At another commercial set inside a warehouse, several llamas are there, and Castillo is set to compare the future of Bolivia with llamas, who work hard. He overhears him making plans to visit the IMF in New York, and is crestfallen. SALON is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as a trademark of Salon.com, LLC. 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. Entertaining and provocative, Our Brand Is Crisis is a satirical political drama. I need a majority. (A heavy back story is subsequently revealed, followed by an ever heavier back story to the back story.) Kristen Bell to Befriend an Unorthodox Rabbi. What are you going to do? and then leaves. Bodine had fled the consulting scene for years after an eruption of conscience that pushed her to mental breakdown, sobriety, and pottery. Jane says its just a carousel and she was going around and around. The deception disgusts her. "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. During a focus group for the ad in which he catches and holds up several people, its clear the ad does not resonate with anybody. Back at Janes hotel, Ben calls and informs her there will be a protest downtown. Plot out uproarious long-shot tricks against his opponents that always seem to work out even better than hoped? Meanwhile, Thornton employs his well-honed smiling/sneering shtick to nicely nasty effect. The interviewer talks about his son. More fliers are discovered that claim (with pictures) Castillo is a member of a crazy white-robe wearing cult. Los Angeles County said all litigation over the crash has now been resolved. They reluctantly agree, but the city is in gridlock due to the protests, which are on the verge of becoming riots. Comedy-Drama. In its best moments, Our Brand Is Crisis is reminiscent of Wag the Dog; it knows how fucked politics is and acts accordingly. A man in a mask jumps the barrier and smashes an egg on Castillos forehead. That was almost certainly the final straw. During the debate, Nell observes how charming Rivera is, while the team watches stage left. Negative ads are now running for Castillos campaign. A knock on the door reveals Eddie, saddened and angry, who tells her about the IMF plan. Back at the hotel room, Jane is with Eddie and his brothers, ordering room service and still drunk. [2/4], Sandra Bullock is the best part of this wobbly farce As a look at the state of the art of political campaigning (in the US as well as in Bolivia), Our Brand Is Crisis does not cut particularly deep and the ending isnt great. 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. Did Cirie go too far by bringing family matters into the game? Eddie is delivering a framed photograph to now President-Elect Castillos Senate offices. She then asks who knows English and only a handful of people raise their hands, so LeBlanc must translate. Morales government has dramatically reduced poverty and inequality, and presided over one of the worlds fastest-growing economies, right through the crash of 2008. David Gordon Greens uneven Wag the Dog-style satirical political romp takes both its title and theme from Rachel Boyntons 2005 documentary about the role played by the gun-for-hire American consultants in the 2002 Bolivian elections. When youre in the movie reviewing ministry, a variety of messages and agendas come and go. By what name was Our Brand Is Crisis (2015) officially released in India in English? While Rivera is still speaking aboard a train, Jane poses as a worker for the Rivera campaign and tells the conductor the speech is over. The protagonist, Jane Bodine a.k.a. Its cute for a while. It is considered to be the most important process in public relations." The film starts with Jane Bodine (Sandra Bullock) being interviewed. Candy can be seen watching the action in the background. The protest is growing in the city. Its also revealed that Candy is the one who ran over the llama during the commercial shoot. Played for laughs? Available from various digital retailers including Amazon Video, iTunes, Google Play, Apple, Vudu and others. 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). They make a sling shot out of clothes and shoot something that splatters against Candys window across the foyer. 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. 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, in this case the right-wingers are correct: Liberal Hollywood is in full effect. Critic Kenneth Turan has this review. Screenwriter Peter Straughans script originally featured a male protagonist, but Bullock makes the role her own, from vomiting into a wastepaper basket and mooning the opposition to shrewdly choreographing an on-air attack of tears for her candidate. Janes cynicismshe regards herself, the candidate, and everyone else as a pawnis so over-the-top that it threatens to derail Our Brand is Crisis: Who cares about the election if she doesnt? 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. Send your questions or comments about this or any other spoiler to: THEMOVIESPOILER.com. Jane is seen having a moment of introspection. Castillo and the campaign team are on the outdoor set of a commercial for the Senator. Jane suggests that Castillo reveal everything that could be used against him, but he refuses. She doesnt think the man should change to fit the narrative but instead the narrative should change to fit the man. I say, beat Candy because Jane doesnt really care that much about Castillo or Bolivia. And yet in David Gordon Greens tale of political fixers, Our Brand Is Crisis, he wants to find hope. 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. She gives him a bottle of Paul Newman Steak Sauce. [13] On December 11, 2013, Sandra Bullock was in early talks to star in the film, while Clooney chose not to direct, and his starring in the film was also unconfirmed at that time. Jane expresses to Ben that she still gets nauseous whenever she sees Castillo. 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. 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. The film is directed by David. 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 . The story follows a political strategist who's recruited to help the campaign of a Bolivian presidential. 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. [24], On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 35% based on 147 reviews, with an average rating of 5.3/10. When shes recruited for a chance to face off in Bolivia against her longtime and similarly depraved rival, Pat Candyportrayed convincingly enough as a stock Billy Bob Thornton character by Billy Bob Thorntonshe signs up. Although this is yet another nice white lady who benevolently comes to the aid of a non-white young person (in the case of Our Brand Is Crisis, it's a campaign intern who idolizes Castillo), Bullock shows a lot more shading here than in The Blind Side. Senator Pedro Castillo, President of Bolivia 15 years ago, is once again running for the country's top job. Though not without its entertaining momentsthe cast, led by Sandra Bullock, is energetic, sharp and gets a fair number of juicy bits to rock out with. She doesnt believe hell catch her and he expresses disbelief. 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. Unfortunately, the quote is actually from Joseph Goebbels, Adolf Hitler's minister of propaganda. Castillo is frustrated and wants to hear what Jane has planned for the campaign. The last movie I reviewed was Burnt, which was called a comedy by many, but I found it not to be a comedy at alljust a drama with occasional humor. An young actress expresses concern with her part in the ad, which requires her to be caught by Castillo. They then shoot the head of the Rivera doll Candy had left, and it breaks his window. At first Jane is defensive, claiming that she was just doing her job, but soon her heart is softened as she realizes the mess she helped to make. I think you pull it, Joshua Jackson says to Lizzy Caplan sensually. Can Hollywood find a way to take the political consultant character in a new direction? 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. 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). 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. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. ***SPOILER*** Castillo wins the election, and immediately breaks all his promises and turns out to be a tyrant. She just needs to hear him deny it. February 27, 2023. "Our Brand is Crisis" was one of these pleasant surprises. 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