Experta en crisis

There are numerous movies and TV series that are dealing with elections. Most of them are focusing (obviously) in the electoral race and their climax is the outcome of the election. Some of them though have a stronger, more political message. A "morale" if you prefer...

"Our Brand Is Crisis" starts as a comedy but in its epilogue says some hard truths about the world we are living.

Sandra Bullock stars as the depressed campaign manager who essentially wants to beat her opposite colleague (a really thin Billy Bob Thornton) with whom share a past both professionally and personally. She looks really good, especially in the beginning of the film, before she experiences "soroche" (Altitude sickness) in the heights of Bolivia.

The script is intelligent and has a few funny moments, but it is obvious that the winning an electoral race isn't the main theme here. It is what happens after that. How easily could manipulate people, who hasn't realized that his vote it is not only his strongest power, it is his only power.

Politicians have fake promises and lies into their blood stream. They could tell and promise anything so they get elected and then forget about it. You know it, I know it, everyone knows it, but still act and vote without really thinking. "Our Brand Is Crisis" tries to remind that to its audience.

Overall: A movie which easy to watch. Not a "big" movie. Has its moments. Sandy looks good and there is a morale so to make you think twice before you vote in the next elections...

8.1 of 10. Not quite as enjoyable as the 2005 documentary that it's named after, but definitely adds to the story and makes it more exciting and funnier for those not into political documentaries.

It also provides a better look at Bolivia. Much of the documentary is stuck inside or looking at the politicians when they occasionally step outside. Here, the film explores the country and goes where the documentary, possibly for safety reasons, never treaded.

The acting and casting is surprisingly good. Not the people you'd expect for the main roles, yet they fit in extraordinarily well.

Not the best politically natured film of the year (that goes to Big Short), but definitely the best and most insightful film on modern election politics and "democracy".

Falling badly in the polls. Bolivian presidential candidate Pedro Castillo (Joaquim de Almeida) enlists the help of an American management team for help. The main start of the team is "Calamity" Jane Bodine (Sandra Bullock), a brilliant strategist who must come out of a self-imposed retirement for a chance to beat her professional nemesis, the loathsome Pat Candy (Billy Bob Thornton). Since Candy is working for her competition, this election becomes a dirty, all-out battle between the two political consultants, where nothing is held sacred and winning is the only option.

Ever since I saw her in Gravity, I've been a big Sandra Bullock fan. I think she's a great actress and I was willing to take a chance on this film because of that. I was interested in this because the film's trailers made it look like a fun political satire. The film started off with Jane being plucked from obscurity and starts off slow from there as she just seems disinterested in the proceedings. I found this a little annoying because I felt, as the other characters did, that my time was being wasted. They made her have altitude sickness but that wasn't necessary. Once she got over that, I felt the film started to get better. It was interesting for me to see their interpretation of the political process and the fact that it was taking place in Bolivia didn't seem to have any relevance. The campaigning and the strategizing was fun but I feel like the film was playing it safe with everything. It never really explored anything with any depth and again, it never really talked about what was happening in Bolivia. Because of this, the film's sudden change of tone near the end did not work. I just found it odd as the film started off as one thing and then tried to be something else and the transition just didn't work either. I found the plot in this one to also to not be original and rather predictable. The film also had a message but just like the tone change, it also did not work or feel earned. Despite the plot's shortcomings, they did not matter as much to me because of the acting. specifically by Bullock and Thornton. I found Bullock here to be very entertaining and she had a great command of the screen. Thornton was great as well as his scenes with Bullock's Jane were just amazing because of the writing and the chemistry between the two actors who are actually friends in real life. The other actors in the film (Anthony Mackie as Ben, de Almeida as Castillo, Ann Dowd as Nell, Scoot McNairy as Buckley, Zoe Kazan as LeBlanc, and Reynaldo Pacheco as Eddie) were good too and the chemistry was there but there was no character development whatsoever as we never really got to learn anything about any of these characters. The closest character to get some development was Pacheco's Eddie as his character served primarily as a view into Bolivia itself but barely. This film set out to be a satire and a drama and I think it got the satire but some of the drama just didn't work for me. Overall, this film had good intentions but was a little messy but Bullock and Thornton alone make this worth a look.

Score: 7/10 keithlovesmovies.com

"Our Brand Is Crisis" (2015 release; 107 min.) brings the story of "Calamity" Jane Bodine (played by Sandra Bullock). As the movie opens, Jane is discussed by a couple of campaigners who are driving up North to meet her, and we learn that Jane has been away from politics for 6 years and lost the previous four campaigns she was involved in. Yet they are desperate enough to convince her to come aboard. The candidate? A Senator in Bolivia who is down by 28 points. On top of that, the leader in the polls has hired how own US campaign consultant (played by Billy Bob Thornton). At this point we're 15 minute into the movie, but to tell you more would spoil your viewing experience. You'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments, as noted in the movie's opening credits, the movie is "suggested by the documentary by Rachel Boynton" (from 2005). The movie is directed by David Gordon Green, best known fir "Joe" and "Pineapple Express". While the 2005 documentary was a riveting look at how American-style politics might (or might not) work in a place like Bolivia, the 2015 movie version cannot make up its mind whether to be a comedy, a satire or a drama. It has some elements of all three but in the end it isn't funny enough (even though there are a couple of very funny moments), or biting enough to resonate. The movie is saved by Sandra Bullock, who oozes charm and charisma, and Billy Bob Thornton, as his rival. The scenes in which they directly interact are stellar. Snarls Thornton to Bullock: "when you play long enough with the monsters, you become a monster", ha! The movie also lacks a surprising amount of character development. Do we really know all that much more about 'Calamity' Jane at the end of the movie? .

"Our Brand Is Crisis" opened nationwide this weekend, and even though I had my doubts that it could live up to the original documentary, I nevertheless decided to check it out. The Saturday matinée screening where I saw this at here in Cincinnati was nicely attended, somewhat to my surprise to be honest. If you haven't seen the 2005 documentary of the same name, I would strongly encourage you to check that out before you see this. Even though the facts in the documentary are now 13 years old, it remains a must-see film about politics and campaigning. The 2015 fictional version is not a must-see, but it makes for an interesting exercise to compare the documentary against the fictional version.

While having quite the comedy value to it, "Our Brand of Crisis" is a simple introduction to politic, the glory and all of its schemes. The premise might be fictional but it presents a decently serious issue with commentary of less-than-subtle nature. The cast is entirely capable on creating mostly unscrupulous characters, although the theme tends to plod in midway point.

Jane (Sandra Bullock) is a campaign strategist who has infamous rap, often being dubbed "Calamity Jane". She is recruited into Bolivia election while she also has to deal with her personal issues. This is an occasionally dysfunctional woman, to say the least. She's not the people person even though her occupation demands her to engage with other colleagues and citizens.

The acting is strong and with addition of Billy Bob Thornton, Anthony Mackie and Anthony Mackie, it's an engaging race of votes. Some of these characters are more than one-dimensional workers, and their apathetic mannerism or idealistic views are compelling to give more depth to the subject. Its dirty smear strategy also gives insight on the sometimes overlooked aspect of an election.

Story holds up well, although there are a few points that might be repetitive. Its display of politic world is nice, and the underhanded tactics can be realistically relatable, but the humor can be a misfire as it doesn't connect properly and creates a jarring shift of tone. The issues are somewhat exaggerated which might undermine the authentic message it tries to show.

It may not be a landslide victory, but "Our Brand of Crisis" is sufficiently told with great cast and approachable view on politic to grab one's attention.