman says he has a weird smile. I say, beat Candy because Jane doesnt really care that much about Castillo or Bolivia. Yet you really have to read between the lines and dig into the subtext of Straughans screenplay to perceive the issues that drove Boyntons film. But Boynton has done her own framing: This campaign is a precursor to tragedy. And even hes not even that close. So I knew that, in this case, I would just have to find out for myself. From there, Jane uses every trick at her disposal to try and beat Candy. Outside, a large groan is heard. But theres no real fun in determining the extent to which this movie is some sort of a clef expos. It is revealed that she retired after violating election laws. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. The deception disgusts her. Candy tells her he knows it was Jane who planted the fliers of Castillos infidelity in order to force Castillo to run a negative campaign. ***END SPOILER***. The R-rating is because of the language. She moved to a mountain cabin, stopped smoking, got sober, and started doing pottery. The premise doesn't really show up until the end of the movie. But as a whole, "Our Brand is Crisis" is a messy affair that sputters along when it should be humming with assured cynical momentum. 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. 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. During the final debate, Bodine cites a quote in a conversation with Candy (knowing that he'll give it to rival candidate Rivera for his speech) saying that "a great man" said it. He takes a room across the balcony in Janes hotel, where he can meet her stare, undress her with his eyes, and psych her out. , No amount of political manoeuvring can fix this film [1/4], An uneven mix of cynical satire and breezy comedy. South Africa - DM Listen, 18 Dec Ramaphosa's Renew22 team decides to back Mabuyane over Lamola - When the Renew22 caucus met on Day 3 of the ANC's National Elective Conference, at least 2,400 delegates agreed to support Cyril Ramaphosa's bid for a second term as party president, with Oscar Mabuyane as his second in command. You never find out. Answer. Meanwhile, the senior advisors (Ben, Nell and others) talk about Jane and Candy, how they had sex previously, and how she spread a rumor during a campaign that Candys candidates daughter was on drugs. She describes the Daisy advertisement, which ran exactly once, that turned the election for Lyndon Johnson over Barry Goldwater. LeBlanc finds even more dirt on Rivera, but Jane tells her to focus everything on finding dirt on Castillo. Andrew O'Hehir is executive editor of Salon. Although the movie has flashes where everything comes together and we can revel in dark victories, more often than not, star Sandra Bullock is left to carry the crushing emotional and thematic weight of a confused picture that acknowledges that politics is a cheap joke, and then expects us all to laugh. Loosely based on true events, Our Brand Is Crisis, follows Jane Bodine (Sandra Bullock) and her campaign team when they are hired to help Pedro Castillo win a presidential election in Bolivia. Thats not just naive to the point of idiocy. Jane is on the set but is only seen in the background on a lounge chair, still looking unwell. [23], Eric Kohn from Indiewire wrote that the movie is all about Bullock's performance, saying "she imbues her part with a ferocious energy that constantly elevates the straightforward material". It begins poorly, with an odd montage intercut to stagey interview footage in which Bullocks character, Calamity Jane Bodine, formulates an apologia for we-dont-quite-know-what. After he does this, Castillo gives Eddie his cufflinks to hold, and it is clear Eddie idolizes him. On a campaign bus heading toward a remote Bolivia location on a small dirt road, they discover Riveras bus is directly ahead of them. Others discuss plans but Jane is silent. January 14, 2016. She then offers money to the driver to overtake the Rivera bus. Castillo immediately punches the man. Our Brand is Crisis hits a lot of clunky notes and the end is unforgivably cornball, but it's still one of the liveliest political black comedies I've seen in a while. All contents 2023 The Slate Group LLC. There are also two middle finger displays. At a large debate with all the candidates, Jane is found behind the stage backdrop during the debate. A shame, then, that the movie loses its cynical nerve with an utterly phoney finale that ties itself up in conscientious knots. Yes, this is a movie where a diabolical character is given the surname Candy, and what can you really say? Its very obvious when shes going to do it, so it would be easy for viewers to close their eyes until all the yelling and laughter dies down. Afterwards, Jane sends 3 Bolivian singers to show up at Candys door. ***SPOILER*** Castillo wins the election, and immediately breaks all his promises and turns out to be a tyrant. The website's critical consensus reads, "Our Brand Is Crisis offers sporadic amusement and benefits from a talented cast, but ultimately lacks enough of a bite to add much of interest to the political satire genre. Jane also has to get Castillo to be totally transparent to her to uncover those skeletons that she might need to deal with, being transparent which he may not be willing to be, not realizing that her own skeletons might pop out to play. She introduces LeBlanc (Zoe Kazan), a young investigator who is hired to dig up dirt on Rivera. It received mixed reviews, despite Bullock's performance being largely praised, and was a box office disappointment. The movie opens with a title sequence regarding the main character Jane Bodine (Sandra Bullock) and her rise and fall from hotshot political strategist/image . In the following months, the team exercises a strategy of "declaring a crisis". Its nun versus AI in Damon Lindelofs new series. I have to rate it Offensive, due to its foul language, several blasphemies, and Sandra Bullocks bare hiny. In Bolivia, the situation is tense: Bodine learns that the indigenous people, who are a majority in the country but lack any real political power, are protesting for constitutional reform to get proper representation. Jane