Que le meilleur gagne

'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.

"No wrong but losing."

Three things I learned from watching David Gordon Green's Our Brand is Crisis: 1. Politics is universally corrupt—The Bolivian election "Calamity" Jane Bodine (Sandra Bullock) is hired as a strategist for has the very machinations extant in our own balloting as I write this column.

2. What a candidate does after election may have nothing to do what he or she promised to get elected.

3. Sandra Bullock can act--heretofore I have not been impressed, but in this film she sheds her cute starlet demeanor and plays a bright, depressive, frequently losing marketing adviser with enough brilliance left after her battles to pull together a competitive campaign. Her fragile nature combined with grit makes for a moderately complicated character.

Our Brand is Crisis, adapted by director David Gordon Green and writer Peter Straughan from Rachel Boynton's 2005 documentary of the same name, is sometimes uncompromising about the low-ball shenanigans of a campaign, with tricks such as spreading lies about an opponent or spreading lies about your candidate to allow him to deny and ascribe the rumor to his opponent.

It is gratifying to see that Jane is not above dirty tricks, nor does she win each skirmish with the likes of her marketing opponent, Pat Brady (a slick, smarmy, bald Billy Bob Thornton, based on Clinton strategist James Carville).

Jane's past includes a stint at a mental hospital and questionable tactics, one of which apparently led to a suicide. She is not the usual glam Bullock; rather she is a shaggy, disheveled blond with self doubt and frequently nauseous from the Bolivian altitude. At any rate she is not the consultant Senator Castillo (Joaquin de Almeida) thought he was paying for.

Nor does the film give her transcendent moments of inspiration: What comes of success is learned experience and a bit of luck. No deus ex machina in this drama. In fact, as Green marries her pratfalls with her sometimes drunken speech, it's difficult to see where the usually focused Green and his movie want us to go: Drama? Comedy? Satire?

The differences between what Jane wants from the candidate and what he wants provide effective moments of speechifying that illuminate the process and develop character. Ben (Anthony Mackie), who runs the campaign, has the right stuff to hire Jane and question her methods while retaining a healthy sense of humor.

Our Brand is Crisis is a not-too-subtle look into politics and marketing. Although you won't be surprised, you will be gratified that what you suspected about the dirty tactics that go along with each is true. Just put a few top actors in the roles, and you will believe.

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".

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.

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.