Things you buy through our links may earnNew Yorka commission. But as a whole, "Our Brand is Crisis" is a messy affair that sputters along when it should be humming with assured cynical momentum. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Castillo's American consultants, knowing that they need ideas outside the box, recruit "retired" political strategist "Calamity" Jane Bodine, who has lived somewhat off the grid and has not worked on a political campaign in six years. Nevertheless, theres not much reason for you to take my word over theirs. At another commercial set inside a warehouse, several llamas are there, and Castillo is set to compare the future of Bolivia with llamas, who work hard. Ben jumps out and yells, get in the car, what are you doing? Oct. 29, 2015. Janes sidekicksplayed by Anthony Mackie, Ann Dowd, Scoot McNairy, and Zoe Kazancant make a dent in Castillos mixture of machismo, cluelessness, and the kind of self-serving patriarchal worldview that regards Bolivias indigenous population as a bunch of children who dont know whats good for them. Finally, she meets with Castillo for their first conversation. The filmmakers and their stars have fun with the idea that politics is sex for those who want to keep their clothes on. The disillusioned Eduardo joins his brothers at a demonstration of people demanding change. It is considered to be the most important process in public relations." He does exactly that, to Janes delight, when explaining hes not close to his son, but he wishes he was, with tears in his eyes. Ben says, ok. Thats not just naive to the point of idiocy. (R. 107 minutes.) His slickness fits the milieu. See list of Relevant Issuesquestions-and-answers. It is revealed that she retired after violating election laws. Right before the debate with the 3 leading candidates, Jane is sitting alone in the lecture hall, reading Faust by Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, and is soon joined by Candy. Maybe Carville and the Clintonocracy were empowering democracy after all, even if it wasnt quite the variety they intended. At the start, Jane has been out of the consulting game for several years, following a traumatic mayoral race. But when youre reviewing a political drama, you have to be careful to pay close attention. What makes this fictionalized Our Brand Is Crisis worth noticing to the extent it is, which isnt much is that the filmmakers probably believe they are delivering roughly the same message as Boyntons documentary did, but in fact the most important aspects of this striking story has been scrubbed away or laundered into Hollywood-style pseudo-psychological neutrality. Whats ultimately most frustrating is the evidence that the makers of this movie were fully capable of creating something as smart and ruthless as its lead character. "- Castillo: This llama will lead us toward prosperity. Walking into the room with the campaign team, she gives a fiery and inspirational speech about how important it is to go negative, and that anybody with a problem with that will be given a set of balls. Sandra Bullock and Billy Bob Thornton go head to head as strategists in a patchy satire about the 2002 Bolivian elections. A knock on the door reveals Eddie, saddened and angry, who tells her about the IMF plan. All rights reserved. A llama is shown getting hit by a car. She doesnt think the man should change to fit the narrative but instead the narrative should change to fit the man. Now, the film is so heavily fictionalized that it's much more an emotive or thematic . But the main mystery to me was the message of this film. Ideology? She just needs to hear him deny it. More fliers are discovered that claim (with pictures) Castillo is a member of a crazy white-robe wearing cult. One of the llamas is hit by a truck. 2/4[], Our Brand Is Crisis fun until it gets serious For too long, the stakes play second fiddle to the strategists and even the candidates remain too elusive to make the audience care as much as it should. She comes to realize shes better than that. Um, yes. Nell explains that Castillos opponent, Rivera, has hired her old arch nemesis, Pat Candy (played by Billy Bob Thornton). [2/4], Barbara Vancheri, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, would be perfect humanist, socialist, anti-capitalist propaganda except its a bit disjointed Abhorrent at least 61 obscenities rear female nudity when woman on bus moons other bus, crass, grimy and not sure of its own message burdens itself with foul language and sexual allusions, spoiling some pretty great performances from Sandra Bullock and Billy Bob Thornton. He calls the police and Jane is seen slapping an officer. Castillo promises the people that will happen if hes elected. A graphic shows with 24 days left until the election, Castillo has 19% and Rivera has 30%. Castillo says its in the past, and that his wife knows about it, but Jane claims the perception will be that hes an adulterer. Both Bullock and Thornton portray Carvillesque characters (and the bald Thornton looks the part). Jane meets with Castillo who says shes a liability. He takes a room across the balcony in Janes hotel, where he can meet her stare, undress her with his eyes, and psych her out. In the mix is a fine supporting cast including a sensational Thornton . Directed by David Gordon Green. She realizes that she was deceived by Castillo, just like she was attempting to deceive the people of Bolivia. What are you going to do? and then leaves. She introduces LeBlanc (Zoe Kazan), a young investigator who is hired to dig up dirt on Rivera. Click here for all of our TIFF 2015 coverage thus far or peruse links to our reviews below: Matt Goldberg has been an editor with Collider since 2007. In its best moments, Our Brand Is Crisis is reminiscent of Wag the Dog; it knows how fucked politics is and acts accordingly. The real meat of the comedy, and drama, comes in the ingenious dirty tricks that Candy and Bodine play on each other, which could kick off a primer on the political practice recently known as rat-f**king (although that phrase is never uttered in the film). On a campaign bus heading toward a remote Bolivia location on a small dirt road, they discover Riveras bus is directly ahead of them. Janes voice is heard saying, If you dont like the road youre on, start paving a new one.. There are very occasional crude sexual references. While Castillo is meeting with the press, Jane meets Eduardo. Our Brand is Crisis was released across all major streaming and cable platforms on Tuesday, January 19, 2016. 1h 47m. Later shell claim he got the room intentionally to get under her skin. She offers to reluctantly resign, but Castillo keeps her on. What sealed the deal was that she will be coming up against her long-time arch-nemesis, Pat Candy. Maybe, kinda. But the fact that it wants to also squeeze in a redemptive tale. When Jane realizes how much she hurt the country, shes so upset that she actually quits her business and joins the protesters. [4] It was theatrically released by Warner Bros. on October 30, 2015. Greens last three picturesPrince Avalanche, Joe, and Manglehornfelt like personal indie films, and Our Brand Is Crisis seems like an attempt to reach back into the mainstream with a mix of comedy and pathos, and yet it also comes off like a journeyman feature. Jane says its time to go negative. Plot out uproarious long-shot tricks against his opponents that always seem to work out even better than hoped? - Jane: It's like he killed himself rather than appear in our commercial.". The women of, Sam Levinson and the Weeknd Allegedly Turned, Theres No Red Button You Can Push to Stop. He says the people in the village dont understand that yet. Answer, spin doctors / truth and lies in political campaigns, how marketing strategies are use to manipulate the opinions of voters, evaluate the claim that theres only one wrong in political campaigns and thats losing, evaluate the comment, if you fight monsters too long, you become one, VOTINGDo Christians have an obligation to vote? Mick LaSalle is the film critic for the San . Castillo is frustrated and wants to hear what Jane has planned for the campaign. She will work on the campaign of anybody, provided the money is right. Honestly, I didnt know what to expect, on a number of levels. Loosely based on true events, Our Brand Is Crisis, follows Jane Bodine (Sandra Bullock) and her campaign team when they are hired to help Pedro Castillo win a presidential election in Bolivia. Jane says its just a carousel and she was going around and around. The more you understand politics, the more it obliterates idealism and eventually all you see is a rigged game masquerading as a grand-scale optimism. Although this is yet another nice white lady who benevolently comes to the aid of a non-white young person (in the case of Our Brand Is Crisis, it's a campaign intern who idolizes Castillo), Bullock shows a lot more shading here than in The Blind Side. Then Jane figures out a hook: To make Castillo more attractive than the frontrunner (a young, engaged populist who represents hope and change), she has to sell the idea that the country doesnt need someone, well, likable. During the debate, Nell observes how charming Rivera is, while the team watches stage left. After a traumatizing career as a political campaign consultant, Bodine has retired to the snowy mountains, where she doesnt smoke and makes bowls. The film is directed by David. Despite Sandra Bullocks strong lead performance, David Gordon Greens film cant push a hopeful tone past its depressing reality. But if you can be wary of those things, I do recommend this film. Some of her pranks, specifically one ploy to feed her candidates unsuspecting competitor a Nazi quotation during the campaigns final debate, are good for a laugh. And in the real Bolivian election of 02, there was no rivalry between warring American spin doctors working for different candidates, because Goni was the only candidate who got that kind of help, in clear preference to his populist opponents on both the right and left. Jane next starts a rumor that Rivera is a Nazi, based on no real facts, but a fuzzy picture showing him with Nazi propaganda. She is approached by Candy, who tells her hes surprised shes working on an unwinnable campaign. Since The War Room, the omnipotent, omniscient celebrity political consultant has been portrayed again and again. However, when two strategists for a struggling Bolivian presidential campaign pique her interest, she goes down to the South American country to see if she should get back in the fight. OUR BRAND IS CRISIS barely holds together as the story moves from campaign incident to campaign incident. Maybe its time to put it out to pasture. Eddie and his brothers join the protests and are shouting angry chants. Cyril Ramaphosa's ANC Renew22 grouping believes Eastern Cape . There are also two middle finger displays. (Vice) President Selina Meyers (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) has a stable of advisers including Dan Egan (Reid Scott) and Jonah Ryan (Timothy Simons) who have internalized and aspire to the Carville cult; its just that reality interrupts to remind them that things dont work like that. To handle this scandal, Castillo is interviewed on TV and explains it was a visit to his son, who IS a member of the