gets a call from Pat who tells her to turn on the TV. Bodine and her crew join Candy on the way to the airport. Copyright 2023 Salon.com, LLC. Washed-up political strategist Jane Bodine is hired by a political consultancy to help their client, Senator Castillo, win the Bolivian general election. I need a majority. Jane says There is only one wrong in this, and that is losing. But at the end, the team realizes how wrong they werein a shocking way. While Castillo is meeting with the press, Jane meets Eduardo. Jane gets blasted, leaks misinformation, vandalizes Candys room, and sabotages his candidates rallies the way he sabotaged her candidates. What are you going to do? and then leaves. His slickness fits the milieu. Ben (Anthony Mackie) and Nell (Ann Down) are driving in the snowy mountains (between the mountains, as Jane later corrects them) discussing their plan to sway Jane to work for the campaign of Pedro Castillo, a Senator in Bolivia who is running for President. Although she was once a wunderkind of the political strategy community, she lost her last four campaigns, the speculation that being the reason she dropped out of sight. [26] On CinemaScore, audiences gave the film an average grade of "C+" on an A+ to F scale. Castillo has won the election. But the main mystery to me was the message of this film. Jane says its time to go negative. The train begins to leave and Candy is furious. [20], In July 2015, Warner Bros. scheduled the film for an October 30, 2015 release, during the awards season. "Our Brand Is Crisis" is both the title of and a line from a new political comedy about American consultants who take over a Bolivian presidential campaign. Hollywood loves it some Ragin Cajun, because hes the closest real-life approximation to the magical political consultant of its dreams. "Our Brand Is Crisis" is being released by Warner Bros., but was largely funded by Participant Media, which produces what it calls "socially relevant films and documentaries." In other words,. The firm brings in "Calamity" Jane Bodine to manage Castillo's fledging campaign. So yes, throughout the film, the protagoniststhe ones portrayed as good guysuse communistic propaganda. However it is better and more gratifying to win the heart of a nation and keep it. Candy gives her a condescending compliment and tells her he plans to pleasure himself thinking about her when he returns home. [22], Our Brand Is Crisis grossed $7 million in North America and $1.6 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $8.6 million, against a budget of $28 million. She really truly does.). For those who want more detail, I have written a paragraph below containing spoilers. Candy is outside the hotel in his chauffeur-driven SUV and offers Jane, Ben, and Nell a ride to the airport. Eduardo, a young volunteer of the Castillo campaign, is deeply impressed by this show of commitment. When Jane leaves the meeting with LeBlanc, she instead instructs her to dig up dirt on Castillo, their own candidate. Facing a general strike and a series of confrontations between soldiers and protesters that left at least 67 civilians dead, Goni imposed martial law in October 2003, and the U.S. State Department issued a statement offering its full support. Castillo had been coached by Jane that if he senses any emotion or tears, to look directly into the camera. Well, that would be you and me both before and after. (A heavy back story is subsequently revealed, followed by an ever heavier back story to the back story.) Jane highlights something in the book. 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. The American consultants, not knowing the language or the culture of Bolivia, are persuaded by Bodine, a burned out veteran of American politics, to follow a strategy of smear campaigning to make up for their candidate's shortcomings. They talk about the book and Mephistopheles, with whom Faust makes a wager for his soul. So those questions remain in the dim and dusty background, behind the quasi-hilarious dirty tricks, the long nights of booze, the almost-condescending interactions with indigenous Bolivians and the rivalrous relationship tinged with both tragedy and Eros between Jane and Thorntons Mephistophelean (and distinctly Carville-like) Pat Candy. A senior advisor expresses dismay that she has been hired but all shes doing is sunning herself. She insists Castillo express regret, but not to apologize. . I found the film to be very interesting, and all the cast put on some of their best performances Ive seen. This Friday, Sandra Bullock assumes the role in Our Brand Is Crisis, a mostly satirical take on a 2005 documentary of the same name about American political consultants conquest of a Bolivian election. Read full review SEE ALL 35 REVIEWS User Score Write a Review 6.4 Positive: 23 This movie offers us the tale of the fall and redemption of an unscrupulous white lady -- who we know cannot really be unscrupulous since shes Sandra Bullock. But once in Bolivia, shes sidelined by acute altitude sickness (the flight down is accompanied by a primer on the geography and general stressed disposition of the place), and hence unable to immediately show her Sun-Tzu-informed genius to uptight candidate Castillo (Joaquim de Almeida). Our Brand Is Crisis review - dirty political dealings in South America. I think you pull it, Joshua Jackson says to Lizzy Caplan sensually. [3] The film opened on October 30, 2015, alongside Burnt and Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse. [24], On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 35% based on 147 reviews, with an average rating of 5.3/10. Glenn Kenny was the chief film critic of Premiere magazine for almost half of its existence. At an evening event, Castillo is shaking hands with people behind a barrier. That's true even in "Our Brand Is Crisis," a . Honestly, I didnt know what to expect, on a number of levels. She is approached by Candy, who tells her hes surprised shes working on an unwinnable campaign. SALON is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as a trademark of Salon.com, LLC. 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. 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