Things you buy through our links may earnNew Yorka commission. There are too many balls in the air, too many uncontrollable outside factors, for any singular figure to get all of this under control, be 10 steps ahead of the curve, and successfully and confidently blaze a trail from pre-candidacy to election to dignified leadership. Um, yes. 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. The film is directed by David. It might be possible to make a good movie out of a cross between Mike Nichols Primary Colors and Costa-Gavras Z, but Our Brand Is Crisis, directed by David Gordon Green in a seeming attempt to do something along those lines, is not that movie. 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. [4] It was theatrically released by Warner Bros. on October 30, 2015. I think you pull it, Joshua Jackson says to Lizzy Caplan sensually. Soon enough she is smoking, drinking, and scheming again, signaling to the viewer that shes back to her antiheroic winning ways. She finally just decided to get off the carousel. She will work on the campaign of anybody, provided the money is right. He tells a story about a campaign run by Adlai Stevenson in which Stevenson is told everything thinking person would vote for him, to which Stevenson replies that is not enough. Some said it was insightful. George Clooney and Grant Heslov produced. Castillo immediately punches the man. Jane highlights something in the book. That kind of consumer response is pretty remarkable, and it also says something about each brand's crisis management strategies. Both Bullock and Thornton portray Carvillesque characters (and the bald Thornton looks the part). 2023's Most Anticipated Sequels, Prequels, and Spin-offs. Castillo tells her she needs professional help for wanting to do anything to win. 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. Jane says its time to go negative. We root for Jane to win and feel guilty for caring more about the game than the country. Power? Throughout almost all of the film, Jane and her team use dirty manipulation to campaign for Castillo. Eventually Eddie sees her and they make eye contact. The insistent, intrusive music score by David Wingo doesnt help matters, and neither do the too-many subsequent montages, all of which are of the always mistaken We Need A Montage variety. Even worse, it turns out to be a humanist, socialist, anti-capitalist message about "the people" rising up to establish some sort of vague communist brotherhood centered . 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. But when youre reviewing a political drama, you have to be careful to pay close attention. OUR BRAND IS CRISIS NOTE: This spoiler was submitted by Jason The film starts with Jane Bodine (Sandra Bullock) being interviewed. Jane and her team had no idea he would do that. When Bodine realizes that she brought a liar into office, she has the car stopped and leaves to join Eduardo. In the mix is a fine supporting cast including a sensational Thornton . What sealed the deal was that she will be coming up against her long-time arch-nemesis, Pat Candy. 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. Mick LaSalle. Negative ads are now running for Castillos campaign. Still offensive? Read full review SEE ALL 35 REVIEWS User Score Write a Review 6.4 Positive: 23 To handle this scandal, Castillo is interviewed on TV and explains it was a visit to his son, who IS a member of the cult, and he had to wear the robe. 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. [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 yells out the window to Candy that Rivera has dropped 6 points. The real meat of the comedy, and drama, comes in the ingenious dirty tricks that Candy and Bodine play on each other, which could kick off a primer on the political practice recently known as rat-f**king (although that phrase is never uttered in the film). Verdict. Their main tactic is to emphasize the many problems of the economy and present . Any empathy the audience feels for the nauseous Bodine is likely explained by . Answer, Does HIGH MORAL CHARACTER matter in political leaders? Our Brand is Crisis review: While the film is heart-warmingly centered on Bullock, she is at her best neurotic, desperate, redeemable self. At least not right away. Our Brand is Crisis (2015) (964) 6.1 1 h 47 min 2015 X-Ray R. A Bolivian presidential candidate failing in the polls enlists the firepower of an elite American management team, led by the deeply damaged but still brilliant strategist Jane Bodine. [3], The film opened on October 30, 2015, alongside Burnt and Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse. She will work on the campaign of anybody, provided the money is right. Thats not just naive to the point of idiocy. Carvilles troops were dispatched to La Paz in 02 to consolidate the great victory of liberalism and democracy as they and their sponsors and benefactors understand those things and to resist the rising tide of Latin American leftism represented in Bolivia by the indigenous political leader Evo Morales, Gonis leading opponent. A knock on the door reveals Eddie, saddened and angry, who tells her about the IMF plan. The protest is growing in the city. There are 12 misuses of god, Jesus (1), Jesus Christ (1), hell (3) and d*mn (3). ", "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. Although Castillos populist opponent doesnt seem to have much integrity (the character does in the documentary), we still know that Castillo has less, that hes a dreadful man. Played for laughs? While it would have been nice if the supporting characters were just as well developed (Candys entire purpose seems to be to enter a scene, taunt Jane, and then leave), Jane is a compelling figure, and its unfortunate that the film doesnt match her complexity. 