Review of Game Change (2012) by Michael M — 13 Mar 2013

Surprisingly truthful to the source, at least from my own research and my own memories of the 2008 race. It's certainly not a Palin sympathizing movie, but it's not really a Palin bashing movie either. That's not really the point. The theme of the film is essentially the bizarre celebrity nature of politics now, where charm and likability outweigh experience and knowledge. Palin and McCain just happen to be perfect examples of this.

I loved seeing McCain's disbelief at the preposterous events that unfold before him, and the unbridled fury of his supporters (fury which he, in most cases, does not share). He's an old veteran caught in a game that has...well, changed. I don't agree with some of his politics, but I left the movie with a much higher appreciation of McCain (my opinion of Palin remained unchanged, aside from some level of pity).

The three leads are all great. Ed Harris captures McCain's mannerisms even if he doesn't quite capture his appearance. Woody Harrelson is wonderful as campaign supervisor Steve Schmidt, who serves as the audiences lens to view and understand the events of the film, and he fulfills this obligation perfectly. And then there's Julianne Moore, who everyone is talking about with good reason. Moore's performance as Palin is so spot-on, it's actually scary. My brother told me that he once stumbled across this movie on TV not knowing what it was, and it took him a while to figure out that it wasn't actually the real Palin in the movie. That's just how good she is! Some of my favorite scenes in the movie involved her and Harrelson together. The two played well off each other, had a good chemistry (or rather a good friction) and of course Harrelson's just great at giving that look like he wants to smack someone upside the head.

If the movie has a problem it's that I would have liked it to be a little more focused. That's not to say it gets boring or that the story meanders, because it doesn't, the script and direction are tight and succinct. I mean that I would have liked more focus on the point of the film, the celebrity nature of modern politicians. Maybe go a bit more into Obama and how his celebrity status fueled his campaign, which would also make the film seem less like a Palin bashing movie (even if it isn't, it still has that reputation). There's a bit too much on the actual events of the campaign, and let's be honest, those details are still fresh in our memory. If the movie stands the test of time future generations who weren't perpetually inundated with updates on that election will probably appreciate these details, but it still could've used a bit more balance. Still, that's really a minor nitpick. It's an interesting movie that accomplishes what it sets out to do with a pretty high success rate.