The Congressman

35 years ago Robert Mrazek was quoted as saying that a successful screen play should contain a lot of sex and violence or else be "damned good." The latter is the case with "The Congressman," his long-awaited cinematic debut. The violence in "The Congressman" is subtle, the sexuality implied. Mrazek doesn't preach at us as Sorkin might have. He transforms character flaws into cautionary tales, he tells us what can happen in life if we value our own integrity, say what we mean, mean what we say. Take out a few f-bombs and "The Congressman" might serve as a means to teach our children and grandchildren what government service should be all about.

I won't go into where and when I watched this film, and in what town and theatre I parked my derrière but I did check this film out beforehand at IMDb.

The obvious shill reviews at the time was an incredible 5 out of 6 which is usually a red flag and a valid reason to exit the turkey pen. However against all basic instincts I grabbed a copy and watched it.

First of all the good signs, I never skipped through it, and I watched it all until the credits rolled. May not be a good indication to you but it is to me.

The storyline is well lets just say it's not taxing, I can safely say you don't need a special talent to come up with that one.

The acting was good Treat Williams especially, but to be honest George Hamilton was the only person I thought was out of place. What possessed the director when he signed him up heaven knows, the only reason I could think of maybe it was to attract the granny fan base.

On my scale it's a 6/10 not a penny more and not a penny less, a nice easy going film which questions ambition over personal relationships.

A simple story of man named Charlie Winship experiencing a change of life on a Maine coastal island. That he's a U.S. Representative who has upset the entire nation by publicly questioning his oath of allegiance on the floor of Congress during an election year adds to the dynamics – but first and foremost this is a sensitively written, directed and edited film with beautifully acted scenes set on a wildly picturesque Maine coastal island. There is a flavor of Flaherty's Men of Aran about this island that allows Joe Arcidiacano's expressive cinematography to frame the story as a true to life documentary. Production values are solid for an independent, the ambiance of a small island village well captured and interesting characters abound, some played by island natives. The professional actors fit like a glove, nuanced and accent perfect, they move with the same stolid self-awareness of island people – who may be cut off from the rest of America but are definitely united with something older and deeper that comes from the sea. Ryan Merriman is a quiet riot, Elizabeth Marvel is dead center in her characterization of an intelligent island woman approaching lusty spinsterhood, Chris Conroy covers the difficult distance between a young lobsterman and aspiring artist with great sensitivity, Marshall Bell is a crusted village patriarch with too many problems to solve and Kim Blacklock is everything a boat captain should be, and more. In her film debut Miriam Hyman sparkles as Charlie's congressional aide, while Josh Mostel is exactly the kind of political functionary you don't want to find hiding in your bushes at night. The filmmakers made a wise decision to keep George Hamilton bottled up on the mainland or he would have hijacked the entire film. Treat Williams deserves a deep bow for his performance as Charlie Winship. In a long career as a leading man he's clearly guilty of having saved the best for last. Still vital and expressive, Williams' world-weary humor and unerring character touches irresistibly score points and enlist sympathy as he presents the full picture of an attractive man in quiet turmoil. In the most bizarre of all political years it may be odd to find a perfect Presidential candidate residing in a movie; but there you have it. I'm writing my vote in for Charlie Winship.

If you want to know why this film rings true look no further than the script by ex-Representative Robert Mrazek that pulls more than little from his experiences as a five term Congressman from Long Island in 1980's and early '90's. Practical as only an ex-politician on a limited budget can be he builds his story from the ground up with an accumulation of telling set pieces – a half deserted lounge of a small airport on the hustings waiting for an overdue plane, a final visit to a dead marriage in a beautifully played scene between Williams and Jayne Atkinson (from House of Cards), a series of hilarious episodes in a mobile congressional office that has seen better days and saner people where Charlie meets constituents flourishing sex toys and exploded mailboxes and a unforgettably plaintive man with an Emmitt Kelly face lamenting his lost son to a useless war. Watching Williams' variations on a thousand mile stare throughout these conversations is a lesson in creative understatement. The fuse that ignites when he steps outside his Toonerville Trolley and gets tricked into demonstrating the Nazi salute to illustrate a point he's making about the pledge of allegiance – starts a smoldering trail through the Island's carpeted forests and tiny fairy houses, lobster thronged seas, mist drenched highlands and the most picturesque candlelit village bristling with diverse personalities until the dawn arrives with a thunderous surprise that forces him to return to the mainland and fight for his legacy with some powerful words from the Mrazek playbook. In the films climactic moment; a town meeting homage to Capra, Charlie gives the best political speech I've heard in this year of skinny sound bites and empty rhetoric. While his constituents digest the moment he quietly packs up his life and walks into the special sunset reserved for a man who has discovered, almost too late in life, what it was he ever really wanted to do... I hugely enjoyed the film for its difference and honesty. Some may call it predictable but I prefer unpretentious - predictable being a word I reserve for Hollywood. I look forward to seeing it again.

