Our Brand Is Crisis

Political consultant Jane Bodine (Sandra Bullock) had a mental breakdown and lives in seclusion. Nell (Ann Dowd), Buckley (Scoot McNairy), and Ben (Anthony Mackie) hire her to consult on the failing campaign of Pedro Castillo (Joaquim de Almeida) as Bolivian President. He is a former leader who instigated harsh tactics and politics. She discovers old foe Pat Candy (Billy Bob Thornton) is running the leading candidate's campaign. She brings in LeBlanc (Zoe Kazan) to do opposition research.

This movie wants to be a powerful statement against politics but is also trying to be a silly comedy. The fact that it's dealing with realistic world politics means that it needs to be more vicious. It needs to be darker. It needs to hit harder. The charismatic Bullock is stuck in no-woman's land. She is still compelling and fun although fun is not necessarily the needed adjective.

It's been awhile since Sandra Bullock has been able to immerse herself in a role. It's wonderful to see her back on the screen. Her character here is a political strategist who's flawed in ways that make her appealing. No other actress does sarcasm and feisty in the same breath as well as Bullock. Especially when she does it with a subtle nod to humility. This is a movie which will not appeal to everyone because it's about a political campaign and campaigns are the same whether in the U.S. or in another country. Unless you appreciate the games played in getting anyone elected this will feel labored. The entire cast is excellent. Thornton and Bullock apparently are friends off-screen and their scenes together aren't nearly enough as they are out for the same result. One of the smarter movies I've seen this year.

'Our Brand is Crisis' is based upon the apparently true story of the wholly cynical manipulation of a presidential campaign in a Latin American country. With such subject matter, one would expect it to come across a lot more dark but unfortunately, this movie has a fairly laconic, wishy-washy feel to it. The promised head-butting between the two leads (Thornton and Bullock) comes across more as half-hearted ironic flirtation. The attempt at sentimentality at the end seems forced. I believe this movie would have played better as an unrepentant dark comedy, and also get the sense that it should have been a made-for-t.v. movie. There are some terrific location shots, apparently filmed in Bolivia, where the movie is set.

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.

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".