The Congressman

I LOVED this film! LOVED IT!!!!! Treat Williams is one to watch in this -- He is FANTASTIC -- every move, every look, every word, every silence -- superb! His embodiment of this character is beyond experienced -- rich and honorable, experienced, yet fresh.

Don't be fooled by the title -- if you're tired of 'politics,' this is actually refreshing and inspiring. A wonderful film with quality and value.

I loved the entire cast -- I felt like they literally went to Maine and just hired the actual people on that island!! Authentic to the core.

Chris Conroy as "Ben" reminded me of early James Dean -- I could not take my eyes off of him -- I was intrigued, riveted, and mesmerized every minute he was on screen. Such unique and subtle strength, tender and magnetic. He was fantastic. I fell in love with him.

Ryan Merriman's scene in the bathtub is stellar!! I wasn't crazy about him at the top of the film, but as his character expanded, so did my appreciation and attraction to his performance. I enjoyed the ride he took me on. Perfect. His 'reveal' was brilliantly executed.

The scene with Treat and Elizabeth as husband and wife, was so so very beautiful -- tender and true. They had us really sitting IN the room with this longtime couple that had LIVED and LOVED -- no acting, just the epitome of authentic.

I just loved EVERYTHING about this film -- I did not want the characters to leave Maine, because I did not want to leave Maine!! This production captured the essence of Maine perfectly -- breathtakingly beautiful, grounded, timeless, hearty, unpretentious.

Treat's speech at the end is glorious. I can't type fast enough or find enough adjectives to capture how this film made me FEEL -- I can write my thoughts, yes, but I need rare words to describe the feelings. Such a beautiful and powerful film in such a tender and honest way. I loved it. To be appreciated by every generation.

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 casting and acting were stellar, the dialogue was entertaining and thought-provoking, humor was sprinkled throughout, the pace was quick, character development was excellent, the scenery of Monhegan Island, Maine was gorgeous, capturing many aspects of the island's beauty (forest, coast, village,...),... The highlights for me were the points made about the pledge of allegiance, the importance of nurturing a marriage, and how good this congressman was at listening to his constituents. This movie captured much in a short amount of time.

The timing of "The Congressman" is perfect for this tumultuous time in American history. Written by a retired congressman, who made significant contributions including protecting the Alaskan forest, it captures the essence of what we think a good-hearted congressman would do if he/she was not influenced by forces not in the interest of democracy, the environment, or the people. I haven't seen Mr. Smith Goes to Washington in forty years, but I think that movie had a similar spirit, if I remember correctly.

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.

"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.