And the Winner Is...

I saw this film at the Palm Beach International Film Festival. I walked in not knowing what to expect and walked out with a grin.

"And The Winner Is ..." follows several small town politicians as they run for mayor. Each one has political characteristics that we've all seen and have laughed at, such as one being a puppet, a dimwitted bully, a socialite, a lady's man, etc. In order to get elected, they must compete in a contest that resembles a beauty pageant (thankfully without the swimsuit contest).

The camera style is that of reality television. The humor is like "Best In Show" meets "Drop Dead Gorgeous".

If you like political satire or if you are looking for a different kind of comedy than typical Hollywood fare, "Winner" is your ticket!

Or … 'American Idol' meets 'The Daily Show' inside of a Norman Rockwell painting.

This is an enjoyable political comedy. Through the lens of small town Americana, our nation's system of political elections is satirized as a popularity contest. Small town politicos are followed as they campaign to become mayor. The catch is that they must compete in a beauty pageant in front of an auditorium of hometown voters!

Awesome premise for a film. There are obvious similarities of politics to that of beauty pageants, a silly industry that has tried to maintain a dignified image by promoting the "ideal American woman". But in the aura of Donald Trump ownership, this world is becoming exposed for its shallowness and immaturity.

So we have a film that puts it together with a reality television camera style and an apple pie & Coca Cola vibe. It's too bad they were not able to get Sarah Palin to star in this one, but Jerry Springer does just fine!

American politics is becoming a popularity contest. Looks are really important. And politicians are judged more on how well they kiss babies and take pictures than how well they actually lead. True stuff indeed, just ask MSNBC, Entertainment Tonight, TMZ, or even Donald Trump. Or ask the writers of this amazing new comedy.

"And The Winner Is …" follows several small town political candidates as they campaign to win the crown of Mayor. This film is shot as a documentary to depict the realism and hypocrisy of small town politicians without cheap humor.

As anyone who has lived in a small town knows, this film shines a light on all the familiar local politicians … the puppet, the socialite, the guy in it to sleep with women, the bully, the artsy flip flop, etc. In this entertaining film, we watch them gear up to compete in an "America's Got Talent" style event in front of the hometown crowd armed with electronic voting devices. Jerry Springer plays the host and the candidates must participate in categories like "Smile & Wave" and "Talent" in order to get elected. Hilarious!!

This is a really smart comedy. Someday, it will probably become a true story.

This film seems to be inspired by some of our most guilty pleasures ... pop culture, reality TV and political cable shows. Yet, all three of these ingredients come together in a way that's tasty and well worth the price of the ticket.

I predict that this "will" be a true story. A small town changes the election process by electing their mayor through a "contest" for the entertainment of the locals. Brilliant. After all, we're all about being entertained with our pop culture, reality TV and politicians.

In this film, we watch several goofy and untrustworthy politicians prepare for the big contest. Their quirks are exposed with a filming style a la fake documentary. This really emphasizes that what politicians do in front of the camera and what they do behind the scenes are completely different.

The contest is hosted by non other than Jerry Springer. Yes, the former mayor of Cincinnati and reality show king himself. Jerry is entertaining and probably has the best eye roll in Hollywood!

This is a clever and enjoyable film! It's a WINNER !

I am a big fan of films that poke fun of certain personalities. Especially people who take themselves too seriously. Um, let's see, politicians and beauty pageant contestants do definitely fall into that category.

I'm also a fan of films that actually make a good social points. Here the theme is that political elections have become too much of a popularity contest. A smaller theme centers around the abusive use of eminent domain. This is all pulled off here with a unique story, characters I can relate to, and a charming small town setting ("Centerville").

"And The Winner Is ..." starts off a tad slow, but by 10 minutes in, the film becomes really fun and highly enjoyable. The 'politicians' are quirky and memorable. The actors did an excellent job (especially Don Mitri, Kirk Brown, and Kevin McClatchy).

"And The Winner Is ..." is really a dramedy (a combination of a comedy and a drama). Both genres are employed here with great results. Go out and see this movie!