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. Her words are intercut with footage of newspaper headlines and, oddly, shots of Bullocks hands molding clay at a pottery wheel. Since Im reviewing this film for its DVD release, Ive already taken into consideration the opinions of other reviewers. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google In a restaurant, Jane sits alone until Candy sits next to her. February 27, 2023. Answer, Should Christians seek political power or should we only focus on evangelism? Covering Rammsteins Du Hast in Berlin. Bodine had fled the consulting scene for years after an eruption of conscience that pushed her to mental breakdown, sobriety, and pottery. On a bus trip to a mountainous countryside, protesters start throwing rocks at the bus. All of them, except Bodine, have already taken jobs as political consultants in other countries. She needs a cigarette, so she walks out the door into a large open foyer. In 2002, Bolivian politician Pedro Castillo hires an American political consulting firm (based on James Carville's Greenberg Carville Shrum firm) to help him win the 2002 Bolivian presidential election. Candys played by Billy Bob Thornton, and his serpentine southern charm and minimalist tonsorial stylings suggest real-life political maven James Carville (and it is perhaps no accident that Thornton played a deep-fried political strategist in Primary Colors, too) who was in the aforementioned documentary. (R. 107 minutes.) I love stories of politics as theaterthe stagecraft, scripting, wardrobe choices, and focus group testing of absurd commercials. *Sorry, there was a problem signing you up. Eddie is delivering a framed photograph to now President-Elect Castillos Senate offices. She tells him shes going home tomorrow. He suggests maybe later they can go out. But Boynton has done her own framing: This campaign is a precursor to tragedy. "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,. Since 2013, the study of English and history has dropped by a third; the number of STEM degrees, meanwhile, is soaring. It casts a skeptical eye at the gospel of globalization thats preached by Janes team, but its outrage is more directed at cynicism than at any specific system. Back at Janes hotel, Ben calls and informs her there will be a protest downtown. A bus race ensues around dangerous bends and cliffs. Thats why in a time of ever-greater political chaos, the character rings so false. There are also two middle finger displays. Its educational and leaves you with serious thoughts about political power. Candy is outside the hotel in his chauffeur-driven SUV and offers Jane, Ben, and Nell a ride to the airport. Nevertheless, his brothers are much more skeptical about Castillo. [19] Additional filming occurred in Puerto Rico and Bolivia. Carville and Greenberg won that election for Goni, after shifting the entire theme of his campaign to the crisis mantra, but maybe they should have vetted their candidate a little better. Who was really paying for their work with Goni, an unpopular former president who had spent much of his life in the United States and spoke Spanish so poorly that Bolivian opponents derided him as El Gringo? In its best moments, Our Brand Is Crisis is reminiscent of Wag the Dog; it knows how fucked politics is and acts accordingly. Director David Gordon Green Writers Rachel Boynton (suggested by the documentary) Peter Straughan (screenplay) Stars Sandra Bullock Later Castillo is heard instructing interest rates to be raised to 15%. Castillo wins the vote by a small margin. Jane says that Pat Candy is behind the fliers. Joaquim de Almeida - Castillo. The Unloved, Part 111: Devil in a Blue Dress, Female Filmmakers in Focus: Cauleen Smith on Drylongso, True Lies Fails to Capture the Charm of the James Cameron Original, Berlinale 2023 Highlights, Part Two: Reality, Manodrome, The Adults, Inside, Golda. We just want to dive into a pool without having to hold onto our bottoms. 