Hi everyone! Sorry for having been away for so long. Law school has consumed a better part of my life, and I'm finally on Spring Break for the next week or so. I plan on doing a re-cap of how my first year went, as soon as the time is right, because I feel like some bright-eyed, future student out there could use the advice. But more on that, later...
On my second night home, I watched Game Change, the HBO movie, based on the book about the 2008 US Presidential Election. Focused on the Republican Party's John McCain campaign, the audience gets an inside, albeit dramatized look at the pressured campaign managers as they try to combat bad PR and tackle two "maverick" candidates.
Most of us lived through this little piece of history, but few are aware and perhaps uninterested as to what actually happened behind-the-scenes. Faced with deciding on a running mate for the presidential ticket, John McCain selects the hockey-mom Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin, igniting a media firestorm from Palin's formidible celebrity presence to that of Democratic candidate Barack Obama. With her strong moral values, down-to-earth disposition, and close family ties, Palin becomes an overnight poster-child for the conservative movement. The rest of political America, however, is less than pleased, when it soon becomes apparent that her political acumen, and personal life are not up to snuff. We know how this ends, but what we didn't know, then, for Palin, it was just beginning.
While not my favorite story in the canon of political campaigns, there's a lot to like about Game Change. Even if you look at everyone who was involved in the production and understand most of them have strong liberal backgrounds, it's a better experience if that notion is dropped in favor of the enjoyment of good storytelling, which is exactly what the film features. This is a story best described as good intentions that didn't quite pan out as expected; a tragedy of errors. Not just because McCain's campain managers didn't realize the proverbial pandora's box they unleashed with Palin, but because her strong personality (or ego, if you will) was more than anything the McCain campaign was ready to deal with.
Amongst the star-studded cast, Julianne Moore's portrayal of Sarah Palin arguably outshines the rest. She really transforms into the role, but her portrayal is a much more subtle, realistic rendition of Palin then the Emmy-winning masterpiece Tina Fey offered in '08 (she makes two cameo appearances in SNL archive footage). Moore offers the audience to look into the mind of a fiercely independent woman, who refused to sacrifice her beliefs for the political game. Perhaps Palin is more misunderstood than we thought. In the end, one starts to think she was meant for something less obstrusive and more rewarding than politics, after we see the effects it has on her family and personal life.
Game Change, at times, is painfully like what I observed one reviewer say: "watching the A student trying to help the D student pass the final exam." It is clear from the narrative that the McCain campaign managers feel the campaign is doomed once Palin enters the picture. I presume most of what I'm watching is taken from reliable sources within the campaign, although I did feel at times that Palin's "nervous breakdowns" and moments of morose catatonia reeked of melodrama, especially when the advisors begin to question her mental health. It certainly works in the field of drama, but something about it didn't sit right with me. Lastly, with the majority of the perspecitve fixated on Palin (who is, arguably, the more fascinating figure in this yarn), it would have been nice to see more of McCain's perspective too.
Despite my mild criticisms, Game Change is absolutely worth your time, even if for just the performances alone.
8/10
Peace,
- Jon
