The Big Buy: Tom DeLay's Stolen Congress (2006) User Reviews

house antics

[wrlang · 7/10 · 10 October 2006]

The Big Buy is about the infamous Tom DeLay and his antics in the house in Washington, but mainly in his home state of Texas – bought and paid for. The first time I heard Tom DeLay speak I knew he was a problem child. A must see for every liberal and any open minded conservatives, if you can find any. Most of the information is taken directly out of the press accounts. Lots of well deserved DeLay bashing and . The interviews are interesting and the people seemed very Texas. If you're looking for entertainment, go somewhere else. If you want to understand more about our political system and how people can destroy it, this is for you.

The Story of GOP Texas-style Crony Capitalism

[TDavis12 · 10/10 · 28 June 2006]

This story would be amusing if it weren't true. This is a story of a corrupt Texas mountebank who ruthlessly seized power in the nation's capital. Robert Greenwald--the filmmaker who exposed a political operation disguised as a "fair and balanced" news channel in Outfoxed--takes on one of the most egregious members of Congress in US history, Tom DeLay. The film tears the cover off of the culture of corruption that DeLay created in the US Congress. DeLay has out-Bushed George W. Bush when it comes to crony capitalism. While I knew most of the things the film shows, many people not versed in DC politics will be utterly shocked when they see this film—apparently the alleged liberal media didn't see fit to report much about DeLay's redefinition of the word "sleaze" until his indictment. The only thing bad about the film is that it doesn't have the time to flesh out all the seediness of DeLay's rotten career e.g., his sordid dealings in the Northern Mariana Islands (DeLay took the side of predatory industrialists in this US territory who were running squalid sweatshops and forcing female workers into prostitution and into having abortions when they became pregnant--great from a guy who claims to speak for US Christians). Every American should see this film. Buy the DVD. Go to a screening. Tell your friends about this monumental film and vote out DeLay's spiritual brethren. Pray that DeLay and his cronies (including the ones in the White House) are brought to justice and receive the maximum prison sentences for their crimes against America.

A complex story brilliantly told

[carolyn-158 · 9/10 · 28 May 2006]

I seem to have watched a different movie from the one described in the previous comment.

The Delay story is a bit complicated but it's important, and I honestly can't imagine how it could have been better told (or how anyone could fail to find it interesting).

You do have to understand at least a bit about our system, and the movie does a great job laying out the info you need -- about Texas campaign finance law, the fact that the State legislature controls Federal Congressional district boundaries, the relationship between the U.S. census and political gerrymandering, the way gerrymandering in turn affects the composition of the U.S. House, and how corporations benefited from favorable Federal legislation as their quid pro quo for contributing to State legislative campaigns.

Explicating all that is something most of the media hasn't even attempted. But "The Big Buy" made it all rivetingly clear.

And with lots of footage of personalities like Tom Delay and Ronnie Earle speaking for themselves in their own colorful terms -- personally, I found it richly entertaining.

Regarding the aesthetic surface, I think it's fair to point out, this was probably NOT a big budget operation.

The important thing is that the filmmakers nonetheless managed to get hold of tons of important information, to analyze it thoroughly, and to shoot and/or get hold of TONS of great footage, all brilliantly edited.

I hope a lot of people see this film. It could greatly help us all gain a more sophisticated understanding of how our system is -- and is not -- working

Should Be Required Viewing

[MNJane · 9/10 · 3 June 2006]

"The Big Buy" should be required viewing for every voter, every church-attender, and every Republican convention and caucus in the United States. It is told in the style of "Frontline," "60 Minutes," and "Now," with commentary from numerous people and video clips of speeches, interviews, and press conferences. I had read Molly Ivins' columns for years, but had never seen video footage of her or heard her speak. I was surprised by both her appearance and her voice. Jim Hightower, as usual, provides many poignant ideas. When he stands at an intersection that marks the boundaries of new congressional districts, one cannot help but think that what has happened in Texas is absurd. This film is informative and "tells it like it is." It is definitely one movie that will not waste the viewer's time.

The Big Letdown

[b_w_c_a_m_n · 5/10 · 23 May 2006]

Unfocused, repetitive, and worst of all - boring! What should have been a slam dunk documentary about one of the worst blights on the modern age of politics instead turns out to be a damn shame. Ronnie Earle, the district attorney at the center of the film, says, "This isn't about Democrats and Republicans, this is about cops and robbers." If only the makers of this film could have been so concise at some point in the first reel or two of their documentary as to what it is they were trying to say. Instead, from the start, The Big Buy feels like a film you've walked into thirty minutes late. Following the theme stated by Earle of cops and robbers, The Big Buy is supposed to have a film noir aesthetic, but the intended use of light and shadow is so intermittent you likely won't notice. Somewhere in this mess is a good film and a better story, to bad it's not being told here.