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. On April 22, 2007, it was announced that George Clooney would produce a dramatization of the 2005 documentary Our Brand Is Crisis, along with Grant Heslov, and Warner Bros. would handle American distribution rights. [27] Peter Debruge from Variety thought that Jane Bodine, played by Bullock, "is easily one of the best female roles of the last 10 years,"[28] while Benjamn Lee from The Guardian wrote that "Bullock seems blissfully unaware of the films faults and delivers a performance that expertly plays on her strengths - her comic timing, wasted in lesser, plane-ready comedies, is on top form and she imbues her neurotic character with more than the thinly sketched quirks provided on the page; she commands a room when needed, perfects scenes of physical comedy and even turns a climax of forced sentiment into something poignant and believable"; he concluded that "while the film is patchy, Bullock's brand is confidently crisis-free". Castillo's American consultants, knowing that they need ideas outside the box, recruit "retired" political strategist "Calamity" Jane Bodine, who has lived somewhat off the grid and has not worked on a political campaign in six years. Their main tactic is to emphasize the many problems of the economy and present Castillo as the solution. 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. Bodine and her crew join Candy on the way to the airport. The film, directed by David Gordon Green and based on the 2005 documentary of the same name, follows Bullock's character Jane Bodine, a political mastermind brought in to help a Bolivian. Boynton traveled to Bolivia to cover the activity of a high-priced U.S. consulting firm, Greenberg Carville, and Shrum, in the 2002 presidential race, and she had amazingfrankly, flabbergastingaccess. Entertaining and provocative, Our Brand Is Crisis is a satirical political drama. The disillusioned Eduardo joins his brothers at a demonstration of people demanding change. But the main mystery to me was the message of this film. Mick LaSalle is the film critic for the San . Thornton is sleek, clammy, and leering. ***SPOILER*** Castillo wins the election, and immediately breaks all his promises and turns out to be a tyrant. 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. Jane is on the set but is only seen in the background on a lounge chair, still looking unwell. Jane insist they go negative in spite of this, but Castillo says no. 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. 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. Did Cirie go too far by bringing family matters into the game? So I knew that, in this case, I would just have to find out for myself. They plead with him that any negotiations with the IMF (International Monetary Fund) be preceded by a referendum so the people can decide. Its great fun. Who paid for it? Starring Sandra Bullock and Billy Bob Thornton. That is, of course, when you can get her out of 'retirement' and give her a good reason to . (A heavy back story is subsequently revealed, followed by an ever heavier back story to the back story.) Either the character repents, and you have a cornball ending, or the character doesnt, and you have a soapy endorsement of sociopathy. A shame, then, that the movie loses its cynical nerve with an utterly phoney finale that ties itself up in conscientious knots. She comes to realize shes better than that. A lethally effective charm delivery system, Sandra Bullock doesn't need to do much to win you over. When Jane leaves the meeting with LeBlanc, she instead instructs her to dig up dirt on Castillo, their own candidate. Thats why Hollywood had to invent a character with such powers: the knowing, salty political consultant. He calls the police and Jane is seen slapping an officer. He has written for a host of other publications and resides in Brooklyn. David Gordon Green keeps the perspectives shifting, getting lots of good angles on this three-ring circus. She cares about winning, and the movie reinforces the narrative that politics is just a game. Somebody on the Castillo bus says Jane has a great ass! (And she does. The image of that boy haunts Our Brand Is Crisis, so that the U.S. strategists who do a bang-up job of getting the wrong man elected to the wrong place at the wrong time look like agents of catastrophe.. "[25] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 53 out of 100, based on 35 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". As one of his first moves as president, Morales unilaterally reversed the terms of Bolivias natural gas contracts with foreign corporations: Instead of the investors getting 82 percent of the profits and the Bolivian state getting 18 percent, it was suddenly the other way around. And while the role of Calamity Jane smacks of Sandra Bullocks brandingthe smart but painfully self-conscious klutz whos also a depressiveits a complicated, maybe even feminist shtick. They talk about the book and Mephistopheles, with whom Faust makes a wager for his soul. The reality of U.S. politics is dominated not so much by incompetent leaders as mortals who lack the requisite superpowers needed to steer the ship of state. She tells Castillo and the campaign that this is no longer an election, it is a crisis. So yes, throughout the film, the protagoniststhe ones portrayed as good guysuse communistic propaganda. The go-to source for comic book and superhero movie fans. See list of Relevant Issuesquestions-and-answers. Reproduction of material from any Salon pages without written permission is strictly prohibited. He overhears him making plans to visit the IMF in New York, and is crestfallen. In her eyes, her job is done. [10] On October 13, 2014, Participant Media announced that they would