Recount (TV 2008)

A chronicle of the weeks after the 2000 U.S. presidential election and the subsequent recounts in Florida.

Director:

Jay Roach

Writer:

Danny Strong

Stars:

Kevin Spacey, Bob Balaban, Ed Begley Jr.

Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 8 wins & 23 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kevin Spacey	...	Ron Klain
Bob Balaban	...	Ben Ginsberg
Ed Begley Jr.	...	David Boies
Laura Dern	...	Katherine Harris
John Hurt	...	Warren Christopher
Denis Leary	...	Michael Whouley
Bruce McGill	...	Mac Stipanovich
Tom Wilkinson	...	James Baker
Bruce Altman	...	Mitchell Berger
Jayne Atkinson	...	Theresa LePore
Gary Basaraba	...	Clay Roberts
Derek Cecil	...	Jeremy Bash
Eve Gordon	...	Monica Klain
Marcia Jean Kurtz	...	Carol Roberts
Mitch Pileggi	...	Bill Daley

Storyline

A chronicle of the weeks after the 2000 U.S. presidential election and the subsequent recounts in Florida.

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Plot Keywords:

election | florida | right wing | government | electoral college | 

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Taglines:

The future of the nation was hanging by a chad.

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Genres:

Drama | History

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Certificate:

TV-MA

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 May 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Recount: The Story of the 2000 Presidential Election

Filming Locations:

Jacksonville, Florida, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Everyman Pictures, HBO Films, Mirage Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Because of the extensive parody of Katherine Harris in the media, Laura Dern expressed great apprehension over how to approach the character. Dern convinced director Jay Roach to allow her at least three takes for every scene: one underplayed, one "medium," and one way over-the-top, so Roach could help guide her performance.

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Goofs

Ben Ginsberg states that Bill Daley's father "stole it for JFK," referring to the belief that Chicago mayor Richard Daley rigged the vote in Illinois in 1960. Kennedy would have still won the electoral college without Illinois.

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Quotes

Ron Klain: We should have asked for a statewide from the get-go - that was our biggest mistake.
Michael Whouley: Mm-hmm, and Ralph Nader should've pulled his head out of his ass. And Elian Gonzalez should've never left Miami. And Gore should've campaigned with Clinton. And Clinton should've got caught getting a blowjob from Sharon Stone instead of Monica Lewinsky 'cause then his approval ratings would have shot through the roof. And Katherine Harris should've thought twice about purging 20,000 voters from the rolls. And ...
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in Jeopardy!: Episode #26.5 (2009)

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Soundtracks

"I Won't Back Down"
Written by Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne
Performed by Tom Petty
Courtesy of Geffen Records
Under License from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

totally fair? maybe not, but neither is American democracy

Recount goes over familiar territory, and for some it will be like opening up a wound that's been covered for several years only to find the pus is still fresh and rotten. Whether you're a democrat or republican- for the latter, of course, your man "won" in the end- a lot of the details in the story of the Florida electoral results in the 2000 Presidential election just flat out stink of corruption and mismanagement. It displays a failure on the part of what should be a somewhat reliable process in an already faulty system (i.e. electoral college, besides the point). What lessons can be taken from the Florida story? Pretty much the story, and the film, acts as a referendum on how things can get so (bleeped), on each party side- democrats not strong enough in the fight at crucial beats, republicans acting like bullies- and the only hope is that it never gets this wretched again.

Whatever thoughts on the issues one will have, it's a worthwhile TV movie based just on the cast alone. Director Jay Roach, usually responsible for silly comedies like Austin Powers and Meet the Parents, tackles the drama with a firm hand (if not the sturdiest camera- hand held of course) on his large group of thespians. Kevin Spacey hasn't been this good in years, and Leary is a welcome presence as a Gore campaign member. Also very noteworthy are small parts for John Hurt, Ed Begley Jr, Bruce McGill. But best of all are Laura Dern in a harrowingly funny turn as dumb-bell Katherine Harris and Tom Wilkinson as tough lawyer James Baker, who comes off as icy as one might expect playing a loyal cadre of the Bush family. They make the movie compulsively watchable, even as the details of the case- the dimple chads, the discrimination, the BS protester problem in Miami-Dade, and ultimately the ruling of the supreme court- make one very sick about the madness unraveling.