cult, and he had to wear the robe. A screenshot shows Castillo at 8% with Rivera leading with 36%. Did Cirie go too far by bringing family matters into the game? It starts out with big promises and ends up with jackshit happening.". ***SPOILER*** Castillo wins the election, and immediately breaks all his promises and turns out to be a tyrant. ts=String.fromCharCode(60); At an evening event, Castillo is shaking hands with people behind a barrier. Its cute for a while. Comedy Drama A battle-hardened American political consultant is sent to help re-elect a controversial president in Bolivia, where she must compete with a long-term rival working for another candidate. She gives him a bottle of Paul Newman Steak Sauce. Our Brand is Crisis may be director David Gordon Green's most sterile picture yet, but it's redeemed somewhat by Sandra Bullock's lead performance, as well as a talented ensemble cast . There's only one wrong in this, only one, and that is losing!". She then asks who knows English and only a handful of people raise their hands, so LeBlanc must translate. By what name was Our Brand Is Crisis (2015) officially released in India in English? Since 2006, Bolivia has been governed by Evo Morales, the indigenous leader whose protest movement led to Gonis downfall. George Clooney and Grant Heslov produced. Lets Do the Thing: How Online Were You in February 2023? Before a campaign stop, Jane tells Eddie to help Castillo roll up his sleeves. They plead with him that any negotiations with the IMF (International Monetary Fund) be preceded by a referendum so the people can decide. When the gunfire stops, the camera moves in on a boy sitting on the steps of a building, his head partly covered by his coat as if hes grabbing a nap. Mick LaSalle. Eddie replies, what about you? Um, yes. Back on the bus, Castillo explain to Eddie that an effective leader is a father to the people, and that sometimes a father must be strict. Illustration by Hudson Christie. Rated R She looks across the large foyer to see Candy sitting outside his room. [23], Eric Kohn from Indiewire wrote that the movie is all about Bullock's performance, saying "she imbues her part with a ferocious energy that constantly elevates the straightforward material". Digital rental or purchase allows you to instantly stream and download to watch anywhere and anytime on your favorite devices. He resides in Atlanta with his wife and their dog Jack. His name is too long with her so she just calls him Eddie. The go-to source for comic book and superhero movie fans. A timeline of the (alleged) drama involving Olivia Wilde, Harry Styles, and Florence Pugh. At a large debate with all the candidates, Jane is found behind the stage backdrop during the debate. Morales government has dramatically reduced poverty and inequality, and presided over one of the worlds fastest-growing economies, right through the crash of 2008. [16], On August 21, 2014, Bullock's casting was confirmed, playing a retired political consultant called 'Calamity' Jane Bodine, and David Gordon Green was set to direct the film. [22], Our Brand Is Crisis grossed $7 million in North America and $1.6 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $8.6 million, against a budget of $28 million. Critic Kenneth Turan has this review. [3] The film opened on October 30, 2015, alongside Burnt and Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse. Senator Pedro Castillo, President of Bolivia 15 years ago, is once again running for the country's top job. . In the city, Eddie is hanging Castillo posters. I say, beat Candy because Jane doesnt really care that much about Castillo or Bolivia. Copyright 2023 Salon.com, LLC. As one of his first moves as president, Morales unilaterally reversed the terms of Bolivias natural gas contracts with foreign corporations: Instead of the investors getting 82 percent of the profits and the Bolivian state getting 18 percent, it was suddenly the other way around. Sometimes its both, as in Kathy Bates sharp-tongued, soft-hearted adviser in Primary Colors. The film gives a fictionalized account of the involvement of American political campaign strategists Greenberg Carville Shrum (GCS) in the 2002 Bolivian presidential election. Eduardo, a young volunteer of the Castillo campaign, is deeply impressed by this show of commitment. "Our Brand Is Crisis" is both the title of and a line from a new political comedy about American consultants who take over a Bolivian presidential campaign. Thats the problem with focusing a story on the diabolical strategist, the one mythical figure in this godforsaken political system whos got it all figured out. [2/4], The effort by Our Brand Is Crisis director David Gordon Green and writer Peter Straughan to turn the 2005 documentary of the same name into a light comedy with touches of romance and political hijinks leave the fictional version a poor candidate in the box office race. Bullocks Jane Bodine offers nothing new. For people who want the vastly more interesting real history of Americas misbegotten meddling in Bolivia just one chapter, of course, in a much larger global story Boyntons film is out there, and so is what happened later. The police arrive and the demonstration quickly turns into a riot. Our Brand is Crisis hits a lot of clunky notes and the end is unforgivably cornball, but its still one of the liveliest political black comedies Ive seen in a while. In Bolivia, the situation is tense: Bodine learns that the indigenous people, who are a majority in the country but lack any real political power, are protesting for constitutional reform to get proper representation. 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