co-finance the film with Warner, while Jeffrey Skoll and Jonathan King would executive produce, along with Bullock and Stuart M. She tells Nell she needs to pull some string with her contacts at the Bolivian State Department, in order to take votes from Castillo, and give them to Volasco (another candidate). Preview", "Star-Driven Casualties 'Our Brand Is Crisis' & 'Burnt' At The B.O. [9] On October 10, Joaquim de Almeida and Zoe Kazan joined the cast, with Almeida playing Castillo, the former president of Bolivia, and Kazan playing a young woman who finds dirt on political candidates. Please share it with your friends rnum=Math.round(Math.random() * 100000); She pulls from her bag the pottery bowl that Ben was admiring in the first scene, and hands it to him before climbing out of the car. In case the true story behind the baffling and approximately well-intentioned Sandra Bullock star vehicle Our Brand Is Crisis makes any difference, here it is: Way back in the innocent days of 2002 (Im kidding about innocent), the high-powered political consulting firm Greenberg Carville Shrum parachuted into Bolivia to take up the cause of a struggling presidential candidate named Gonzalo Snchez de Lozada, universally known as Goni. Rachel Boynton, a documentary director whose work focuses on ideology, politics and power (her most recent movie, Big Men, is about the global workings of the oil industry), came along and made an extraordinary film about that campaign, whose title was drawn from a telling phrase coined by one of the GCS consultants. document.write(ts+'script src="http://www.burstnet.com/cgi-bin/ads/ad12539a.cgi/v=2.3S/sz=728x90A|970x66A/'+rnum+'/'+nf+'RETURN-CODE/JS/">'+ts+'/script>'); You can send in your spoiler to other movies by going here. : What The Hell Happened? Janes conversion, alas, is over-broad and signaled from the start. Jane expresses to Ben that she still gets nauseous whenever she sees Castillo. Jane meets with Castillo who says shes a liability. [21] It had a wide release in 2,202 theaters for 21 days. Another screenshot shows Castillo has 10% to Riveras 39% with 80 days until election day. Beyond needing to adjust to her relocation to La Paz however temporary, Jane knows that she has to transform the thinking of the populace to making them want Castillo as their leader as opposed to changing Castillo to something he inherently is not. Janes sidekicksplayed by Anthony Mackie, Ann Dowd, Scoot McNairy, and Zoe Kazancant make a dent in Castillos mixture of machismo, cluelessness, and the kind of self-serving patriarchal worldview that regards Bolivias indigenous population as a bunch of children who dont know whats good for them. [11] More casting was also announced, which included Reynaldo Pacheco, Dominic Flores, Louis Arcella, and Octavio Gmez. 107 minutes Cast Sandra Bullock as 'Calamity' Jane Bodine Anthony Mackie as Ben Billy Bob Thornton as Pat Candy Zoe Kazan as LeBlanc Scoot McNairy as Buckley Ann Dowd as Nell Director David Gordon Green Screenplay Peter Straughan Writer (original documentary) Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. A young man working on the campaign, Eduardo (Reynaldo Pacheco) comes to the rescue of Castillo and ushers him away. LeBlanc discovers Rivera has purchased 27 vehicles with taxpayer money at the cost of about 35-40 vehicles. So they cop out, closing on an unlikely, feel-good character turn for Bodine. 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. 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. An young actress expresses concern with her part in the ad, which requires her to be caught by Castillo. That was almost certainly the final straw. All rights reserved. Before I address the message, Ill review the content. Click here for all of our TIFF 2015 coverage thus far or peruse links to our reviews below: Matt Goldberg has been an editor with Collider since 2007. Jane insists to the campaign team that this was set up by Candy. 1h 47m. Our Brand Is Crisis also has deeper themes that punctuate the human cost of winning and what it takes to do just that. Maybe its time to put it out to pasture. 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. What makes the campaign more personal for her is that Pat Candy is working for Rivera--their professional and personal history goes all the way back to her first-ever political campaign. 39 % with 80 days until election day she sees Castillo discovers Rivera has purchased 27 vehicles with taxpayer at... Which requires her to be careful to pay close attention entertaining and provocative, our Brand is Crisis NOTE this! Jane to win and feel guilty for caring more about the game than country. Movie fans a character with such powers: the knowing, salty political consultant punctuate the human of. Serious thoughts about political power Jason the film starts with jane Bodine ( Sandra Bullock doesn & x27! Wardrobe choices, and the campaign that this was set up by Candy you.! Somebody on the Castillo bus says jane has a great ass there will be coming up against her arch-nemesis! Sees Castillo you over was a problem signing you up politics as theaterthe stagecraft,,! 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