Congressman Charlie Winship (Treat Williams) is tired of being a Congressman, drinks a lot, is undergoing a divorce and and won't stand during the Pledge of Allegiance in the House of Representatives to start the business day. There is a movement to recall him.

Charlie gets invited to a small fishing town on an island that is having problems with poachers taking their lobsters. This is where he has a realization of what is important in life and comes to understand what being a Congressman is all about and he is determined to help the town.

This is too simple a plot and we needed something more to sustain us. The acting is good all around; and the solutions to the poaching problems were telegraphed from the very beginning. So we just sat back and enjoyed the cinematography, which was very good. There could have been more drama regarding the Recall effort. There could have been more conflicts with the poachers, but all we got was a fishing boat being blown up.

Notables: Elizabeth Marvel as Rae, Charlie's romantic interest on the fishing island; George Hamilton as Laird Devereaux who is the prime force to recall Charlie.

We were concerned how Charlie would get himself out of being recalled for not standing during the Pledge of Allegiance in the House. This came to be the twist we hoped for. (5/10)

Violence: Yes. A bloody nose on a basketball court and a fishing boat exploding. Sex: No. Sex: No. Language: Yes and much of it seemed forced.

"The Congressman" (2016 release; 98 min.) brings the story of US Congressman Charlie Winship of Maine. As the movie opens, we see an incident involving crab poaching off the coast of Maine (only much later will we understand the scene's significance), and over the movie's opening titles, there is a clever photo montage of Winship over the years, from his youth to his serving in Vietnam, to being sworn in as Congressman. In the movie's 'real' first scene. Winship is caught on camera not standing up during the Pledge of Allegiance, and in fact paying no attention to it. This causes an immediate uproar in the media and also in his constituency back in Maine. Pretty soon, it becomes clear how disenchanted the Congressman really is with everything and everyone. Then a one-day trip to an island 18 miles off the coast of Maine is on his schedule. At this point we're not even 15 min. 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: this is written by Robert Mrazrk, and co-directed by Jared Martin and Robert Mrazek (their feature debut), but I'd venture to say this movie is a labor of love for Treat Williams who plays the lead role but also co-produced the movie. Williams has had a long and distinguished career, but let's face it, it's been quite some time since he's had a lead role of this magnitude. He easily takes on the role of the frustrated and tired congressman. "I'm tired of all the BS", bemoans Winship at some point. We get ya, buddy! It's on the island that the movie finds its footing, as Winship and his aide are cut off (literally and figuratively) from the main land. At that point the movie takes on a little bit of "Local Hero" (that gem from the mid-80s, although "Local Hero" is miles better as a movie): the isolation, yet the joy of being away from it all, while "slowing down to the rhythm of the sea", as the local librarian (and possible love interest) Rae (played by Elizabeth marvel) puts it. The movie definitely picks up a notch or two when Marvel appears about midway through. But even that cannot mask some of the movie's shortcomings, including the environmental "political correctness" and preachiness, I mean this is PC going beyond PC, and then some! Also bothersome for me is that the movie is utterly predictable as to how it's all going to play out. I made a mental bet with myself midway through as to how it'd all end up, and in fact that's how it pretty much ended up... Come on, surprise me already!

The movie opened without any pre-release fanfare or advertising at my local art-house theater this past weekend. The week day evening screening where I saw this at was attended okay but not great. I can't see this playing in theaters very long. "The Congressman" is well intended and I love watching Treat Williams and Elizabeth Marvel, but the movie simply doesn't have enough to make it strongly compelling viewing. Worth checking out if you are a Treat Williams or Elizabeth Marvel fan or are in the mood for an environmentally PC and light-hearted romantic-inclined movie.