MOVIE REVIEW: "Our Brand is Crisis' struggles with identity

By Adam Pilskog

Timely and ambitious, "Our Brand is CrisisGÇ¥ is a satirical reflection of our current American political climate set against the backdrop of a South American country in distress, with a pair of rival strategists jockeying their candidates in a critical presidential election.

Sandra Bullock is "CalamityGÇ¥ Jane Bodine, a brilliant semi-retired political strategist whose flexible moral compass led her down the path of self-destruction years ago. Tasked with bringing a Bolivian candidate out of the cellar in just 80 days using media, a smear campaign and some of Bodine's own political tricks, it is a whirlwind of polling, running ads and pandering to the people.

Billy Bob Thornton is Pat Candy, Bodine's longtime rival and a globetrotter for the highest bidder, orchestrating elections without a second thought about consequence or conscience. The two are birds of a feather, yet they stick out in a sea of South Americans as disconnected elitist.

Written by Rachel Boynton ' originally as a documentary in 2005 ' and adapted by Peter Straughan, the notion is nothing revelatory. It's an underdog story on the campaign trail, exposing just how depraved and competitive the behind-the-scenes folks truly are. The focus is on the people and not the election, but in this case, glossing over the plight of the Bolivians in greater detail was a mistake.

This film would have worked much better for something less serious. Maybe a city council race in Seattle or the gubernatorial race in Wyoming. An unstable South American country just didn't really jive with the tone of the characters and what I think was the statement of the film.

Bullock and Thornton throw around clever quotes, political anecdotes and idealistic rhetoric with lightning speed. The problem is that these characters are more clueless and simple than they let on ' and uninteresting.

"Our Brand is CrisisGÇ¥ has a bit of an identity crisis itself. It wants to be politically relevant and insightful. It also wants to develop strong characters who establish lasting relationships. But it also wants to tackle some real significant global issues, and uses humor to make those issues less painful. It's too much and not enough.

There is an uncomfortable tension between Bullock and Thornton's characters, and I couldn't tell if it was sexual attraction or sexual harassment throughout, and that doesn't bode well for any film. Bullock is her typical loud-mouthed character, evolving through the interaction with the less fortunate, but in this case, the changes are just too massive for her character to achieve realistically. Thornton is just plain slimy, so kudos for his performance, but his character took things a bit too far.

I can appreciate a good political satire, but there is nothing compelling or original in this story. Perhaps most importantly, there is no appeal for any of the candidates. No mention of any issues or past political miscues with the exception of one that is honestly pretty irrelevant. A film this deeply rooted in the inner-workings of the corrupt political machine needs to provide some direction to the audience. I wasn't rooting for any of the candidates because I didn't know what they stood for or whether they were decent men. I wasn't rooting for or against Bodine because, although I recognize her character is riddled with regret, I didn't have a good feel for where her heart truly lies; remorse, atonement or resignation. That would make an interesting character study.

The film is harshly bleak and cynical, and that is coming from a cynic. I didn't enjoy this nearly as much as I was hoping, and whatever message was intended didn't come through very clearly.