The Undefeated

This is so unspeakably dreadful, by my own assessment I should say no more.

This is not a movie. It's an infomercial and like most infomercials it is riddled with omissions, exaggerations and downright lies. From the erroneous title -- she was defeated twice, once in the Alaskan primary for lieutenant governor and, of course, as John McCain's running mate, through the over-the-top, ridiculous imagery of lions eating zebras, boxers, etc. and let us not forget the mushroom cloud, it would be a total embarrassment to anyone with the brains to know what embarrassment is.

I might have given it one point more if finally someone had told us the real reason the woman quit as governor.

The trouble with Sarah Palin is most of us have already made up our minds about her and for the most part negatively. If Stanley Kubrick directed a positive film about her, and threw in all the spaceships, monkeys, atomic blasts and Alex's he could muster, we'd hate it still. We come to this film seeking comedy or horror. And Stephen Bannon is no Stanley Kubrick.

Bit of background. I'm an American living in Barcelona. The Europeans I've spoken about her with, those who've been paying any attention, either loathe her or are genuinely puzzled by her ascension. Bearing that in mind, a Catalan friend obtained a copy through some interwebz magic and invited myself and girlfriend to watch.

From the opening the room was filled with laughter. They were likely relying more on the subs and may have experienced a very different film from myself but our reactions were the same. Laughter, then boredom. A few more snickers then everyone turned their attention away from the screen and to the wine and the company.

Long story short, it was a campaign ad. A very, very long ad that only those smitten by Palin will likely watch.

I really liked this documentary, and was most impressed with the work of Mr. Bannon. I loved the way he took the narrators from color to black and white...from individual to "everyman". The scenery was spectacular as well.

I had no idea that Sarah Palin had done so much for the good of Alaska. I learned a lot from that part of the film.

And as to the question of vitriol directed against the subject of the film..I can only propose that she is a walking reminder of someone who attempts to live life in accordance with her personal moral and spiritual values. This is a blatant reminder of the hypocrisy in our own lives and those who decry "hate speech" find themselves engaging in it. Let's tear her down and then we'll feel better about who we are. How shameful! "By their (our) fruits you will know them (us)."

Two thumbs up! Good job, Mr. Bannon.

People expecting to watch The Undefeated and see a polarizing, divisive Sarah Palin might be disappointed. The real Sarah Palin shown in this film is more about battling corruption than scoring cheap political points. Afterall, this is the woman who enjoyed a sustained 80% approval rating governing the state of Alaska, where more than two-thirds of the electorate are independent. This is the woman who turned in her state party chairman for ethics violations. He later received the largest ethics fine in state history.

Sarah Palin had high approval ratings in Alaska because she worked in bi-partisan fashion to pursue popular reforms, including a nearly unanimous and sweeping ethics law, a new system for calculating oil royalties, and the blueprint for a $40 billion natural gas line.

Since being picked as a VP candidate, this popular governor has been subjected to more bizarre scrutiny than any VP candidate in history.

I challenge skeptics to watch this film with an open mind to see the popular reformer who took on the special interests in her home state.

The Undefeated is a political documentary about one of the most well-known, but misunderstood political figures of our time. While the film is in no way objective (it's 100% pro-Palin), it is also not fluff. The filmmaker elected to spend two full hours covering every important detail of Palin's political biography in order to set the record straight against the many misconceptions that have prevailed in the media about her.

While the presentation could be called a bit heavy-handed with respect to the use of hyperbolic rhetoric, epic movie-score music, and imagery taken from the animal kingdom, the content far overshadows any of that. This woman has her finger on the pulse of what really matters in public office, and the film does an excellent job of conveying that graphically. It shows her humble personal background in a small-town in the "Last Frontier", the purity of her intentions in getting involved in politics, the tenacity and effectiveness of her actions in office, and the inspirational leadership that she has provided to the Tea Party movement and women and girls everywhere since she ascended to the national scene in 2008.

Although the film is long for a feature documentary, it is not boring. There is nothing more important in my opinion than informing the public about those who aspire to lead our nation in this critical moment in our nation's history. I do believe that Sarah Palin is that person, and this film illustrates it. But even if you don't agree (yet), I would strongly urge that you see this film and decide for yourself.