Game Change

It seems like every time Hollywood makes a movie portraying a noted Republican as a complete idiot, Conservatives whine that there’s bias. Except when it comes to Nixon. Even Republicans acknowledge that he was a major loon.

The GOP’s latest charge is against the HBO movie GAME CHANGE, which chronicles Sarah Palin’s rise from Alaska governor to Vice Presidential candidate. Clearly, your opinion of this movie will depend on what state you’re in – accepting or skeptical, blue or red?

Personally, I liked the movie (let the angry comments begin!). I thought Julianne Moore was extraordinary as Sarah Palin. If Tina Fey won an Emmy for playing her then Julianne certainly deserves one. And when there’s the big screen version in a few years Meryl Streep will win the Oscar. The only loser playing Sarah Palin is Sarah Palin.

What Julianne did so remarkably was play her real. Yes, there are the (now in retrospect) hilarious scenes when Sarah Palin has to be patiently told who our enemies were in World War II and where those countries are on the map. But we also see her vulnerable side, her charismatic side, and the toll the campaign took on her psyche. By the end of the campaign she’s turned into Frankenstein meets Captain Queeg meets Roseanne, but in fairness – how much is that her fault and how much is just a result of being thrust into an overwhelming situation with zero preparation?

The bottom line is she never should have been put in that position in the first place. This is selecting the most qualified person in America to be a heartbeat away from the President of the United States. It's not casting EVITA.

The public figure who fares the best in this film is John McCain. As beautifully played by Ed Harris (Meryl Streep will win an Oscar for playing him too), he comes off level-headed and sincere. He’s gullible in that he went along with the Palin decision but hey, he was trying to win the Presidency and Danica Patrick was busy racing.

Old pal Woody Harrelson was the campaign mastermind. He was smart, had integrity, made some blunders (Sarah Palin), but you got the sense he genuinely believed in McCain and what he stood for. If Hollywood was really biased they’d have Harrelson’s character drop kick babies.

Another standout was Sarah Paulson as Sarah Palin’s chief campaign advisor/wrangler. Over the course of the film you see her get slowly disillusioned and impatient with the antics and ineptitude of the Yukon Guv until she just snaps. All I could think of was this must’ve been what it was like to be a showrunner on GRACE UNDER FIRE.

GAME CHANGE is currently playing on HBO and HBO ON DEMAND. Meanwhile, the Sarah Palin documentary THE UNDEFEATED that bombed at the boxoffice worse than THE BEAVER plays once in awhile on the Reelz Channel. Which to see? Ken Levine recommends GAME CHANGE. Right-wing wacko nutjob Mark Levin recommends THE UNDEFEATED.  You be the judge.  I would hate to be accused of being biased.